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Construction general supervisor

Team leaders supervise groups of workers on construction sites and civil engineering projects. Besides managing their team, they also work on site themselves under a site manager or works manager, depending on the size of the project. They’re usually in charge of a team working on a specific part of the project or development. They may specialise in certain fields, such as painting, plumbing or electricity. Depending on the size of the construction project involved, jobs can last anywhere between a few months to several years.

  • Starting salary (per month)€2k
  • Job ads10

The life of a construction team leader...

Preparing work sites and distributing tasks each day

Working from an architect’s plans, team leaders are responsible for putting a team together to carry out the work involved. Having prepared the site, depending on any particular constraints on the ground, team leaders start to divide up the tasks. They may also be required to perform more technical or complex tasks themselves.

Monitoring the progress of work 

Team leaders have to ensure work carried out is of the highest quality, making sure each stage of the project runs smoothly and in line with the required deadlines. They regularly report on progress to site managers. At the end of a construction project, they attend handover meetings and ensure the surrounding areas are properly cleaned up. With a few years of experience behind them, team leaders can work their way up to site manager, works supervisor and works manager roles. 

Fun fact

In Indianapolis in 1930, the building that housed the Indiana Bell Telephone Company standing eight stories tall and weighing almost 11,000 tons was rotated 90°. Engineers and labourers worked hard to move the building – at a rate of just 38cm per hour – while the company’s 600 or so employees were still inside.

Skills

Hard skills

  • Cad software
  • Building information modelling
  • Power engineering
  • Building codes
  • Electrical safety regulations
  • Sustainable building materials
  • Urban planning law

Soft skills

  • Identification of Consequences
  • Teaching and mediation
  • Collective contribution

Typical educational background  

  • Advanced building qualifications 
  • Vocational building and engineering qualifications
  • Civil engineering studies

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