Construction quality manager

Description

Construction quality managers make sure the quality of the work meets standards set in the contract, as well as minimum legislative standards. They establish procedures to check quality, perform inspections, and propose solutions to quality shortcomings.

Construction quality managers typically do the following:

  • Interpret and review shop drawings
  • Inspect completed work and/or work in progress to determine whether the work meets specifications and plan requirements
  • Monitor overall construction performance with regard to technical quality and compliance with design and specification requirements
  • Note and report on work that does not meet requirements
  • Educate workers on the required standards
  • Work with senior managers to identify approaches and methods to improve overall quality

Other titles

The following job titles also refer to construction quality manager:

construction QA manager
construction quality assurance manager
construction QA QS manager
construction quality and safety control supervisor
construction quality and safety manager
construction quality managers

Minimum qualifications

A bachelor’s degree in business, construction management, engineering, or a related field is generally required to work as a construction quality manager.

ISCO skill level

ISCO skill level is defined as a function of the complexity and range of tasks and duties to be performed in an occupation. It is measured on a scale from 1 to 4, with 1 the lowest level and 4 the highest, by considering:

  • the nature of the work performed in an occupation in relation to the characteristic tasks and duties
  • the level of formal education required for competent performance of the tasks and duties involved and
  • the amount of informal on-the-job training and/or previous experience in a related occupation required for competent performance of these tasks and duties.

Construction quality manager is a Skill level 3 occupation.

Construction quality manager career path

Similar occupations

These occupations, although different, require a lot of knowledge and skills similar to construction quality manager.

construction quality inspector
construction safety manager
construction general supervisor
construction safety inspector
insulation supervisor

Long term prospects

These occupations require some skills and knowledge of construction quality manager. They also require other skills and knowledge, but at a higher ISCO skill level, meaning these occupations are accessible from a position of construction quality manager with a significant experience and/or extensive training.

construction general contractor
construction manager
dismantling engineer
installation engineer
construction engineer

Essential knowledge and skills

Essential knowledge

This knowledge should be acquired through learning to fulfill the role of construction quality manager.

  • Design principles: The elements used in design such as unity, scale, proportion, balance, symmetry, space, form, texture, colour, light, shade and congruence and their application into practice.
  • Construction product regulation: Regulations on construction products quality standards applied throughout the European Union.
  • Total quality control: The quality control philosophy that expects each part to be of top quality, without any tolerance for subpar materials or methods. The mindset of striving to deliver top quality work without compromises.
  • Building materials industry: Supplier, brands and types of products and goods available on the market of building materials.
  • Statistical quality control: Quality control by sampling the appropriate number of items per lot to obtain a statistically significant result. Sampling the materials and determining their quality, either accepting or rejecting it, or rating it.

Essential skills and competences

These skills are necessary for the role of construction quality manager.

  • Advise on construction materials: Provide advice on and test a wide range of construction materials.
  • Work ergonomically: Apply ergonomy principles in the organisation of the workplace while manually handling equipment and materials.
  • Check compatibility of materials: Make sure the materials are fit to be used together, and if there are any foreseeable interferences.
  • Write specifications: Write documents where the expected characteristics of a product or service are specified. Make sure all necessary properties of the product or service are covered. Balance the level of detail with the need for flexibility.
  • Adjust engineering designs: Adjust designs of products or parts of products so that they meet requirements.
  • Communicate with external laboratories: Communicate with the external analytical laboratories in order to manage the required external testing process.
  • Inspect construction supplies: Check construction supplies for damage, moisture, loss or other problems before using the material.
  • Follow health and safety procedures in construction: Apply the relevant health and safety procedures in construction in order to prevent accidents, pollution and other risks.
  • Use safety equipment in construction: Use elements of protective clothing such as steel-tipped shoes, and gear such as protective goggles, in order to minimise risk of accidents in construction and to mitigate any injury if an accident does occur.
  • Keep records of work progress: Maintain records of the progress of the work including time, defects, malfunctions, etc.
  • Ensure conformity to specifications: Ensure that the assembled products are conform to the specifications given.
  • Liaise with managers: Liaise with managers of other departments ensuring effective service and communication, i.e. sales, planning, purchasing, trading, distribution and technical.

Optional knowledge and skills

Optional knowledge

This knowledge is sometimes, but not always, required for the role of construction quality manager. However, mastering this knowledge allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Energy performance of buildings: Factors that contribute to lower energy consumption of buildings. Building and renovation techniques used to achieve this. Legislation and procedures regarding energy performance of buildings.
  • Contract law: The field of legal principles that govern written agreements between parties concerning the exchange of goods or services, including contractual obligations and termination.
  • Energy efficiency: Field of information concerning the reduction of the use of energy. It encompasses calculating the consumption of energy, providing certificates and support measures, saving energy by reducing the demand, encouraging efficient use of fossil fuels, and promoting the use of renewable energy.
  • Construction methods: The various techniques and methods for erecting buildings and other constructions.

Optional skills and competences

These skills and competences are sometimes, but not always, required for the role of construction quality manager. However, mastering these skills and competences allows you to have more opportunities for career development.

  • Organise quality circle: Create a quality circle, where small groups of users come together with a circle leader to discuss significant issues in the quality of the product or its use.
  • Conduct quality control analysis: Conduct inspections and tests of services, processes, or products to evaluate quality.
  • Work in a construction team: Work as part of a team in a construction project. Communicate efficiently, sharing information with team members and reporting to supervisors. Follow instructions and adapt to changes in a flexible manner.
  • Maintain work area cleanliness: Keep the working area and equipment clean and orderly.
  • Evaluate budgets: Read budget plans, analyse the expenditures and incomes planned during certain period, and provide judgement on their abidance to the general plans of the company or organism.
  • Test construction material samples: Randomly select samples from a batch of construction materials and test their quality visually and using a variety of tests to gauge their relevant characteristics.
  • Make time-critical decisions: Pursue optimal time-critical decision making within the organisation.
  • Evaluate employees work: Evaluate the need for labour for the work ahead. Evaluate the performance of the team of workers and inform superiors. Encourage and support the employees in learning, teach them techniques and check the application to ensure product quality and labour productivity.
  • Supervise staff: Oversee the selection, training, performance and motivation of staff.
  • Review construction projects: Review the documents and applications for building projects, discuss necessary changes with the contractors, and forward the documents to the building authorities if needed. Document any deviation from the original plans and inform the authorities.
  • Review construction plans authorisations: Review plans for conformance to codes and authorised approval for construction.
  • Monitor construction site: Keep an overview of what happens at the construction site at all times. Identify who is present and what stage of the construction work each crew is in.

ISCO group and title

3112 – Civil engineering technicians


References
  1. Construction quality manager – ESCO
  2. Quality control Officer | Careers in Construction
  3. Featured image: By Karla Marshall – https://www.dvidshub.net/image/462040, Public Domain
Last updated on February 11, 2023