Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Underground Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Underground Coordinator is a field-facing project support and operations role responsible for coordinating all activities related to underground utilities and excavation work. This includes managing utility locates (811/One-Call), securing permits and traffic control plans, scheduling crews and subcontractors, ensuring regulatory and safety compliance, maintaining as-built and GIS records, and acting as the primary liaison with municipalities, utility owners, and internal project teams to prevent service disruptions, strikes, and delays.

The ideal candidate is experienced with underground construction processes, has strong regulatory and safety knowledge (OSHA, local codes, MUTCD), understands utility plans and as-built documentation, and communicates effectively across stakeholders to keep projects on schedule and within budget.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Field Technician / Utility Locator
Construction Laborer with underground utility exposure
Junior Project Coordinator or Traffic Control Technician

Advancement To:

Senior Underground Coordinator / Utility Coordinator
Construction Manager / Site Superintendent
Project Manager (Underground Utilities)
Program Manager — Infrastructure / Utility Programs

Lateral Moves:

Traffic Control Manager / Traffic Coordinator
Environmental Compliance Coordinator
Permitting Specialist

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Coordinate all underground utility locate and clearance activities (811/One-Call, private utility locates, vacuum excavation requests) to ensure safe excavation and prevent damage to existing infrastructure while maintaining accurate documentation of locate tickets, clearances, and jobsite logs.
Manage permit acquisition and renewals for municipal, county, and state authorities, including preparation and submission of permit applications, follow-up with permitting agencies, tracking permit conditions, and maintaining a centralized permit register to support project schedules.
Develop and maintain detailed day-to-day excavation and installation schedules in coordination with construction superintendents, subcontractors, and utility owners to minimize downtime and ensure proper sequencing of work.
Serve as the primary point of contact with utility owners, municipal inspectors, and regulatory agencies; schedule and coordinate inspections, approvals, and tie-in activities to avoid service interruptions and ensure regulatory compliance.
Prepare, implement, and enforce traffic control plans (temporary traffic control) in accordance with MUTCD and local DOT requirements; coordinate with traffic control vendors, obtain permits, and monitor setup and removal of traffic control devices.
Review construction drawings, as-built plans, and site surveys to identify potential utility conflicts, required potholing or pothole verification, and coordination points; escalate design conflicts and recommend mitigation measures to engineering and project management teams.
Oversee subcontractor coordination, contract scopes, and daily work assignments for crews performing trenching, horizontal directional drilling (HDD), boring, vacuum excavation, and backfill operations; ensure subcontractor compliance with safety, quality, and scheduling requirements.
Conduct pre-construction meetings and daily toolbox talks focused on utility protection, excavation, shoring, confined space entry, and environmental controls; document attendance and topics discussed to support safety audit trails.
Maintain accurate as-built records, service tie-in documentation, and GIS updates by collecting field measurements, conduit/pipeline locations, depth recordings, and photographic evidence to ensure reliable record drawings and utility maps.
Perform or coordinate quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) inspections of installed utilities, joints, vaults, and connections to verify that work meets contract specifications, manufacturer requirements, and industry standards.
Monitor and report on project costs associated with utility coordination activities, change orders due to utility conflicts, and any schedule delays attributable to third-party utilities; prepare supporting documentation for claims and owner notifications.
Implement and maintain a utility conflict mitigation plan that includes potholing, vacuum excavation, and non-destructive locate techniques (GPR, EM) where required to accurately verify existing underground infrastructure.
Manage emergency utility response and outage coordination during excavation-related incidents; lead on-site response, liaise with utility owners, facilitate repairs, and complete incident reporting to minimize customer impact.
Ensure all excavation and shoring work is executed under a Competent Person framework; verify daily bench and slope conditions, shoring systems, trench boxes, and dewatering operations to maintain OSHA compliance.
Coordinate material deliveries, staging, and inventory for underground works (pipe, conduit, bedding, vaults) to align with installation schedules and reduce re-handling and downtime on-site.
Maintain comprehensive daily reports, crew logs, permit logs, incident reports, and photographic records; provide regular status updates to the project manager and owners, and prepare close-out documentation for handover.
Manage utility abandonment and abandonment-in-place coordination, including notifying agencies, marking isolations, documenting cut and cap locations, and ensuring regulatory acceptance of abandonment methods.
Support design-change coordination with engineering teams by identifying field-initiated changes, preparing field sketches, and assisting with redline markups that inform revised plans and cost estimates.
Ensure environmental compliance on underground projects by implementing erosion and sediment controls, spill prevention measures, and monitoring for contaminated soil or groundwater while coordinating any required remediation activities or notifications.
Facilitate stakeholder communication plans to notify residents, businesses, and critical services (telecom, hospitals) of planned outages, lane closures, or access impacts and maintain a record of notifications and feedback.
Coordinate and verify utility tie-ins, testing, and commissioning activities, including pressure testing, leakage tests, and electrical continuity checks as required for water, sewer, gas, and telecom installations.
Monitor site security and public safety measures around excavations and open trenches, including fencing, signage, lighting, and night-time safety controls, and coordinate with local law enforcement when required.
Assist with contract administration tasks related to underground works, such as verifying scope compliance, reviewing subcontractor invoices tied to utility work, and maintaining change order logs.
Provide mentorship and on-the-job training to crew leads and junior coordinators on best practices for utility protection, locate interpretation, permit processes, and safety protocols.

Secondary Functions

Maintain and update project GIS layers and as-built databases by importing survey data, GPS points, and contractor field notes to improve corporate utility asset records.
Support project estimating and bid preparation by providing historical data on utility conflict resolution costs, typical permitting timelines, and traffic control needs.
Participate in lessons-learned reviews and construction close-out meetings to capture utility coordination improvements for future projects.
Coordinate with survey teams to verify grades and stakeout points for underground installations and confirm final elevations for as-built documentation.
Assist in developing and updating standard operating procedures (SOPs) for underground coordination, permit tracking, and emergency response.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Knowledge of 811 / One-Call systems, private utility locating protocols, and underground damage prevention best practices.
Strong understanding of utility plans, construction drawings, profiles, and the ability to interpret civil, mechanical, and electrical plan sets.
Permit preparation and management experience with municipal, county, and state agencies, including working with DOT and traffic permitting processes.
Experience developing and implementing Temporary Traffic Control (TTC) plans consistent with MUTCD standards and local DOT requirements.
Familiarity with excavation safety, shoring systems, trench protection, Competent Person responsibilities, and OSHA excavation regulations.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel for tracking permits and schedules), Microsoft Project or Primavera scheduling basics, and experience with GIS/CAD (ArcGIS, QGIS, AutoCAD) for as-built updates.
Understanding of non-destructive locate technologies (EM locators, ground-penetrating radar) and vacuum excavation / potholing methods.
Experience coordinating QA/QC inspections, pressure and continuity testing for utilities, and documenting test results for commissioning.
Ability to prepare accurate as-built drawings, redline markups, and to manage field data capture via GPS or mobile data collection tools.
Familiarity with environmental controls related to excavation such as erosion and sediment control, spill prevention, and contaminated material handling.

Soft Skills

Strong verbal and written communication skills for liaising with utility owners, inspectors, subcontractors, municipal officials, and the public.
Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple permit timelines, locate tickets, and site activities simultaneously.
Problem-solving and decision-making under pressure to respond to unexpected utility conflicts, outages, or safety incidents.
Customer-service orientation when coordinating with residents, businesses, and critical facilities affected by underground work.
Attention to detail for accurate documentation, safety compliance tracking, and preparation of claims or change order support.
Conflict resolution and negotiation skills to reconcile schedule impacts with subcontractors and third-party utility owners.
Leadership and team collaboration skills to coordinate field crews, traffic control operators, and cross-discipline project teams.
Time management and prioritization skills to balance daily field coordination duties with longer-term permitting and scheduling requirements.
Adaptability to changing field conditions, weather impacts, and evolving regulatory requirements.
Recordkeeping discipline to maintain audit-ready logs, incident reports, and as-built records.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED required; vocational or technical training in construction, utility locating, or related fields preferred.

Preferred Education:

Associate degree or Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering Technology, Environmental Science, or related discipline preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Construction Management
Civil Engineering / Civil Engineering Technology
Environmental Science or Environmental Engineering
Utility Engineering / Infrastructure Management
Occupational Health & Safety or Construction Safety

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2–7 years of field experience in underground utilities, construction coordination, utility locating, or related roles.

Preferred:

4–7+ years of progressive experience coordinating underground construction projects, with demonstrated experience in permit management, traffic control, and coordination with utility owners and municipal agencies.
Proven track record of managing 811/One-Call processes, vacuum excavation requests, and as-built/GIS documentation on medium to large infrastructure projects.
Certifications such as OSHA 30, Traffic Control Supervisor, Confined Space Entry, or Utility Locator certification are a strong plus.