The construction industry is one of the larger working fields in the world, but it is also one that has been expanding in the last few years. Things such as sustainable materials and the creation of smart houses are just a couple of the advances that this industry has developed. This is also a field that has many types of workers involved in the construction process. That’s why if you are part of the industry, there are certain construction job titles you need to know about.
There are four main types of projects that a construction team can develop. It can be residential, commercial, industrial or infrastructure. Depending on the type of building you are thinking about, there are different construction worker levels involved in the development.
Everyone on the construction site should have an overall idea of the most prominent construction titles. This knowledge is extremely important if you are part of a construction project. But especially if you play the crucial role of an architect.
Importance of an architect in the construction project
In the construction job title hierarchy, an architect is in the middle level taking care of the design of the project at the beginning. Later, the architect will make sure that the execution of the blueprint goes according to plan and satisfies the client’s desire.
After the initial preparation of the project, the architect will be the one responsible for coordinating some contractors, reporting updates to the clients and dealing with problems that come up during construction. That’s why there are key construction job titles an architect needs to be aware of. This way he/she will know who they should talk to and who are the people responsible for a specific task.
Now that we understand why an architect should have an overall idea of the construction job titles. We are going to have a look at the key roles an architect should never forget.
6 Key job titles in construction
There are many people that an architect could talk to daily, but here we are going to focus on the most important construction titles. Remember, there are more people involved in the development phase of a project, but their roles are not directly involved with the tasks of an architect, and that’s why we won’t be mentioning them.
- Construction Manager
This position is on the same construction job title hierarchy as an architect, but their roles are very different. A construction manager is responsible for planning and coordinating the whole project from start to finish. That’s why if you are the architect, chances are you will have a couple of meetings with the construction manager.
A construction manager will also take care of the budgeting, choosing the right materials for construction and creating a schedule for the project. Another vital task that the construction managers will do is manpower planning, which is basically making sure the right people are on the job site. To learn more about software that helps with this topic, go to Bridgit.
To oversee the project, a construction manager can implement cloud-based software. This way, they can communicate with everyone on the project and get updates at any time.
- Construction Estimator
This construction job position needs to know every aspect of the project since they need to analyse the overall goal to determine the cost of materials and labour. They also have a lot to do with the financial aspect of the development. That’s why being a construction estimator is one of the most crucial construction job titles.
Also, they need to have an eye for details since that will help them determine where they can cut costs to invest that money somewhere else. A construction estimator will have to communicate with everyone on the team, including the architect. Also, the estimator needs to communicate with people on the outside to have an idea of the costs of certain tasks.
- Construction Supervisor
A supervisor is one of the job titles in construction that ensures the project meets the deadline. The role of the supervisor is to oversee all the tasks on the construction site. This means they are responsible for all the staff and contractors.
Apart from that, they will also serve as a bridge of communication between management and workers. Since they play the role of intermediaries between these two parties, they will also have to help solve problems on both sides.
- Construction Expeditor
One of the construction job titles that the majority of people don’t know much about is the expeditor. Ironically, without an efficient construction expeditor, all the projects will have delays. The role of a construction expeditor is determining what type of materials the workers will need and which equipment is required on the worksite.
Once they have a list of all the needed resources, make the purchasing orders and coordinate the deliveries. They should be very organized to make sure everything is where it needs to be to follow the schedule of the project.
- Construction Foreman
In the construction job title hierarchy, a foreman is at the lower level, with all the workers. However, since a foreman is responsible for overseeing the workers, he/she has a higher level than all of them.
A construction foreman will take care of the training, directing, and supervising all of the crews. For instance, one of the tasks of a foreman is checking the time cards to make sure everyone arrives on time and completes the mandatory work hours. A good foreman should increase efficiency on the worksite and be a quick problem solver.
- Construction Worker
This is a construction job position that everyone recognizes since they are the ones that invest their manual work into the development of the project. Even though this is a lower construction job position, all workers need to have strong physiques. This will allow them to operate heavy machinery and carry the necessary work materials. Also, they need to be good listeners to follow orders. Keep in mind there are different construction worker levels.
Final Thoughts
All the construction job titles that you find above are an essential part of the knowledge that every architect should have. If as an architect you don’t know who you are working with, that can create problems on the job site and delays on the project. Make sure that every time you are involved in a new development you at least know the key job titles described above.
Alana Groom
Bella Duckworth
Ella Summers
Karin Hoover
Linjo Joson
Molly Milson
TraceyC