General contractor production manager job description
A general contractor production manager plans the build for every remodel and new home, deciding which crews and subs take each job and when each one can start. They visit sites to check quality, track crew hours by phase against the estimate, and cut the return trips that eat margin.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, residential builders and remodelers · BLS, May 2025
Oversee project scheduling, crew assignments, and quality control to ensure the efficient execution and delivery of high-standard general contracting projects. Serve as a key liaison between on-site teams and management to uphold operational excellence and customer satisfaction.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Manage and coordinate scheduling for multiple projects concurrently.
Assign crews and allocate resources efficiently to meet deadlines.
Monitor and enforce quality standards across all projects.
Collaborate with subcontractors, suppliers, and internal teams to optimize workflow and project outcomes.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review daily project schedules and adjust crew assignments as necessary.
Conduct on-site inspections to verify adherence to quality and safety protocols.
Communicate with operations and project teams to relay updates and resolve issues.
Prepare brief daily reports detailing project progress and any required adjustments.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
On-time project completion rate: ≥95%.
Project quality compliance: 100% adherence to established quality standards.
Reduction in rework or callback incidents: ≤3% per project.
Crew productivity efficiency: ≥90% based on labor hours versus planned hours.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in construction management, engineering, or related field.
Minimum of 5 years’ experience in project management or production supervision in the home services industry.
Strong leadership, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Proficiency in scheduling software and Microsoft Office Suite.
6. Preferred Experience
Previous experience as a production or construction manager in a general contracting or home improvement setting.
Familiarity with regulatory compliance, building codes, and safety standards.
Experience in managing projects with multiple crews and subcontractors.
Demonstrated track record of improving operational efficiency and cost management.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 pounds and perform manual tasks as needed.
Regularly required to stand, walk, and navigate variable on-site conditions.
Work may involve exposure to outdoor environments, fluctuating temperatures, and construction sites.
Occasional need to climb ladders or access elevated platforms safely.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM with occasional extended hours to meet project deadlines.
Regular on-site attendance required, with potential travel between project locations.
Must be available for occasional weekend or evening work during peak project periods.
On-call duties as necessary to address urgent project issues.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range: $70,000 – $90,000 per year USD, based on experience and qualifications.
Performance-based bonuses tied to project completion and quality metrics.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
401(k) retirement plan with company match.
Additional incentives such as paid time off, professional development opportunities, and employee wellness programs.
10. Company Culture and Overview
Our company is committed to fostering a collaborative and growth-oriented environment where every team member is empowered to contribute to our success.
We emphasize innovation, continuous learning, and customer satisfaction, celebrating each project as a step toward building a better future together.
Join a dynamic team dedicated to excellence, where your skills and ideas can make a real impact on our projects and community.
We pride ourselves on maintaining an inclusive culture that values diversity, transparency, and mutual respect.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
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What changes for a production manager at a residential builder
The production manager plans weeks ahead, while the dispatcher and the leads handle today. At a builder doing remodels and new homes, four things fill that plan.
Long-lead items set the start date
Cabinets, windows, special-order doors and some plumbing fixtures can take weeks to arrive. A kitchen torn out before the cabinets ship leaves a family without a kitchen longer than they agreed to. The production manager holds each remodel's demo date until the project manager confirms those items have shipped, and fills the gap with work that doesn't depend on them.
Some days on the schedule are for waiting
Joint compound dries between coats, tile has to set before grout, concrete cures before it carries load, and hardwood flooring may need days in the house before it's laid, so check the maker's instructions. USG's all-purpose compound sheet, for one, tells finishers to let the first coat dry before the second goes on. The production manager builds those days into the plan and moves the crew to another job meanwhile, instead of letting them rush or stand around. Source: USG: Beadex brand all purpose joint compound submittal sheet.
Hours booked to the phase, not just the job
If carpenters clock in to a job number only, you learn a remodel ran over but not where. Have crews pick a phase, such as demolition, framing or trim, in the time clock app. The production manager reviews each phase every week and talks with the lead while the job can still recover, not after it closes.
One planned visit instead of a string of callbacks
As a new house goes through its first heating season, small cracks, nail pops and sticking doors can show up. Rather than sending a carpenter each time a homeowner calls, book one visit before the first year ends and fix the whole list at once. In Connecticut, for example, the implied warranties on a finished new home a builder sells end one year after the deed or the move-in, whichever comes first. The production manager slots those visits in and traces repeat problems to the crew or sub. Source: Connecticut General Statutes 47-118 (example): implied warranties on new homes.
How much general contractor production managers make
The closest BLS group for general contractor production managers is construction managers. Construction managers who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $98,390 a year ($47.30 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $114,990 median for construction managers in all industries. About 56,450 of the 380,360 construction managers in that survey work for residential builders and remodelers.
Salary and bonuses tied to completion and quality make up the template's pay. Those figures fall short of the middle of BLS pay for construction managers working at home builders, so someone who has already run production will likely want more.
Residential builders and remodelers
$98,390$98,390 median Middle half $75,110–$129,990 10th–90th $58,940–$170,580
All industries
$114,990$114,990 median Middle half $88,550–$151,640 10th–90th $69,690–$189,440
$25k$50k$75k$100k$125k$150k$175k$200k$225k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Residential builders and remodelers
$58,940
$75,110
$98,390
$129,990
$170,580
All industries
$69,690
$88,550
$114,990
$151,640
$189,440
BLS doesn’t publish pay for general contractors on their own. These figures cover residential building construction, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Builds a plan across many jobs and keeps it honest
Knows the order of trades in a remodel and in a new home
Reads an estimate and a job cost report
Holds leads and subs to a quality standard without a fight
Makes crew moves quickly and explains why
Teach these on the job
Your scheduling or project management software
Your crews' strengths and which subs you trust
Your quality checklists and handover standards
Your estimate's phase codes and time clock app
Your suppliers' lead times for cabinets and windows
The core is a shared schedule in the project management app, a time clock app with phase codes, and accounting's job cost report. Name them in the ad, and note if a company truck for site visits comes with the role.
General contractor production manager interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Rising callbacks
Callbacks for drywall cracks and trim gaps are rising. What do you do?
A strong answer: Looks for causes such as wet framing, rushing or a weak sub, sets standards and checks, and tracks callbacks by crew and sub.
Behavioral · Raising productivity
Tell me about a time you tightened sub sequencing so remodel crews stopped losing days between trades.
A strong answer: Names the change, such as confirming sub dates weekly or staging materials before each trade, and shows days or hours saved per project.
The template's numbers are a place to start. Pull your own from last year's finished jobs, then set targets the production manager can actually move.
On-time project completion rate
For each job closed this quarter, check the real handover against the date promised at contract, after approved changes. Note which delays came from planning.
Project quality compliance
Use a short checklist at set points, such as after framing, after trim and at handover, and record a pass or fail for each item. Count the jobs that passed every check.
Reduction in rework or callback incidents
Log each return trip after a phase was signed off, with the cause and who fixed it. Compare the counts by crew, sub and job type each quarter.
Crew productivity efficiency
Divide the estimated labor hours by the actual hours booked to each phase in the time clock app. Look for phases that miss again and again rather than single bad weeks.
Career path
Lead carpenterBuilds jobs and learns what slows a crew down.
Field supervisorWatches several sites and sees how plans hold up.
Production managerPlans crews, start dates and quality for every job.
Operations managerAdds the safety program, supplier terms and the yearly field budget.
Who sets the job schedule: the production manager or the project manager?
Split it by time. The production manager owns the company-wide plan: which jobs start when and which crews they get. Each project manager builds the detailed schedule inside their own job, booking subs within the dates production set. When the two clash, such as two jobs wanting the same crew, the production manager decides and tells both project managers why.
How much does a general contractor production manager make?
Construction managers who work for residential builders and remodelers earned a median of $98,390 a year ($47.30 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $75,110 and $129,990 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
How many jobs can a production manager plan at once?
Count crews and start dates, not just open jobs. The plan is hardest in weeks when several jobs start, frame or close at once. If start dates keep slipping because nobody lined up the next phase in time, or next week's plan isn't out by Friday, the role needs help, such as a scheduling coordinator, before you sell more work.
What should a production manager do when a crew finishes a phase early?
Have a list ready. Punch items on nearly finished jobs, prep for next week's start, shop work like building site protection, and service calls for past clients all fit. Moving a crew ahead on its own job only works if the next trade or inspection can move too, so check before anyone promises the homeowner an earlier date.
Why does a production manager template mention lifting, ladders and weather?
They describe site visits. The production manager climbs ladders to look at roof work or second-floor framing, walks lots and houses in heat, cold and mud, and sometimes moves materials or tools when a crew needs a hand. Between visits, the work is planning at a desk. Name these tasks in the ad rather than a fitness standard.
