Labor Compliance Specialist

Ames Construction; Burnsville (MN); On-site; USD 32,000 - 34,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

ESOP participation

401k match

Health benefits

Job summary

Ames Construction is seeking a Labor Compliance Specialist in Minnesota to oversee certified payroll, prevailing wage, and subcontractor compliance across heavy civil projects. You will partner with Payroll, Project Management, field teams, and subcontractors to ensure accurate wage classifications, reporting accuracy, and audit readiness.

Candidates should have knowledge of Davis-Bacon, certified payroll systems, and strong organizational skills; prior experience with LCPtracker or similar

Qualifications

• Knowledge of Davis-Bacon, certified payroll, and prevailing-wage requirements.
• Experience with union wage requirements and fringe-benefit structures.
• Familiarity with wage determinations and craft classifications.
• Experience with certified payroll systems and reporting platforms.
• Ability to research discrepancies and coordinate corrective action.
• Strong organizational skills and multi-project management.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, review, reconcile, and submit certified payroll reports for public construction projects.
• Monitor compliance with DBRA and state/local prevailing-wage requirements.
• Review classifications, wage rates, fringe benefits, hours, and project assignments for compliance.
• Identify discrepancies between payroll records and wage determinations.
• Coordinate corrections and maintain documentation for audits.
• Develop recurring reports to monitor project compliance status.

Skills

Davis-Bacon knowledge

Certified payroll reporting

Union wage knowledge

Wage determinations

Construction operations

Subcontractor labor compliance

Discrepancy research

Audit support

Tools

LCPtracker

AASHTOWare/CRL

Elation Systems

Job description

Ames Construction has been building America for more than 60 years, and our people are the reason we continue to succeed.

We are a full-service, heavy civil and industrial contractor building critical infrastructure, including highways, bridges, mines, dams, rail, and more. Our teams take on challenging projects that keep communities safe, supply chains moving, and the country connected.

At Ames, we are Fueled by Family. That means we look out for one another, take pride in our work, and build strong relationships rooted in trust and respect.

Guided by our core values of People, Team, Our Bond, Persistence, and Vision , we do what we say we will do, push through challenges, and deliver work we’re proud of.

When you join Ames, you’re joining a company built for long-term success, where skilled people, strong teams, and disciplined execution come together to build careers and a better future.

The Labor Compliance Specialist supports payroll and labor compliance requirements across Ames Construction projects, with a focus on certified payroll, prevailing wage, and subcontractor compliance. This position partners closely with Payroll, Project Management, field operations, and subcontractors to help ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, local, owner, and project-specific labor requirements.

The Labor Compliance Specialist reviews certified payroll documentation, verifies employee classifications and applicable wage requirements, maintains compliance reporting systems and records, and assists in identifying and resolving payroll or labor compliance discrepancies. The position also maintains accurate and complete documentation to support agency reviews, audits, and project closeout requirements.

In addition, the Labor Compliance Specialist serves as an internal resource for certified payroll and prevailing wage requirements, helping project teams understand compliance obligations and supporting consistent application of labor requirements across projects.

Certified Payroll & Prevailing Wage Compliance

• Prepare, review, reconcile, and submit certified payroll reports for applicable federal, state, municipal, and other publicly funded construction projects.
• Monitor compliance with Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA) and applicable state and local prevailing-wage requirements.
• Review employee classifications, wage rates, fringe benefits, hours worked, and project assignments for compliance with applicable wage determinations.
• Identify discrepancies between payroll records, certified payroll reports, project requirements, and applicable wage classifications.
• Coordinate corrections and maintain supporting documentation for compliance reviews and audits.
• Monitor changes in wage determinations and project-specific labor requirements and communicate impacts to Payroll, project teams, and field operations.

Union & Craft Labor

• Support payroll and compliance processes for union craft employees working across heavy civil projects.
• Review wage rates, classifications, fringe-benefit treatment, overtime, and other labor requirements against applicable project and collective bargaining requirements.
• Work closely with Payroll to resolve employee classification, wage, fringe, and project-coding discrepancies.
• Partner with field supervision and project teams to ensure employee work classifications appropriately reflect work performed.
• Assist in researching and resolving labor-compliance questions involving changing scopes of work, classifications, jurisdictions, or project requirements.

Compliance Systems & Reporting

• Maintain labor-compliance records and complete required reporting using LCP Tracker, AASHTOWare/CRL, Elation Systems, and owner or agency specific compliance platforms.
• Upload, validate, review, and monitor certified payroll and related compliance information.
• Track outstanding payrolls, errors, exceptions, corrections, and other compliance items through resolution.
• Maintain organized records supporting project closeout, agency review, and potential audits.
• Develop recurring reporting that provides visibility into project compliance status, open exceptions, and outstanding documentation.

Subcontractor Compliance

• Review subcontractor certified payroll submissions for completeness and compliance with project requirements.
• Track subcontractor payroll submissions and follow up on missing, incomplete, or potentially noncompliant information.
• Communicate compliance expectations and documentation requirements to subcontractors.
• Work with project management when corrective action is needed.
• Maintain documentation demonstrating contractor and subcontractor compliance throughout the project lifecycle.

Project Support & Audit Readiness

• Participate in project startup to identify prevailing-wage, certified payroll, and other labor-compliance requirements before work begins.
• Establish and maintain project-specific compliance files.
• Work with Project Managers and project teams to proactively identify labor-compliance risks.
• Provide documentation and support for owner, agency, internal, and external labor-compliance reviews.
• Assist with project closeout by confirming required labor documentation has been completed and retained.
• Serve as an internal resource on prevailing-wage and certified-payroll questions.

Qualifications

• Working knowledge of Davis-Bacon, certified payroll, and prevailing-wage requirements.
• Experience working with union and/or prevailing-wage employees strongly preferred.
• Experience with LCPtracker, AASHTOWare/CRL, Elation Systems, or similar certified-payroll/labor-compliance systems preferred.
• Ability to research discrepancies, identify root causes, and coordinate corrective action.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple active projects and reporting deadlines.

Knowledge & Skills

• Davis-Bacon and Related Acts
• Certified payroll reporting
• Union wage and fringe-benefit structures
• Construction craft classifications and wage determinations
• Heavy civil construction operations
• Subcontractor labor compliance
• LCPtracker, AASHTOWare/CRL, and Elation Systems
• Document retention and audit support

Total Rewards

People are the most important asset at Ames Construction.

• Hourly rate is $23 - $25/hour, which varies depending on many factors, including experience, skills, and knowledge.
• This role is eligible for a discretionary bonus.
• Ames offers generous retirement benefits, including Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) participation and a 401k match.
• Ames’ non-craft health benefits package is designed so that our team members flourish, with medical, dental, and vision (all at one low premium), voluntary benefits, company holidays, and paid time off. Please see the Benefits section of our Careers page for more information.

Ames Construction is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.