Excavation Superintendent

Actalent; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 50,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental & Vision

401(k)

Job summary

Actalent is hiring an Excavation Construction Superintendent in Chicago. This field-heavy role leads field crews and subcontractors across multiple commercial civil and earthwork projects, coordinating with project leadership to ensure on-time, high-quality work and strict safety adherence.

You’ll oversee excavation, grading, utilities, and stormwater work, while maintaining daily reports and client communications.

Qualifications

• Extensive excavation experience including stormwater excavation and grade management.
• Proven experience leading a crew and supervising subcontractors and trades onsite.
• Hands-on leadership on civil projects with site utilities and earthwork.
• Advanced plan reading skills for civil/underground blueprints.
• Knowledge of GPS, lasers and grade control technologies used in earthwork.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage field crews and subcontractors to ensure smooth daily operations across multiple sites.
• Oversee sub-subcontractor activities and resolve in-field issues.
• Coordinate progress with Project Manager and General Superintendent.
• Attend client meetings to verify alignment with contract documents and specs.
• Plan crew schedules, equipment usage, and material deliveries to maximize productivity.
• Develop contingency plans for delays or site condition changes.
• Prepare and submit daily production and field observation reports.
• Ensure work meets quality standards and safety protocols.
• Enforce safety policies and OSHA compliance across sites.
• Direct excavation operations focusing on stormwater and grade management.

Skills

Excavation experience

Crew supervision

Safety leadership

GPS/grade control

Plan reading

Equipment coordination

Subcontractor management

Field reporting

OSHA 30‑Hour

Quality control

Tools

GPS systems

Lasers

Job description

Job Title: Excavation Construction Superintendent

Job Description

The Construction Superintendent leads and manages field crews and subcontractors on multiple commercial civil and earthwork projects, ensuring smooth daily operations, high-quality workmanship, and strict adherence to safety standards. This role oversees excavation and grading activities, coordinates closely with project leadership, and actively participates in client interactions to verify that all work aligns with contract documents and project expectations. The superintendent plans and optimizes labor, equipment, and material schedules, implements contingency plans to address delays, and maintains detailed daily reporting to support project progress and performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage field crews and subcontractors to ensure smooth, efficient daily operations across multiple job sites.
• Oversee sub-subcontractor activities and performance, providing clear direction and resolving issues in the field.
• Coordinate project progress and success in close collaboration with the Project Manager and General Superintendent.
• Attend client meetings and represent the project team, verifying that all work aligns with contract documents, design specifications, and client expectations.
• Plan and optimize crew schedules, equipment usage, and material deliveries to maximize productivity and minimize downtime.
• Develop and implement contingency plans to address potential delays, disruptions, or changing site conditions.
• Maintain consistent daily communication with Project Managers and the General Superintendent, providing updates on progress, challenges, and resource needs.
• Prepare and submit daily reports, including production unit tracking, time management updates, and key field observations.
• Ensure all work meets established quality standards, project specifications, and industry best practices.
• Enforce and promote safety protocols on all job sites, ensuring compliance with OSHA standards and company safety policies.
• Understand, communicate, and enforce company policies across all jobsite activities and among all field personnel.
• Direct and oversee excavation operations, with a focus on stormwater excavation and grade management.
• Coordinate demolition, grading, earthwork, and installation of utilities and sewer systems as part of commercial construction projects.
• Monitor and manage grade using GPS, lasers, and other positioning tools to ensure accurate earthwork and site preparation.
• Support construction supervision activities, including scheduling, sequencing of work, and coordination among trades.
• Collaborate with quality control personnel to identify and resolve deficiencies and ensure long-term durability of completed work.

Essential Skills

• Extensive excavation experience, including stormwater excavation and managing grade, is required.
• Strong background in underground construction, earthwork, grading, and commercial site development.
• Proven experience leading a crew and supervising subcontractors and trades onsite.
• Hands‑on experience with civil projects, site utilities, commercial earthwork, and excavating.
• Advanced plan reading skills, specifically with civil and underground blueprints.
• Ability to manage subcontractors effectively, including performance oversight and coordination of activities.
• Knowledge and practical use of GPS systems, lasers, and other grade control technologies in earthwork and excavating.
• Construction management and supervision skills, including scheduling, sequencing, and resource allocation.
• Experience with demolition, grading, earthworks, utilities, and sewer system installation in a commercial construction setting.
• Strong focus on safety, with the ability to enforce safety protocols and promote a safe work environment.
• OSHA 30‑Hour certification.
• Quality control awareness and ability to ensure work meets required standards and specifications.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience working on high‑profile commercial construction projects is highly beneficial.
• background in commercial prime contracting or grading contractors is an advantage.
• Ability to travel between multiple job sites within a workday and manage responsibilities across 23 concurrent projects.
• Strong communication skills for interacting with project leadership, field crews, subcontractors, and clients.
• Organizational skills to maintain accurate daily reports, production tracking, and time management records.
• Capability to make field decisions quickly and implement contingency plans when project conditions change.
• Comfort with a hands‑on leadership style, actively participating in field work while supervising operations.

Work Environment

The Construction Superintendent primarily works in the field on active job sites rather than in an office, truck, or trailer. The role involves spending most of the day outdoors, directly overseeing excavation, grading, earthwork, utilities, and related commercial construction activities, and frequently getting hands‑on with the work. Superintendents typically manage 23 projects during a normal day, requiring regular travel from site to site. A company truck and fuel are provided to support this travel. The environment is fast‑paced and physically demanding, with exposure to varying weather conditions, heavy equipment, and active construction zones, and requires adherence to all safety protocols and use of appropriate personal protective equipment.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Chicago, IL.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $36.00 - $48.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job‑related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical
• dental & vision
• Critical Illness
• Accident
• Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan
• Pre‑tax and Roth post‑tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long‑term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

This is a Contract to Hire position based out of Chicago, IL.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Nov 13, 2026.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Chicago,IL.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.