Construction Engineer Job Description, Skills and Salary
Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a construction engineer. Feel free to use our construction engineer job description template to produce your own. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a construction engineer.
Who is a Construction Engineer?
The availability of social infrastructure has served as an essential need of several people in society, as statistics have shown that the environment plays a vital role in influencing the development of a human being. Any society which lacks this basic infrastructure tends to be considered underdeveloped and in need of renovation. These infrastructures include good roads, good buildings, and good utilities such as power and water.
The question now is, who is responsible for the creation of these amenities when needed? This brings us another question, who is a construction engineer? A construction engineer is a professional who is in charge of planning, designing, building, and managing infrastructure. A construction engineer can also be identified as a civil engineer whose specialization lies in the management of large-scale construction projects.
However, despite the relationship between the construction engineer and the civil engineer, there seems to be a thin line, which makes room for slight differences in their tasks. However, the major difference between a construction engineer and a civil engineer can be highlighted as thus: while a civil engineer’s major emphasis is on planning and designing, a construction engineer’s emphasis is on the execution of the plans developed by the civil engineer.
A construction engineer influences all aspects of a building project and thus, they are very essential in the building industry.
Construction Engineer Job Description
What is a construction engineer job description? A construction engineer job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a construction engineer in an organization. Below are the construction engineer job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a construction engineer job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
- Designing and managing large, convoluted building plans, to ensure they are completed on time.
- Managing the creation of electrical systems in buildings, to ensure that the building in question faces no hitches in the distribution of power supply.
- Collaborating with civil engineers, and mechanical engineers, amongst others, to ensure the completion of the project at hand.
- Overseeing the development and maintenance of ‘critical’ infrastructure, such as roads, dams, and bridges.
- Ensuring that every building project embarked on is completed on time, without any logjams.
- Overseeing the development and maintenance of mechanical systems such as plumbing systems, elevators, cooling systems, etc.
- Utilizing digital software in the modification of design specifications, as well as confirming if construction tallies with specifications aligned in the software.
- Utilizing specialized machinery to ensure full optimization of the task at hand.
- Supervising various teams/groups to hasten the completion of the project at hand.
- Accessing and developing the financial budget for the construction exercise, to enlighten the team on the estimated cost of production.
- Creating and managing certain vital records such as construction logs and other necessary documents in the construction process.
- Collaborating with the project manager in the preparation of work schedules.
- Ensuring a smooth relationship exists between the contractors and vendors, to ensure harmony in the construction process.
- Ensuring the materials and procedures employed by the workers are in accordance with the industry regulations.
- Communicating with the clients and managers, to ensure that they receive up-to-date information on the project at hand.
Qualifications
A construction engineer is integral to the building process, thus, not just anyone can qualify for the task. There are certain qualifications one must possess before he or she can be employed to work as a construction engineer. These qualifications are outlined below:
- Academic Qualification
A construction engineer must have a Bachelor’s Degree in courses such as civil engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering technology, and other similar courses. However, despite these degrees, they do not stand a chance against someone with a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Engineering. With a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Engineering, your employers are certain that you have the necessary theoretical knowledge associated with the task.
You must obtain your degree from an accredited program. The organization responsible for this accreditation is the Engineering Accreditation Committee, which is a subset of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.
- Experience
Specialization is a key factor in construction engineering. Therefore, you cannot be hired as a construction engineer if you do not have the necessary experience. Moreover, you must have an area of specialization.
Recruiters search for competence when they seek to hire construction engineers. A person with zero years of experience does not stand a chance when he is with people who have five years of experience or more. The recruiter instantly has the belief that the person with five years of experience will be able to deliver better than the person with zero years of experience.
The question is, how do you obtain this experience? First of all, you must apply for jobs as a construction engineer with a few companies. Even if the companies are not top-notch, the experience obtained from working there will go a long way in shaping your career. Even as a student, you may choose to intern as a construction engineer in a few companies. In the process of this internship, you will obtain the Engineer Intern certificate, which will be issued to you once you pass the Fundamentals of Engineering examinations. This way, you have a lot to add to your resume.
To work for top-tier firms, you must have a minimum of two years of experience in the relevant field.
- State-Approved License
Certain top-notch firms require all their construction engineers to be licensed. To work in these companies, you must obtain a license in accordance with the laws of the state where you live. To obtain this license, you must have at least four years of working experience. Thus, the value of experience is emphasized again.
- Proficiency in Construction Management Software
As the world is a digital village, a construction engineer must have knowledge of the digital and software tools in his field of study and how to apply them where necessary. To be qualified for the task, you must be familiar with software such as AutoCAD, AutoDesk Revit, Primavera, and Sap2000.
- Knowledge of Construction Industry Regulations
In every industry, some rules coordinate the conduct of the laborers. The construction industry is not exempted from this principle. You cannot be a certified construction engineer without a fair knowledge of these rules and regulations. Without these rules and regulations under your belt, you will find the task rather difficult and very demanding.
Essential Skills of A Construction Engineer
Apart from possessing the necessary qualifications, you must also possess certain skills that will enable you to stand out in the profession. These skills have been outlined below as follows:
- Verbal Communication Skills
In the construction industry, communication is essential. You will have to communicate with vendors, contractors, and even your managers. Moreover, you will need to coordinate other persons to fall in line to ensure the completion of the project. All this will be done using the words of the mouth.
Therefore, you cannot succeed in the industry without excellent verbal communication skills. You must be able to speak fluently and confidently. The confidence that emanates from your speech demonstrates strong leadership capabilities, which recruiters mostly look for in their construction engineers.
- Written Communication Skills
As a construction engineer, you will have to handle a lot of documentation and work with a lot of records. Documents such as financial statements, budgets, construction logs, etc, are prepared by the construction engineer. If the construction engineer lacks good writing skills, it will be difficult to handle these documents effectively, and a lacuna will eventually arise in the construction process.
- Organizational and Time Management Skills
Construction engineers work on a lot of projects, all with set deadlines. The majority of these deadlines are strict, and failure to keep to them may result in immediate dismissal. It is now up to the construction engineer to possess the skill set to organize the construction process, ensuring the project is completed on time.
Without the skills of time management, it would be rather impossible for the construction engineer to ensure the job is completed on time, as the work rate may end up being too slow. Thus, you must possess organizational and time management skills to succeed in the profession.
- Mathematical Skills
Mathematics and construction are two sides of the same coin. Knowledge of Mathematics is used in the measurement of materials, surveying of buildings, and analyzing the strength of certain building materials. Moreover, knowledge of Mathematics is required in the preparation of financial statements. Therefore, Mathematical skills are very primal for the construction engineer.
- Leadership Skills
The nature of the profession requires you to coordinate groups of persons. To coordinate these groups, leadership qualities are paramount. Without these skills, it will be difficult for managers to assign projects to you, as you may lack the ability to coordinate the workers into meeting up with the construction process, especially with the strict deadlines in place.
- Ability to Develop Inter-Personal Relationship
Several construction engineers build relationships between suppliers and managers, which makes them act as middlemen. To be a successful construction engineer, you must possess the ability to develop relationships between your workers, your vendors, and even your managers.
Moreover, these skills will enable you to collaborate with other engineers to ensure the completion of the building project on time.
- Discipline
Although not a skill in earnest, it is important to note that the work of a construction engineer is not cut out for an undisciplined person. Without discipline, you will be able to conform to strict deadlines; you will be unable to check on construction sites, even after working hours; and you will be unable to coordinate your workers.
How to Become a Construction Engineer
There are certain steps one must take before one can become a construction engineer. The steps are as follows:
- Obtain a Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Engineering or any other related course
- Gain work experience
- Become licensed.
While obtaining a Bachelor’s Degree and gaining work experience have been addressed earlier on, it is important to consider how to obtain a license. First of all, it is important to note that you cannot obtain a license if you have not obtained a degree and if you have not attained a minimum of four years of working experience. When you meet these requirements, the next step is to begin the licensing process.
After completing your application, the next step you have to take is to provide professional references. Thereafter, you must ensure you get your educational transcripts verified. If you have taken the Fundamentals of Engineering examinations, your scores must be verified as well. This is done to prevent any discrepancy in the licensing process.
To finally obtain your license, you must take the Principles and Practices of Engineering (PE) examinations. This examination is administered by the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying (NCEES).
If you record success in this examination, your license will be given to you. With these easy steps, you have officially become a licensed construction engineer. The next step you must take is to apply for jobs.
Where to Work
The question remains, where can you work as a construction engineer? A construction engineer may choose to work for government agencies or private firms. It is difficult to find a job as a freelance construction engineer, as many firms are not willing to take such a risk.
While working for a private or public firm, you may choose to work either full-time or part-time. Part-time construction engineers are rare to find and given the nature of the profession, they may have to work overtime to meet up with some deadlines.
Part-time construction engineers also work on a contractual basis with their clients, which is normally not applicable to full-time construction engineers. You can work part-time in a private firm.
Construction Engineer Salary Scale
The salaries of construction engineers are different, as several factors are accountable for these differences. For instance, construction engineers with hire experience level earn higher salaries than others. A licensed construction engineer will earn more than a regular construction engineer.
The salary scale of a construction engineer ranges from $50,000 to $100,000 in a year. Thus, in a year, you are sure to earn an amount that falls within this range.
Before becoming a construction engineer, you must imbibe a culture of discipline, as the profession is rather tasking. With the discipline that the profession demands, you must carefully weigh your odds before deciding to enter into the profession.