Whether you’re a student thinking about potential career paths or simply looking to gain a better understanding about the various roles in the construction industry, read on to learn about a few of the different careers in construction.
The construction industry is filled with opportunity! The construction sector includes construction for commercial, industrial, real estate, and engineering projects such as roads, bridges, and utility systems. With positions ideal for a multitude of different characteristics and available at varying skill-levels – there’s no doubt that there are careers in construction for everyone.
Watch our webinar video on Careers in Construction & the Sage CRE Software User Landscape
Did you know? Careers in construction is considered one of the industries with the highest projections for new employment opportunities.
FINANCE CAREERS IN CONSTRUCTION
Because there are so many unknowns in the execution of construction projects, and such a thin margin for profit – it’s critical to have accurate and timely control over your accounting and financial processes. There are many unknowns that can affect how profitable a job or project is. Unexpected costs to labor, insurance, etc. can cause you to lose money, rather than make money on a job. This team works together to make sure the company is profitable.
Owner – Decisions, decisions!
Owners make decisions based on key performance indicators (KPI’s) and reporting. Sage Construction software solutions provide customizable dashboards that make it easy to view the details that matter most to the profitability of your company and help the owner make informed business decisions. Tracking time cards, materials, etc. is crucial to the decision maker and/or owner who rely heavily on reporting to make those decisions. Get real time visibility on how the company is doing. Equipping the owner with these reports and information to empower them to make good decisions. careers in construction
Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – Past, present & future
The CFO’s three core duties are to report on historical information, manage the company’s present financial position, and forecast financial strategies to secure the future. An effective CFO has the ability to see into the past, analyze market trends, and forecast the future. Their job is to present all of the different scenarios and information to the owner. The CFO especially should have good intuition.
Accounting – It’s all in the details
The accounting team is responsible for financial reporting and compliance tracking. They create the basis for data and information to efficiently track information. The accounting team is responsible for processing day-to-day transactions such as paying bills, receiving payments, and more. They also seem to get stuck with tasks that overflow from other groups. Sage Software accounts a handle on all of the information of what is happening on a day-to-day basis.
All roles within the finance category of careers in construction work together to make sure the company is profitable, make the right decisions based on information and data. careers in construction
LOGISTICS CAREERS IN CONSTRUCTION
Estimating, job cost software, and prospect management are all connected. And your people whether in the field or in the office, are connected to the information that matters most. As a direct results of this connectivity, team productivity soars, and your projects progress with fewer interruptions and risks.
Estimator: When opportunities come to bid on projects, estimators calculate the price based on a set of plans. The estimator predicts how many hours of labor and how much material is needed to build something or complete a job. There are estimating tools available to help estimate if the estimator does not estimate the cost of a project correctly, you may be over or budget. Construction profit margins are tight so estimators use historical data in order to make good estimates. Estimators use historical estimates to track the probability and profitability of future jobs. An estimator is very detailed oriented – that is crucial to logistics.
Sage Software Solution: Generate more estimates faster than ever before and do it without jeopardizing accuracy. Calculating quantities, dimensions, and counts is a snap using pricing databases and onscreen takeoff tools. Last-minute adjustments are quick and painless. Learn more about Sage Estimating
Operations Manager: This person knows the second an issue arises, such as a job that has fallen below the profit threshold or when a project manager’s monthly forecasts are overdue. Clear communication with project manager’s subcontractors, clients, and company leaders is crucial.
Superintendent: Site activities are this person’s responsibility as well as capturing information. Also known as the crew leader, this role manages all of the people out on the field, track the details so that management has the accurate and critical data so that they can make informed decisions.
Sage Software Solution: It can be challenging to capture the data from the field and translate it into reliable data, which is another way Sage software solutions can help. For every project, labor is the single biggest factor in a project’s profitability. It’s critical that hours and details entered are accurate. Even small mistakes can have big consequences. Sage Service Operations provides field technicians with the critical information they need while office teams receive real-time updates from the field, resulting in higher quality work, improved efficiency, and maximum profitability of your service operations. careers in construction
ADMINISTRATIVE CAREER IN CONSTRUCTION
Payroll & Office Manager
Mastering payroll and HR tasks, the office manager deals with sticky issues like union dues, workers’ compensation, drug testing, licenses, certifications, overtime, and time approval. The office manager also tracks any outstanding lien waivers or expired insurance certificates as part of subcontractor management. Managing people and payroll is never straightforward, no matter what line of work you’re in. However, few businesses face as much red tape as construction firms. Unionized labor, high turnover, subcontractors, variable hours and pay, certified payroll for government work, are all issues and other logistical concerns that conspire to create a potentially hyper-complex environment.
Office managers are faced with plenty of paperwork and deal with all team members in the organization, so it is important that an office manager is organized and people oriented.
SERVICE CONTRACTORS
Tasked to improve service levels and maximize profit by emboldening you to schedule appointments more simply, reduce parts inventory costs, and collaborate more effectively between the office and field technicians.
Service Manager have a high level overview of work orders, repairs, technicians, and monitor the progress of worksites from start to completion. This person needs to know about all of the jobs going on, who is where, what work technicians are performing, and how long the job is expected to take to complete. Bottom line, this department is expected to handle a high volume of work and be able to make the best use of its resources while maximizing revenue and becoming more responsive to customers.
Dispatcher solves the communication riddle and collaborates with technicians. This person needs to be able to easily start, stop, or suspend job tickets – with real-time visibility for technicians. Strengths in scheduling and communication is key. The dispatcher is responsible for communicating all of the work order details to the technicians, making sure the technicians can easily mobilize, working with the service manager and help direct technicians to their jobs.
Service Technicians meet with customers, reviews the work order and the customer’s account history on his laptop or tablet. It’s vital for this technician to have a clear understanding not only of that day’s work but also what was done previously. They complete the necessary work, record information and notes from their jobs, track inventory and purchase orders.
