Project Managers, Project Executives, Superintendents, Estimators and preconstruction leaders: California general contractors are paying 12 to 20 percent above market to staff awarded work, and the best seats are filled by a phone call, not a posting. SBR Jobs connects proven GC professionals with the right builders across California. Confidential, direct hire, and always free for candidates.
Your experience is in demand in three markets at once
If you have delivered ground-up commercial, TI, healthcare, education, industrial or public work for a California GC, you are being recruited whether you know it or not. Traditional GCs need you to run their awarded backlog. Data center and mission critical programs are paying 20 to 35 percent above traditional markets for the same skills. Owner-developers want project leaders who can cross the table and manage a GC instead of being one.
Most people only ever hear about one of those three. Our job is to show you all of them, tell you honestly which fits where you are in your career, and make sure you know your number before you take another call.
Three directions your career can go from here
Up, at a stronger GC
Senior PM to Project Executive, Superintendent to General Superintendent, Estimator to Chief Estimator, with a builder whose backlog and delivery methods match where you want to go.
Into mission critical
Data center programs are hiring proven commercial and industrial builders and training them into hyperscale delivery, at a 20 to 35 percent premium. Strong MEP experience travels especially well.
Across the table
Owner-developers and homebuilders hire GC project leaders who are ready to own the number instead of the contract. A different job, and for the right person, the best one.
Roles we place people into
- Project Manager
- Senior Project Manager
- Project Executive
- Superintendent
- Senior Superintendent
- General Superintendent
- Estimator / Senior Estimator
- Chief Estimator
- Preconstruction Manager
- Director of Preconstruction
- Project Engineer / Field Engineer
- Construction Manager
- Owner’s Representative
- Director of Safety and Quality
- Area Manager
- VP of Operations
What these roles pay in 2026
California base salary ranges from SBR’s published 2026 California Construction Salary Guide. Bonus, vehicle and project incentives stack on top.
| Position | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| VP of Operations | $281,840 | $315,000 |
| Chief Estimator | $250,800 | $287,260 |
| Project Executive | $214,240 | $284,550 |
| Area Manager | $202,800 | $231,000 |
| Owner’s Representative | $170,560 | $212,100 |
| Director of Safety and Quality Control | $165,360 | $198,450 |
| Senior Project Manager | $156,000 | $208,950 |
| Senior Cost Engineer | $150,800 | $205,800 |
| Construction Manager | $142,480 | $213,150 |
| Senior Superintendent | $140,000 | $198,550 |
| Senior Field Engineer | $125,840 | $158,550 |
| Estimator | $125,400 | $159,000 |
| Field Engineer | $98,800 | $142,800 |
| Project Engineer | $93,600 | $120,750 |
All 22 general contractor roles, plus homebuilder and data center ranges, are in the 2026 California Construction Salary Guide. Mission critical ranges are on our data center construction jobs page.
How it works
A confidential conversation
One call. Where you have been, what you want next, what you are worth in this market. Nothing moves without your say-so, and your resume is never blasted anywhere.An honest market read
We tell you where you actually stand: which builders would fight for you, what comp to expect, and what would make you more valuable, even if the answer is stay where you are.Introductions on your terms
When there is a real fit, we introduce you directly to the decision maker, prep you for every conversation, and handle the offer and the resignation so the move actually happens.
Why builders take our calls
Since 1997
Almost three decades of construction leadership recruiting in California. The GCs hiring for these seats already know us.
Confidential by default
Most of the people we place were not openly looking. Your current employer never hears from us. Period.
We know your work
You will talk to someone who knows the difference between hard-bid public work and negotiated healthcare, so your experience gets represented right.
Free, always
The hiring company pays our fee. You never pay anything, and our incentive is a placement that lasts.
Frequently Asked Questions
I am not actively looking. Should I still talk to you?
That is exactly when to talk. Most of our best placements started as a market check a year or two before the move. Knowing your number costs you nothing and makes every decision better, including the decision to stay.
Is it really confidential?
Yes. Nothing is shared with anyone without your explicit go-ahead, and we never post or blast your resume. Discretion is the whole reason passive candidates work with us.
Should I use a recruiter to find a construction project manager job?
If you want the seats that never get posted, yes. The strongest PM and PX roles at California GCs are filled through direct recruiting, and a recruiter who knows the builders can tell you which ones are actually worth a move. It costs you nothing and it keeps your search invisible to your current employer.
Can I move from a GC to the owner side or into data centers?
Both happen every month. Owner-developers hire GC project leaders who are ready to own the number, and data center programs hire proven commercial and industrial builders and train them into mission critical delivery. We will tell you honestly which path fits and what would close the gap.
Which markets do you place people in?
Sacramento, the Bay Area and East Bay, the Central Valley, and statewide for executive seats. Some programs travel; most seats are local. We match the search to your life, not the other way around.
What does it cost me?
Nothing, ever. The hiring company pays the fee on every placement.
Find out what you are worth
One confidential call. No pressure, no resume blasting, no obligation. Worst case, you walk away knowing your market value.
Call 424-352-6241 Send your resume See the 2026 Salary GuideSBR Jobs · Silicon Beach Recruiter · 2100 21st Street, Sacramento, CA 95818 · 424-352-6241
