Construction Project Captain Job Descriptions, Average Salary, Interview Questions

What Does a Construction Project Captain Do?

A construction project captain is a professional who is responsible for overseeing and managing the various aspects of a construction project. As project coordinators, they work the work of various teams, including architects, engineers, and contractors, to ensure that a construction project is completed successfully.

To succeed in the construction market, a project captain needs to have a solid understanding of construction methodologies, processes, and methodologies as well as strong leadership, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

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National Average Salary

Construction project captain salaries vary by experience, industry, organization size, and geography. To explore salary ranges by local market, please visit our sister site zengig.com.

The average U.S. salary for a Construction Project Captain is:

$72,875

Construction Project Captain Job Descriptions

The first step when hiring a great construction project captain is a well-crafted job description. Below are real-world examples to help give you the best chance of success on your recruiting journey.

Example 1

[Your Company Name] is looking for a motivated and experienced construction project captain. Responsibilities for the construction project captain will include working in extension with the project manager and construction teams in order to ensure quality, that daily tasks are completed, and that the schedule is met. This position will require frequent communication and solving challenging problems, so you must be comfortable working in a team environment on a construction site. If you are not confident in your ability to resolve issues quickly and efficiently while managing your team members, this job is not for you. Confidence and quick thinking are required for this position in order to be successful. Experience and certifications are not required, but a major plus. Experience in the construction and management fields is a benefit as well.

Typical duties and responsibilities

  • Produce construction documents
  • Communicate with clients during a project
  • Meet with architects and construction workers at a job site
  • Negotiate with vendors and subcontractors
  • Quality assurance and quality control
  • Monitor progress on projects
  • Meet deadlines 

Education and experience

Construction project captains need to earn a high school diploma or equivalent. Students should go on to receive a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree from an accredited program, ideally in architecture. Employers prefer candidates with knowledge of building codes and Revit, modeling software for architects and engineers.

Required skills and qualifications

  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills
  • Strong leadership and interpersonal skills
  • Time-management skills and the ability to meet deadlines
  • Ability to work independently and as part of a team
  • Experience with Revit modeling software
  • Outstanding decision-making skills
  • Knowledge of building codes
  • Calm, professional demeanor
  • Keen attention to detail

Preferred qualifications

  • 5+ years of experience managing construction employees
  • Construction manager certificate
  • Self-managed
  • Strong attention to detail
  • Ability to get projects done on time

Example 2

The ideal candidate will be responsible for working with the General Manager and the Project Management team to ensure the participation of cross-functional stakeholders in furthering project goals. With organization and prioritization skills, this candidate will organize the necessary pieces to ensure project success.

Responsibilities

  • Work with Project Manager to develop, drive, and implement project goals
  • Manage communications and deliverables from all stakeholders for project
  • Track project accomplishments
  • Establish partnerships cross-functionally as necessary to ensure project success
  • Other administrative tasks

Qualifications

  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills, problem solving skills, and attention to detail
  • Ability to prioritize and multitask
  • Expertise in Microsoft Office Suite
  • Must be comfortable dealing with clients
  • Spanish considered an asset
  • Sign Industry experience considered an asset
  • Permitting experience considered an asset

Example 3

Duties

  • Project management throughout the US
  • Will support Account Managers
  • Coordinating and ensuring latest information/diagrams/forms documents are uploaded within internal database
  • Work with vendors to ensure all products will be available for projects
  • Database management
  • Work with engineers and designers to make any adjustments and changes to renderings
  • Manage large excel spreadsheets
  • Point of purchase for all project merchandising
  • Manage all logistic for each project ensure
  • Processes all daily replacement part and new store orders
  • Maintain accurate and neat files
  • Monitors min/max levels of inventory and works with project management to replenish
  • Manage correspondence with field representatives, vendors and corporate
  • Publish weekly shipping/tracking reports.
  • Following through until issues have been resolved

Qualifications

  • Prior experience within customer service or project management is a big plus
  • Must be reliable
  • Proactive and resourceful
  • Ability to problem solve and resolve issues
  • Strong attention to details
  • Great multitasking skillset
  • Works well within a team environment and independently
  • Team player, roll up the sleeves mentality

Example 4

Essential tasks

  • Assist Project Manager with all project management and oversight activities
  • Assist in preparing and reviewing project proposals, memos, meeting minutes, and emails
  • Assist with planning and coordinating webinars, conferences, and other events
  • Ensure all project documentation is maintained appropriately for each project (e.g., project plan, budget, schedule, or scope statement)
  • Assist with resource scheduling so that team members have the resources they need to complete their tasks, and coordinate all team members to keep workflow on track
  • Document and follow up on important actions and decisions from meetings
  • Facilitate meetings where appropriate and distribute minutes to all project team members
  • Provide administrative support as needed
  • Undertake project tasks as required (e.g., literature reviews, proposal writing, etc.)
  • Write and develop protocols (e.g., manuals, instructions guides, document internal processes)
  • Perform daily budget monitoring for assigned projects

Knowledge, skills, and abilities

  • Ability to develop budget spreadsheets
  • Ability to prepare and interpret flowcharts, Gantt charts, data visuals
  • Familiarity with risk management and quality assurance control
  • Familiarity with contract and stakeholder management

Education and experience

  • Project management certifications (desired but not required): Certified Associate in Project Management (CAPM), project management professional (PMP) or similar
  • Bachelor’s degree in business administration, management or a related field
  • Demonstrated experience with project management software (e.g., LiquidPlanner)
  • Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Google Drive
  • Experience: 2+ years of experience in project coordination, project management roles
  • Experience with workload and resource planning required
  • Experience in research and evaluation settings strongly preferred
  • Experience with LiquidPlanner a plus
  • Experience managing multiple project timelines

Candidate Certifications to Look For

  • Certified Construction Manager (CCM). The Certified Construction Manager is a very good certification for a construction manager or construction project captain to acquire. This certification covers the basics of management and relevant construction management techniques. This certificate is extremely beneficial to the position of construction project captain.
  • Construction Management Certification Institute (CMCI). The Construction Management Certification Institute provides a gold standard for management professionals. This institute provides certifications for construction management and other general management skills and is extremely beneficial in the recognition of a construction captain or manager.

Sample Interview Questions

  • What is a construction project captain responsible for?
  • Are you comfortable with a leadership position?
  • How would you resolve any issue that arises between team members in order to ensure the schedule and tasks are completed successfully?
  • What are some of the challenges you expect as a construction project captain?
  • How would you describe your leadership style/the ideal leadership style?
  • What was the most complex project you worked on?
  • What kind of construction projects do you have experience with?
  • Do you have any relevant certifications for this type of job?
  • Do you have any previous experience in team management?
  • How do you ensure that the project stays on a deadline?
  • Have you ever had an OSHA violation on the job? How did you fix it?
  • What’s the most important aspect of managing a team in construction?

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