Underground Utility Foreman Job Overview
Sitework Services is seeking an experienced Underground Utility Foreman to supervise field crews performing commercial and heavy-civil underground utility construction. The foreman will be responsible for coordinating daily field operations, assigning crew responsibilities, maintaining production, and ensuring that work is completed safely and according to approved plans and specifications.
The ideal candidate must have hands-on knowledge of underground domestic water, sanitary sewer, storm drainage, and underground fire-line installation. This position requires the ability to read civil construction plans and utility profiles, calculate and maintain elevations, operate grade-control equipment, and direct operators and pipelayers during installation.
The foreman must also understand excavation, trench safety, pipe materials, fittings, testing requirements, backfilling, compaction, and the proper operation of construction equipment.
Primary Responsibilities
- Supervise underground utility crews, including equipment operators, pipelayers, laborers, and helpers.
- Plan daily activities and assign responsibilities based on the project schedule and production requirements.
- Conduct daily pre-task planning and communicate the work plan, safety requirements, elevations, and production goals to the crew.
- Read and interpret civil plans, utility plans, profiles, details, specifications, shop drawings, and approved revisions.
- Review plans before installation to identify utility conflicts, incorrect elevations, missing information, and constructability concerns.
- Establish, shoot, check, and maintain elevations using laser levels, grade rods, transit levels, and other grade-control equipment.
- Work from benchmarks, control points, cut sheets, stationing, offsets, slopes, and invert elevations.
- Calculate pipe grades and verify proper depth, slope, alignment, cover, and connection elevations.
- Ensure sanitary sewer and storm drainage piping is installed at the correct flow line, slope, and invert elevation.
- Verify water and fire-line installations meet required horizontal and vertical clearances from other utilities.
- Set and confirm elevations for manholes, inlets, catch basins, cleanouts, fire hydrants, valves, meters, backflow assemblies, and other structures.
- Direct excavator and backhoe operators during trench excavation, bedding preparation, pipe installation, backfilling, and grading.
- Verify that operators understand required trench depth, pipe grade, structure elevations, and safe excavation limits.
- Operate excavators, backhoes, loaders, skid steers, compactors, and other construction equipment when necessary.
- Ensure proper handling and installation of pipe, fittings, valves, hydrants, manholes, inlets, catch basins, and related appurtenances.
- Confirm pipe type, size, class, pressure rating, fittings, and materials before installation.
- Coordinate utility crossings and tie-ins with project management, inspectors, subcontractors, and other trades.
- Identify existing utilities and ensure required potholing or verification is completed before excavation.
- Coordinate shutdowns, taps, tie-ins, inspections, testing, chlorination, flushing, and final connections.
- Ensure trenches are properly bedded, backfilled, compacted, and restored according to plans and specifications.
- Monitor daily production, labor hours, equipment usage, installed quantities, material usage, and jobsite conditions.
- Complete accurate daily reports documenting crew members, equipment, installed footage, structures, delays, inspections, and field conditions.
- Compare actual field production against the project schedule and immediately report production or cost concerns.
- Inspect completed work for quality, alignment, grade, elevation, workmanship, and compliance with the plans.
- Protect installed utilities from damage during backfilling, compaction, and ongoing construction activities.
- Maintain an organized jobsite and ensure materials, tools, and equipment are properly stored and protected.
- Communicate material and equipment needs early enough to prevent production delays.
- Attend jobsite meetings and provide accurate updates regarding production, inspections, conflicts, delays, and upcoming work.
- Coordinate professionally with general contractors, inspectors, engineers, owners, subcontractors, and suppliers.
- Immediately report plan discrepancies, changed conditions, damaged utilities, safety incidents, and work outside the contracted scope.
Utility Experience Required
The foreman must have practical field experience supervising the installation of several or all of the following systems:
- Domestic and public water mains
- Water services, taps, meters, valves, and backflow assemblies
- Sanitary sewer mains and service laterals
- Manholes, cleanouts, taps, and sanitary connections
- Storm sewer piping and drainage systems
- Manholes, junction boxes, inlets, catch basins, and area drains
- Underground fire mains and fire-service lines
- Fire hydrants, fire-line valves, fire department connections, and backflow assemblies
- PVC, C900, ductile iron, HDPE, RCP, and other underground piping materials
- Bores, casings, restrained joints, thrust blocking, and concrete encasement
- Hydrostatic testing, leakage testing, chlorination, flushing, mandrel testing, and related inspections
Safety Responsibilities
- Enforce company safety policies, OSHA requirements, and project-specific safety procedures.
- Conduct daily Job Safety Analysis and toolbox safety meetings.
- Inspect trenches and excavations before employees enter or begin work.
- Understand OSHA excavation, trenching, sloping, benching, shoring, shielding, and access requirements.
- Ensure trench boxes, ladders, barricades, traffic controls, and personal protective equipment are used correctly.
- Monitor changing soil, groundwater, weather, traffic, and jobsite conditions.
- Stop work immediately when unsafe conditions exist.
- Ensure equipment inspections are completed and operators use machinery safely.
- Maintain safe separation from overhead power lines and existing underground utilities.
- Report all incidents, near misses, utility strikes, equipment damage, and injuries immediately.
Required Qualifications
- Minimum of five years of underground utility construction experience.
- Previous experience as an Underground Utility Foreman, Lead Pipelayer, Working Foreman, or similar field-leadership position.
- Strong knowledge of water, sanitary sewer, storm drainage, and underground fire-line construction.
- Proven ability to read and interpret civil plans, utility profiles, specifications, details, and cut sheets.
- Proven ability to shoot, calculate, check, and maintain elevations.
- Experience using laser levels, grade rods, transit levels, and grade-control equipment.
- Ability to calculate slopes, grades, cuts, fills, pipe inverts, and structure elevations.
- Thorough understanding of excavation, trench safety, pipe bedding, backfilling, compaction, and site restoration.
- Knowledge of construction equipment operation, capabilities, limitations, and daily inspection requirements.
- Ability to direct equipment operators safely and efficiently around existing and newly installed utilities.
- Ability to verify materials and installation requirements before work begins.
- Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage crews and maintain daily production.
- Ability to communicate clearly with field personnel, project managers, inspectors, and general contractors.
- Ability to document daily production, labor, equipment, materials, delays, and changed conditions.
- Valid driver’s license and dependable transportation.
- Ability to work outdoors in heat, cold, rain, mud, dust, and other construction-site conditions.
- Ability to pass applicable background, driving-record, and drug-screening requirements.
Preferred Qualifications
- OSHA 30-hour Construction certification.
- OSHA excavation and trenching Competent Person training.
- Confined-space-entry training.
- First Aid and CPR certification.
- Commercial Driver’s License.
- Experience with Procore, Bluebeam, or similar construction-management software.
- Experience working with municipal inspectors and public utility requirements.
- Bilingual English and Spanish communication skills.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to stand, walk, climb, bend, and work around active excavation and heavy equipment.
- Ability to lift and carry construction materials, tools, and equipment as required.
- Ability to enter and exit equipment safely.
- Ability to work extended hours and weekends when required by the project schedule.
- Ability to travel to jobsites throughout the assigned service area.
What We Are Looking For
We are looking for a working foreman who can take ownership of the jobsite, understand the plans, establish and maintain elevations, lead the crew, coordinate equipment, and complete underground utility installations correctly the first time. The successful candidate will be safety-minded, dependable, productive, organized, and capable of identifying field problems before they affect the project schedule or budget.
Pay: $30.50 - $36.73 per hour
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
