What does a Superintendent do?
Superintendents oversee the administration of schools in a specific school district. They manage the educational programs of each school and create strategic decisions to ensure that the students are learning important subjects. They also supervise school administrators or principals and are responsible for hiring and guiding them. Superintendents should be familiar with their constituents and must always be ready to listen to their needs. It is important that superintendents are good decision-makers and communicators. They are expected to lead their respective districts in achieving their vision. Superintendents drive the team towards their goals and create strategic steps to ensure success.
Superintendent responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real superintendent resumes:
- Manage, coordinate, plan and provide oversight for all nuclear work perform during PSA's.
- Manage $9.1M budget; 28,000 grind and flight training requirements and 2,400 hr flying training program.
- Manage a team of 30 operators and maintenance personnel producing extrusion and blown polypropylene shrink film on a unionize site.
- Lead and facilitate meetings; oversee implementation of OSHA and company safety regulations.
- Manage complex logistics, including procuring materials and navigating space constraints, to successfully complete project amid concurrent construction of building.
- Coordinate and oversee commercial roofing projects.
- Subcontract closeout through the change notice process.
- Work with hr on write up's policies needing to be uphold, hiring and continue training, i.e.
- Complete RFI and close-out documentation.
- Maintain QC standards and Safety/Code requirements.
- Participate in MEP systems coordination meetings.
- Work as an HVAC electrical specialist and refrigeration technician.
- Deliver exceptional management and reporting of site SWPPP inspections.
- Develop and implement schedules, MEP coordination, subcontractor scheduling and supervision.
- Monitor safety and efficiency in all situations to ensure OSHA requirements are maintain.
Superintendent skills and personality traits
We calculated that 11% of Superintendents are proficient in OSHA, Quality Standards, and Construction Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Decision-making skills, Interpersonal skills, and Communication skills.
We break down the percentage of Superintendents that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- OSHA, 11%
Work with project superintendents ensuring compliance with OSHA Safety regulation and scheduling of city inspection.
- Quality Standards, 7%
Organized training for construction teams on site-specific requirements, techniques, and procedures; instructed general contractor personnel on quality standards.
- Construction Management, 7%
Bend, O R Directed several construction management areas including contractor and subcontractor scheduling, project monitoring, and material procurement.
- Logistics, 6%
Managed complex logistics, including procuring materials and navigating space constraints, to successfully complete project amid concurrent construction of building.
- Customer Service, 5%
Evaluated customer service satisfaction, collected, analyzed data regarding complaints/compliments via internal/external surveys, evaluated process for customer service improvement.
- Project Management, 5%
Performed all tasks related to a commercial superintendent position and assisting in project management while in an active hospital environment.
"osha," "quality standards," and "construction management" are among the most common skills that superintendents use at work. You can find even more superintendent responsibilities below, including:
Decision-making skills. The most essential soft skill for a superintendent to carry out their responsibilities is decision-making skills. This skill is important for the role because "because principals are responsible for students, staff, and the overall operation of the school, they consider many factors when making decisions." Additionally, a superintendent resume shows how their duties depend on decision-making skills: "ensured hr inspection readiness and oversaw resolution of more than 30 identified deficiencies within established deadlines. "
Interpersonal skills. Another essential skill to perform superintendent duties is interpersonal skills. Superintendents responsibilities require that "principals work with teachers, parents, and superintendents and must develop positive working relationships with them." Superintendents also use interpersonal skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "achieve excellent interpersonal and customer service skills with over 3 years of experience makes me an excellent candidate. "
Communication skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of superintendents is communication skills. This skill is critical to many everyday superintendent duties, as "principals must communicate effectively with students, teachers, and parents." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "facilitated all hr program communication processes; briefed leadership on the impact of process and program changes / updates. "
Problem-solving skills. For certain superintendent responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "problem-solving skills." The day-to-day duties of a superintendent rely on this skill, as "teachers, students, and other staff report problems to the principal." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what superintendents do: "resolved conflictamongst employees with assistance from hr department which resulted to a safer and less hostilework environment. "
Leadership skills. A commonly-found skill in superintendent job descriptions, "leadership skills" is essential to what superintendents do. Superintendent responsibilities rely on this skill because "principals set educational goals and establish policies and procedures for the school." You can also see how superintendent duties rely on leadership skills in this resume example: "provided weekly presentations to senior base leadership to advise of status of key hr programs. "
The three companies that hire the most superintendents are:
- D.R. Horton155 superintendents jobs
- GPAC113 superintendents jobs
- CyberCoders102 superintendents jobs
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Compare different superintendents
Superintendent vs. Assistant project manager
An assistant project manager is an individual who works directly under a project manager to support the planning and execution of projects. Associate project managers keep track of a project's progress and communicate with stakeholders about project needs and goals. They help procure materials and other essential items to meet project goals and avoid delays in completing a project. They are also responsible for resolving complex issues that arise in a project.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between superintendents and assistant project manager. For instance, superintendent responsibilities require skills such as "quality standards," "logistics," "customer service," and "safety program." Whereas a assistant project manager is skilled in "purchase orders," "work ethic," "sub contractors," and "meeting minutes." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Assistant project managers tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $80,365. In contrast, superintendents make the biggest average salary, $85,679, in the construction industry.On average, assistant project managers reach similar levels of education than superintendents. Assistant project managers are 3.3% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Superintendent vs. Controls project manager
A Controls Project Manager supervises the project control of engineering and construction projects. They are responsible for estimating costs, monitoring work progress, and quality assurance.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real superintendent resumes. While superintendent responsibilities can utilize skills like "osha," "quality standards," "logistics," and "customer service," controls project managers use skills like "project controls," "risk management," "project execution," and "project cost."
On average, controls project managers earn a higher salary than superintendents. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, controls project managers earn the most pay in the construction industry with an average salary of $115,882. Whereas superintendents have higher pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $85,679.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Controls project managers tend to reach higher levels of education than superintendents. In fact, they're 10.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Superintendent vs. Installation manager
An installation manager is primarily in charge of overseeing a company's installation projects, ensuring efficiency and timeliness. It is their duty to set goals and objectives, manage budgets and schedules, liaise with clients to identify their needs and preferences, and develop strategies to optimize installation processes, prioritizing customer satisfaction. Furthermore, as an installation manager, it is essential to lead and encourage the workforce to reach goals, all while implementing the safety standards and regulations for a safe work environment.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, superintendents are more likely to have skills like "construction management," "logistics," "customer service," and "construction projects." But a installation manager is more likely to have skills like "customer satisfaction," "windows," "payroll," and "strong customer service."
Installation managers earn the highest salary when working in the government industry, where they receive an average salary of $82,073. Comparatively, superintendents have the highest earning potential in the construction industry, with an average salary of $85,679.Most installation managers achieve a similar degree level compared to superintendents. For example, they're 0.7% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Superintendent vs. Director of construction
A Director Of Construction is responsible for supervision of all construction-related projects. They review project progress, address issues, and adjust schedules and budgets.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between superintendents and directors of construction, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a superintendent might have more use for skills like "logistics," "customer service," "safety program," and "excellent organizational." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of directors of construction require skills like "real estate," "value engineering," "development projects," and "capital projects. "
Directors of construction enjoy the best pay in the government industry, with an average salary of $127,615. For comparison, superintendents earn the highest salary in the construction industry.directors of construction reach higher levels of education compared to superintendents, in general. The difference is that they're 6.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of superintendent
Updated January 8, 2025
