Example Career Paths
Entry Level Positions:
Entry level positions could include positions in construction administration, project controls, assisting in estimating, material procurement, materials expediting, scheduling, cost control, limited project management responsibility, field layout, inspection of in-process and completed work, resolution of design issues encountered during construction, providing technical direction to crafts, labor, and subcontractors.
Advancement:
An experienced engineer may advance to a position of managing all field engineering activities on a large, complex project. Responsibilities might include quality control and progress reporting. The engineer’s responsibilities might also include labor management. In this role, the engineer may be the superintendent for a specific area, such as civil work, earthwork, concrete, or structural steel. An engineer may be given a project assignment in scheduling, cost or estimating. Over time, the engineer would gain experience in many areas on increasingly complex projects. Later in a career, an engineer may become a project superintendent responsible for the work of all disciplines including concrete, steel, piping, mechanical and electrical. An engineer may advance further to become a site construction manager, responsible for all activities at the jobsite. After demonstrating competency in all areas of project management, an engineer may be offered the opportunity to be a business manager or operations manager on a project, responsible for monitoring and accurately reporting all cost and schedule performance on a project. As an engineer demonstrates the ability to successfully lead and manage clients, employees and work quality, budget and schedule, areas of responsibility may increase to include all activities on large, complex projects, including engineering, procurement and construction, which are typically managed by a project manager or project executive. Later an engineer may manage an entire office. Eventually a construction engineer can be president of a construction company or become a general manager or vice president in some of the largest companies in the United States.
Typical Engineering Positions
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