Document Control Specialist

Project & Operations

Owns the submittal logs, RFI logs, and drawing revisions that keep everyone on a project working from the same current information, a real entry point into the office side of construction.

What is a Document Control Specialist?

A Document Control Specialist manages the flow of project documentation, submittals, RFIs, drawing revisions, contracts, and correspondence, making sure everyone on a project is working from the current version of every document and that a complete, organized record exists if a dispute or claim ever needs one. On a large project, dozens of drawing revisions and hundreds of submittals move through the office at once; a document control specialist's job is to make sure nothing gets lost, nothing gets built off an outdated drawing, and every approval has a clear paper trail.

What they do

• Maintain submittal, RFI, and transmittal logs, tracking status and due dates
• Distribute current drawing revisions and flag outdated versions before they cause a mistake
• Organize and archive project correspondence, contracts, and closeout documentation
• Set up and administer document control within cloud-based project management software
• Support the project team by tracking document turnaround times and flagging bottlenecks
• Assemble the final project record set at closeout

A typical day

• 7:30 AMReview overnight submittals and RFIs, logging each one and assigning it to the right reviewer
• 9:00 AMDistribute a new drawing revision to the field team and update the master drawing log
• 11:00 AMFollow up on submittals approaching their review deadline
• 1:30 PMOrganize contract correspondence for an upcoming change order review
• 3:30 PMAudit the project's document control software for missing or misfiled records

Skills

Software

Education

Required:

High school diploma or equivalent; no license is legally required for this role

Preferred:

Associate's or bachelor's degree in construction management, business administration, or a related field

Helpful:

The Construction Specifications Institute's Construction Documents Technologist (CDT) certification, which covers construction documentation standards and is a recognized credential for this kind of role

Not necessary:

A construction-specific degree; many document control specialists move into the role from general administrative or office-management backgrounds and learn the construction-specific process on the job

Career progression

1. 1.Document Control Specialist
2. 2.Senior Document Control Specialist
3. 3.Project Engineer or Project Coordinator
4. 4.Contracts Administrator or Project Manager

Who hires for this role