Three roles share responsibility for an electrical project, and confusing them causes bad hires. Here is how the PM, superintendent and foreman divide the work.
On a commercial electrical project, the project manager, superintendent and foreman all carry real responsibility, but for different things. Hiring for the wrong one, or expecting one person to cover all three, is a common reason a good candidate struggles. Exact titles and duties vary by contractor, so treat this as a general guide.
The PM owns the project commercially. Typical responsibilities include the budget and cost reports, change orders, the schedule of values, submittals and RFIs, procurement of gear and long-lead equipment, and the relationship with the general contractor and owner team. A strong electrical PM understands the work in the field but spends most of the day managing documents, money and people. Tools often include project management software, scheduling tools and drawing markup software.
The superintendent owns the field across one large project or several smaller ones. That usually means manpower planning, coordinating with other trades, look-ahead schedules, safety culture, quality, and inspections. Superintendents usually come up through the trade and hold the field authority that comes with that experience.
The foreman runs a crew day to day: assigning tasks, laying out work, ordering material, keeping production on track and making sure the crew works safely. The foreman is usually a licensed electrician who still works with the tools on some projects. Many superintendents started as foremen.
The PM sets the commercial plan, the superintendent turns it into a field plan, and the foreman executes it with the crew. Clear handoffs between the three, especially on change orders, material and schedule changes, keep projects profitable.
When you write the posting, list the decisions the person will own, not just the title. Ask PM candidates about cost reports and change orders, superintendent candidates about manpower and coordination, and foreman candidates about layout and production.
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