Chicago Construction Recruiters: Your Blueprint to Skilled Talent
Advastar has helped hundreds of construction companies hire top talent
Chicago construction recruiting and staffing solutions
Advastar is a Chicago construction recruitment and staffing agency. We connect owners, general contractors and specialty subcontractors with superintendents, project managers, estimators and trades leaders who know Chicagoland, and our construction headhunters run executive search for senior leadership. We place people on a direct hire, contract, contract-to-hire or payrolled basis across Cook, DuPage, Lake, Will and Kane counties.
Chicago’s construction workforce is large and well paid. About 13,850 construction managers and 13,420 first-line trade supervisors work in the metro, according to May 2025 federal estimates.
Transit and civic programs are reshaping the city. The CTA Red Line Extension, budgeted at about $5.7 billion and due to finish in 2030, is being built under a $2.9 billion design-build contract with Walsh-VINCI Transit Community Partners. The State/Lake station closed in January 2026 to be demolished and rebuilt over three years, and on the South Side the Obama Presidential Center opened in June 2026 at a reported cost of $909 million.
The city also licenses general contractors by size of work, in five classes from Class A, with no limit on project value, down to Class E, for work up to $500,000. A firm’s class shapes the projects it can bid, and so the experience its project leaders need.
Our Chicago searches cover drafting and design professionals, engineers and construction managers, including project managers, superintendents, foremen, estimators, schedulers, project controls, safety, procurement and QA/QC, along with skilled trades and site administration.
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Our construction talent network
- 450k+ vetted construction professionals
- 55k NCCCO-certified skilled trades
- 41 metros with active placements
- 3weeks median time to mobilize a crew
Chicago construction industry segments commonly supported
High-rise and transit projects in Chicago use models to coordinate structure and systems before work starts. Our searches find BIM talent for contractors and design firms across the city.
Loop office renovations, retail and mixed-use projects keep commercial builders busy. We help them find and hire candidates who can price tightly and deliver in occupied buildings.
Design-build now carries some of the city’s largest transit work. We recruit design and build professionals such as design managers and preconstruction leads for that kind of program.
Finding experienced electrical contractors and foremen for commercial, institutional and transit work is a core part of what we do in Chicago, from tenant fit-outs to station rebuilds.
Industrial and infrastructure clients across the region run long engineering, procurement and construction programs. We recruit EPC talent for controls, procurement and construction management roles.
A Chicago general contractor’s license class sets the size of work it can bid. We recruit superintendents and project managers for general contractors whose experience fits that scale.
Industrial contractors around Chicago serve manufacturing, logistics and utility sites in the suburbs and along the rail corridors. Planners, engineers and field supervisors are the roles we fill most.
Maintenance contractors keep the city’s large building stock and industrial sites running between capital projects. We place supervisors, planners and technicians across Cook County and the collar counties.
Large commercial and institutional buildings keep mechanical contractors busy year round. Our searches cover project managers, foremen and field staff.
Civic, hospital and university projects depend on coordinated mechanical, electrical and plumbing work. We recruit MEP professionals for Chicago owners and contractors.
Multifamily builders work across downtown towers and neighborhood mid-rises. Advastar supports building a reliable workforce for Chicago developers and contractors.
Owners and developers need representatives who can steer long programs. We place experienced professionals as owner’s representatives, development managers and project executives.
Commercial, transit and industrial contractors across Chicagoland compete for experienced crews. We recruit skilled tradespeople for all three.
Curtain wall, concrete and fire protection scopes drive high-rise schedules. Advastar handles sourcing the right candidates for specialty contractors who need foremen and project managers.
Rail, power and water projects across the region need field engineers, inspectors and supervisors. We supply utility and civil construction teams for that work.
Comprehensive staffing expertise for every construction project need
- Agriculture
- Commercial
- Data Center
- Food & Beverage
- Hospitals
- Hotels
- Industrial
- Manufacturing
- Medical Facilities
- Multifamily
- Office Building
- Oil & Gas
- Power Generation
- Refinery
- Restaurants
- Schools
- Transmission & Distribution
- Utilities
- Warehouse/
Distribution - Wind/
Solar
Additional construction areas where we recruit
Construction management recruiters
Our construction management recruiters staff the office side of construction delivery: preconstruction and estimating, scheduling and project controls, cost management and document control, for CM-at-risk firms, owner’s representatives and general contractors.
Delivery method matters more than sector in this discipline, so we ask about it on every intake. A scheduler who has only worked lump-sum jobs is a different hire from one who has run an open-book GMP.
Roles we fill
- Preconstruction managers
- Estimators and chief estimators
- Schedulers and planners (P6)
- Project controls managers
- Cost engineers and cost analysts
- Document control and contract administrators
- QA/QC and commissioning managers
- Owner-side construction managers
Both, and the two hire differently. CM firms are usually staffing against backlog and pursuits. Owners are usually building a governance function that has to oversee consultants and contractors. We ask which side of the table you sit on at intake because it changes the candidate profile entirely.
Yes, and it is one of the more common requests. We normally sequence it, placing the controls manager first so they have a say in the shape of the team, then adding cost and scheduling staff underneath. Some clients run the junior roles contract-to-hire until the workload is proven.
Regularly. Peak preconstruction periods, a single large pursuit or covering a leave are all common contract engagements. Payrolling is available if you have already found the person and need them on another company’s books.
Construction project manager recruiters
Our construction project manager recruiters place assistant project managers through project executives with general contractors, specialty and trade contractors, developers and owners.
Project manager means very different things at different companies, so we qualify on what someone actually carried: contract value, delivery method, buyout authority and whether they owned the margin or reported it.
Roles we fill
- Assistant project managers
- Project managers
- Senior project managers
- Project executives
- Specialty and trade contractor PMs
- Owner-side project managers
- Industrial and heavy civil PMs
- Traveling project managers
By what they actually carried. Contract value on their largest job, delivery method, whether they held buyout authority, how much work was self-performed, whether they owned margin or reported it and how many direct reports they had. Two people with five years as a PM can be a decade apart in capability.
Yes, and it is a substantial part of this desk. Data center, energy and industrial programs run on traveling teams. We confirm rotation, per diem and travel expectations with the candidate before submittal, because that is where these placements usually fail.
Regularly. Contract and contract-to-hire are common for a single project, for covering a leave or where a program’s duration is uncertain. Payrolling is available if you have already identified the person.
Construction superintendent recruiters
Our construction superintendent recruiters place assistant, project and general superintendents and trade-specific field leaders with general contractors, self-perform builders and owners.
We qualify on what someone has actually run: project size and type, self-perform crews or subcontractors, how many trades were stacked at peak and whether they held the schedule or just reported on it.
Roles we fill
- Project superintendents
- General superintendents
- Assistant superintendents
- Self-perform and trade superintendents
- Traveling superintendents
- Interiors and occupied-space superintendents
- Industrial and plant superintendents
- Safety-focused field leaders
The project manager owns the money, the contract and the owner relationship. The superintendent owns the site, the schedule and the trades. Some companies blur the two, and we ask at intake which responsibilities actually sit with the role you are filling.
Yes, and it is a significant part of this desk. Data center, industrial and energy programs run on traveling field leadership. We confirm assignment length, rotation and per diem with every candidate before submittal, which is the single biggest factor in whether the placement lasts.
Yes. Replacing a superintendent who is still running a live job is common and sensitive, and we run those searches without your name attached until there is mutual interest.
Civil construction recruiters
Our civil construction recruiters work with heavy civil and infrastructure contractors: highway and bridge builders, earthwork and site contractors, underground utility installers, paving companies and the joint ventures assembled for large public programs.
Heavy civil runs on bid openings, public funding and quantities, so we screen for people who tracked and defended pay quantities and know what their own equipment costs per hour.
Roles we fill
- Heavy highway and roadway teams
- Bridge and structures
- Earthwork and grading
- Underground utilities
- Paving and asphalt
- Heavy civil estimators
- Equipment and fleet managers
- Civil operations leaders
Yes, and it is a large share of this work. We are familiar with prequalification, prevailing wage and certified payroll, DBE participation requirements and the documentation standards that come with publicly funded work.
Civil construction is about building infrastructure: the field teams, supervision and project staff at heavy civil contractors. Civil engineering is about designing it: the consulting firms, licensed engineers and design staff, which our civil engineering staffing agency covers. Same word, opposite ends of the project.
We plan the search against the window between award and notice to proceed, which is usually the real constraint, and we keep standing contact with field leaders in this market so a search does not start from zero.
Real-world outcomes: showcasing our construction recruiting expertise
- Read Case Study: Powering Industrial Projects with Skilled Trades
Powering industrial projects with skilled trades
- NCCCO crane operators, NCCER riggers, millwrights & electricians
- DISA, TWIC & Reciprocal Safety Council compliance verified
- Travel, per-diem and overtime logistics handled
- Read Case Study: Driving Success in Complex Projects
Driving success in complex projects
- Project controls, P6 scheduling, estimating & document control staffed
- Civil, structural, mechanical & electrical disciplines covered
- Start-up and commissioning specialists for the final phases
- Read Case Study: Building a Hyperscale Data Center
Building a hyperscale data center
- High-voltage electricians, HVAC techs & NCCCO crane operators sourced
- TWIC, DISA & OSHA compliance managed through onboarding
- Travel, per-diem and overtime logistics coordinated across states
What hiring managers say about Advastar
Why clients trust Advastar
Forbes 2026 America’s Best Recruiting & Temp Staffing Firms
Advastar was named to Forbes’ America’s Best Professional Recruiting Firms 2026 and America’s Best Temp Staffing Firms 2026, both compiled from independent surveys of the clients and candidates we work with.
Read the AnnouncementGE Energy Staffing Partner of the Year
GE Energy named Advastar its Staffing Partner of the Year in 2025 through the GE Vernova supplier program.
60+ years of combined construction expertise
Our construction desk brings more than 60 years of combined recruiting experience to every search we run.
Tell us who you need to hire
- Tell us about the role you need to fill
- A recruiter calls you within one business day
- Together we agree on a plan to fill the role
Find your next role
- Tell us what kind of work you want
- A recruiter reviews your details and gets in touch
- We put you forward for jobs that fit
GE Energy Staffing Partner of the Year
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Our Chicago construction recruiting team
David Case
Founder and President
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Tim Shearer
VP & National Managing Director
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Robert Cornelio
Director of Business Development
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Jaime Summers
Senior Recruiter
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Amanda Martin
Recruiter
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Christen Trent
Recruiter
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Laura Carrillo Barrios
Recruiter
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Lisa Wombwell
Office Manager
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Chicago construction hiring, answered
May 2025 federal wage estimates put the Chicago metro average at $120,530 a year for construction managers and $108,300 for first-line trade supervisors. We price each search against those local figures.
Yes. Our construction executive search practice recruits presidents, COOs and vice presidents through confidential retained search for Chicago contractors, owners and developers.
Beyond management, the Chicago metro employs about 26,690 construction laborers, 17,720 electricians and 9,760 civil engineers, according to May 2025 federal estimates.
Yes. We place direct hire, contract, contract-to-hire and payrolled staff in Chicago. Contract staffing covers project peaks and seasonal work, while permanent leadership roles are usually direct hire.
Cost estimators in the Chicago metro average $91,010 a year and civil engineers $106,540, according to May 2025 federal estimates.
Yes. Our Chicago office is at 307 North Michigan Avenue, and you can reach the Chicago team on (773) 290-1007.
The Chicago office
307 N Michigan AveChicago, IL 60601