Construction sites are a complex orchestration of many different skills executed by many different subcontractors. They all have to work together and a site engineer is one of the professionals who’s responsible for that smooth operation.
If you’re a construction project management company looking to hire a site engineer you’ll need to have a thorough job description to caption the right candidate. Below, we’ve outlined the role, responsibilities, skills, qualifications and more that make a good site engineer.
What Is a Site Engineer?
A site engineer is a construction professional who provides technical advice to the various construction crews and subcontractors. They are also responsible for organizing and supervising the construction project. This position on the construction job site is similar to the construction manager as both are managing the construction project packages, supervising staff and providing technical support.
While a site engineer and a construction manager or site manager have overlapping duties, the difference is that a site engineer has more specific technical expertise. Site engineers are educated and hold a degree in civil, geotechnical, structural, building, electrical or mechanical engineering. That puts them in a better position than construction managers when it comes to dealing with or supervising engineering tasks on the construction site.
Site engineers use project management software for a variety of needs, such as collaboration, task management, portfolio management and more. ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that has all that and a collaborative platform connecting site engineers to the construction crews whether they’re in the office, on the job site or anywhere in between. That gives them an eye on the project and the ability to share and view project documentation and comment with the team at the task level. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.
What Does a Site Engineer Do?
As noted above, a site engineer has similar duties as a construction manager or site manager in that they manage parts of the construction project. They provide support to subcontractors and unlike a construction manager that support tends to be of a more technical nature. But they also supervise staff on the job site to make sure that the packages are completed on time, within budget and aligned with the legal and contractual guidelines.
Avoid Mistakes & Resolve Issues
Construction sites are interdisciplinary and the engineering is complicated. The site engineer can help avoid mistakes and resolve issues when they arise in the project. Site engineers tend to have a more strategic view of the various projects that make up the construction, which is another way in which they differentiate themselves from site managers. They use their technical knowledge, experience and expertise to help the project rather than site managers who are managing day-to-day operations.
Among the duties that a typical site engineer performs include managing various parts of the construction project and overseeing the work that’s being done on the job site. They’ll also be involved in undertaking surveys, setting out sites and making sure that the technical designs and drawings are accurate. Site engineers also ensure that the staff is following those technical designs and drawings correctly as they execute their work.
Supervise Contracted Staff
Site engineers will also be responsible for supervising the contracted staff, making sure that the packages are delivered as per the agreed specifications, budget constraints and timeframe. They work with clients, subcontractors, local authorities, architects, quantity surveyors, the construction project manager and other professionals related to the construction project. Site engineers are the go-to people on the construction site for technical advice and solving problems.
Prepare Reports
They’re also responsible for preparing site reports and logging progress to ensure the project is moving forward as planned. Another duty is making sure the job site follows health and safety legislation and sustainability policies. The site engineer tends to be assigned one project at a time, though they can work on multiple projects at once. They’re on the job site daily regardless of the weather. They tend to have a temporary office on site and will commute to it or relocate to where the construction site is located if they need to have daily access.
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Construction Daily Report Template
Use this free Construction Daily Report Template for Excel to manage your projects better.
Sample Site Engineer Job Description
There are a lot of areas in which a site engineer must have experience and skills, which can make it especially difficult to create a job posting in which all those categories are expressed. That’s why we’ve done the heavy lifting for you. Our sample site engineer job description below is an extensive list of the site engineer’s responsibilities, skills, qualifications and work experience.
All you have to do is scan our list and edit it as appropriate for your company. It’s easy to delete and add whatever duties that are unique to your open position. Then copy and paste the job description onto your website and related job boards. This will help you attract qualified candidates, creating a talent pool from which you can interview the best and quickly fill that position and get to work.
Site Engineer Role Summary
Acme Construction is looking for a talented and accomplished site engineer to join our growing business. Our company has been involved in all manner of construction for decades and seeks a site engineer to help manage our projects, supervise staff and provide technical advice as a subject matter expert. The ideal candidate will be a self-starter, industrious and a go-getter. You will work with civil engineers, structural engineers, architects and surveyors to ensure that building sites are fit for purpose. The ideal candidate will merge their technical skills with project management skills.
Site Engineer Responsibilities
- Inspect facilities and analyze operational data
- Maintain compliance with safety and regulatory requirements
- Compile estimates for technical and material requirements for project development
- Determine and present estimates of operating costs
- Evaluate operations and processes
- Suggest process and technical design changes to improve performance and efficiency
- Implement improvements to designs and processes
- Test material and structure integrity
- Research the environmental impact of projects
- Incorporate eco-friendly and sustainable features into design plans
- Create graphical representations of proposed solutions
- Compile and present reports on projects in a nontechnical way for stakeholders
- Monitor project progress, compliance and safety standards
- Direct engineering activities, assign tasks, provide training and support
- Create work schedules and adjust as needed to meet deadlines
- Maintain project documentation of site engineering activities
- Collaborate with management to align activities with business objectives
Site Engineer Skills
- Awareness of the commercial environment
- Relationship- and team-builder
- Strong communication skills
- Proven technical abilities
- Eye for detail
- Problem-solver who can think on their feet
- Project management skills
- Time management skills
- Knowledge of building, health and safety regulations
Site Engineer Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in civil or structural engineering, construction, building or related field
- State-issued certification or engineering license
- Knowledge of engineering, technology, building, construction and design
- Proficient in computer-aided design (CAD) software
- Familiarity with scientific analysis software and graphics and map creation software
- Record of managing personnel and material resources
- Critical thinking, analytical and complex problem solving
- Dedicated to learning new concepts and strategies
Site Engineer Work Experience
- Five to 10 years of experience in a similar position
Site Engineer Salary
Salary for a site engineer can vary depending on where the job is located and the experience and skills of the candidate applying for that position. The average across the United States is $88,000, which is approximately $42 an hour. However, the salary range is anywhere from $41,000 to $163,000.
Construction Daily Report Template
This free construction daily report template helps site engineers keep track of all the tasks that are executed at the construction site in a day as well as the resources that were utilized, the time it took to complete them and the work hours of their team members.
We offer a variety of free construction project management templates for Excel you can use to manage all aspects of your project.
How Project Manager Helps Site Engineers
Now that we understand the skill set, qualifications and even salary requirements for landing an experienced site engineer, the next step is to equip them with the tools they’ll need to do their job more effectively. ProjectManager is award-winning project management software that connects site managers to subcontractors whether they’re with them on the job site, in the office or even in their car. Our software is online and has a mobile app for iOS and Android users so site managers can even stay updated and manage their work on the go. But that’s not all our tool can do to help a site manager. We have tools that allow the site manager to gather real-time data to make more informed decisions.
Monitor Progress With Real-Time Dashboards
Site engineers have to track the work being done at the construction site. Our real-time dashboard gives them a high-level overview of that work no matter where they are. They can toggle over to the live dashboard and view progress, tasks, workload and more all displayed in easy-to-read graphs and charts. This helps them catch issues quickly and work to resolve them before they impact the project schedule. Unlike lightweight competitors, our real-time dashboard doesn’t require a lengthy setup. It’s ready when you are.
Keep Stakeholders Updated With Customized Reports
When you need to get more detail than the live dashboard can provide, use our customized reporting tools. You can generate reports on project variance, workload and more. There are status reports and even portfolio reports if you’re managing more than one project. All reports can be filtered to focus on just the information you want to see. This is especially useful when reporting to your stakeholders who don’t need to get lost in the details. Reports can also be shared in a variety of formats or printed, depending on how your stakeholders prefer to get project data.
Our software has resource management features that make it easy to see the availability of everyone working on your project. You can set working days, vacation days, PTO and even global holidays. During execution, use our workload chart to make sure everyone is working at capacity. The chart is color-coded so it’s easy to see who is overallocated and you can reallocate the tasks right from the chart to balance workload and boost productivity.
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ProjectManager is online project management software that allows you to work in the office, at the job site or anywhere in between. Files can be easily stored and shared, while teams can comment at the task level to facilitate better collaboration. Get started with ProjectManager today for free.
