The job of building engineers is to provide advice on design, installation, and maintenance of energy-efficient and cost-effective systems for all building services, including lighting, water, and air conditioning. These professionals are responsible for the distribution of water supply and electricity and resolving tenants' maintenance problems such as plumbing and electrical systems. Additional duties of the building engineers include conducting tests on systems, ensuring compliance with health and safety requirements, and liaising with construction professionals like surveyors and electricians.

Building Engineer Responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real building engineer resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.

  • Coordinate with team leads to determine needs and how best to implement JIRA within department.
  • Create python script to automate the deployment process which deploys the application and restarts the servers.
  • Manage service MEP vendor contracts (elevators, fire life support, annual test and inspections).
  • Manage and sustain manufacturing processes via monitoring, SPC, and data analysis to maintain overall process health and stability.
  • Contribute PowerShell functions to a PowerShell module used to automate software upgrades.
  • Provide property preventive maintenance, electrical repair, HVAC maintenance/troubleshooting, construction, plumbing, custom carpentry and renovations.
  • Provide technical expertise to plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and security systems, including computer-driven energy management systems.
  • Respond to tenant service calls relating to overall building operations, mechanical, electrical and plumbing problems and initiate corrective action.
  • Maintain A/C units, U.P.S.
  • Service A/C units, elevators.
  • Improve the efficiency of PLC processes.
  • Assess and coordinate repair and installation of commercial roofing systems.
  • Identify and solve issues relate to DNS (bind).
  • Work on creating a test OpenStack environment testing VMWARE integrate OpenStack support.
  • Develop Perl and shell scripts for automation of the build and release process.

Building Engineer Skills and Personality Traits

We calculated that 13% of Building Engineers are proficient in HVAC, Ladders, and Plumbing. They’re also known for soft skills such as Customer-service skills, Dexterity, and Troubleshooting skills.

We break down the percentage of Building Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • HVAC, 13%

    Provided technical expertise to plumbing, electrical, HVAC, and security systems, including computer-driven energy management systems.

  • Ladders, 12%

    Stooped, climbed ladders and lifted heavy loads during set-up for events.

  • Plumbing, 12%

    Responded to tenant service calls relating to overall building operations, mechanical, electrical and plumbing problems and initiate corrective action.

  • Preventive Maintenance, 10%

    Included implementation of preventive maintenance program (DataStream MP-2), equipment maintenance troubleshooting and electrical repair, installation and maintenance.

  • Emergency Situations, 9%

    Identify and be able to immediately recognize system faults and respond to operational and emergency situations related to building environment.

  • Roofing, 8%

    Managed new construction to cornice and roofing repairs of historical building in Center City Philadelphia including scaffold erections.

"hvac," "ladders," and "plumbing" aren't the only skills we found building engineers list on their resumes. In fact, there's a whole list of building engineer responsibilities that we found, including:

  • Arguably the most important personality trait for a building engineer to have happens to be customer-service skills. An example from a resume said this about the skill, "these workers interact with customers on a regular basis" Additionally, other resumes have pointed out that building engineers can use customer-service skills to "respond immediately to emergency situations and customer concerns. "
  • Another trait important for fulfilling building engineer duties is dexterity. According to a building engineer resume, "many repair and maintenance tasks, such as repairing small devices, connecting or attaching components, and using hand tools, require a steady hand and good hand–eye coordination." Here's an example of how building engineers are able to utilize dexterity: "stooped, climbed ladders and lifted heavy loads during set-up for events. "
  • Building engineers are also known for troubleshooting skills, which can be critical when it comes to performing their duties. An example of why this skill is important is shown by this snippet that we found in a building engineer resume: "workers find, diagnose, and repair problems" We also found this resume example that details how this skill is put to the test: "experience in building and deploying java & soa applications and troubleshooting the build and deploy failures. "
  • See the full list of building engineer skills.

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    What Hvac Mechanics Do

    An HVAC mechanic specializes in installing and repairing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems, ensuring quality and efficiency. Their responsibilities revolve around communicating with clients to identify their needs, troubleshooting, identifying the root of issues, and performing corrective measures. They may also perform regular maintenance checks to ensure that the devices are functioning efficiently and safely. Furthermore, as an HVAC mechanic, it is essential to explain the extent of repairs to the clients and recommend ways to maintain systems in good condition.

    In this section, we compare the average building engineer annual salary with that of a hvac mechanic. Typically, hvac mechanics earn a $25,694 lower salary than building engineers earn annually.

    While their salaries may differ, one common ground between building engineers and hvac mechanics are a few of the skills required in each craft. In both careers, employees bring forth skills like hvac, ladders, and plumbing.

    As far as similarities go, this is where it ends because a building engineer responsibility requires skills such as "emergency situations," "roofing," "snow removal," and "building operations." Whereas a hvac mechanic is skilled in "hand tools," "epa," "control systems," and "chillers." So if you're looking for what truly separates the two careers, you've found it.

    Hvac mechanics really shine in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $57,885. Whereas building engineers tend to make the most money in the technology industry with an average salary of $98,279.

    Hvac mechanics tend to reach similar levels of education than building engineers. In fact, hvac mechanics are 2.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to have a Doctoral Degree.

    What Are The Duties Of a Handyman?

    A handyman can perform various repair and maintenance tasks involving electricity, carpentry, plumbing, and even appliance installation. Most handymen work independently, but they can also choose to be part of a company. Furthermore, a handyman must also discuss the extent of repairs to clients, even sharing insights on maintaining facilities in good condition. There are instances when a handyman may be required to work in a group setting, which requires an active line of communication and coordination.

    The next role we're going to look at is the handyman profession. Typically, this position earns a lower pay. In fact, they earn a $31,798 lower salary than building engineers per year.

    Not everything about these jobs is different. Take their skills, for example. Building engineers and handymen both include similar skills like "hvac," "plumbing," and "snow removal" on their resumes.

    While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, several resumes showed us that building engineer responsibilities requires skills like "ladders," "preventive maintenance," "emergency situations," and "roofing." But a handyman might use skills, such as, "drywall repair," "mowing," "sheetrock," and "door installation."

    Handymen may earn a lower salary than building engineers, but handymen earn the most pay in the construction industry with an average salary of $51,528. On the other side of things, building engineers receive higher paychecks in the technology industry where they earn an average of $98,279.

    When it comes to the differences in education between the two professions, handymen tend to reach similar levels of education than building engineers. In fact, they're 3.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    How a Repair Technician Compares

    A repair technician's role focuses on assessing the problem or damage of a device and implementing solutions for it to function again. Although the extent of a technician's tasks will depend on the device or industry of employment, most of it revolves around troubleshooting, providing technical support, installing and writing programs, detaching and re-attaching wirings, welding, and even thoroughly discussing problems and solutions to clients. Furthermore, there are instances when a repair technician must work in a team setting that requires coordination and communication.

    Let's now take a look at the repair technician profession. On average, these workers make lower salaries than building engineers with a $34,803 difference per year.

    Using building engineers and repair technicians resumes, we found that both professions have similar skills such as "hvac," "plumbing," and "customer service," but the other skills required are very different.

    As mentioned, these two careers differ between other skills that are required for performing the work exceedingly well. For example, gathering from building engineers resumes, they are more likely to have skills like "ladders," "preventive maintenance," "emergency situations," and "roofing." But a repair technician might have skills like "hand tools," "customer satisfaction," "preventative maintenance," and "work ethic."

    Additionally, repair technicians earn a higher salary in the manufacturing industry compared to other industries. In this industry, they receive an average salary of $49,974. Additionally, building engineers earn an average salary of $98,279 in the technology industry.

    Repair technicians typically study at similar levels compared with building engineers. For example, they're 3.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

    Description Of a Maintenance Specialist

    A maintenance specialist is responsible for maintaining the company's technology equipment and machinery, as well as computer and network systems, and other related instruments to support the business operational functions, ensuring the highest client service and satisfaction. Maintenance specialists conduct preventive and repair maintenance, inspect defective lines and components, and perform troubleshooting to maintain optimal performance and service delivery. A maintenance specialist must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, especially when assisting the end-users with their concerns and inquiries.

    Now, we'll look at maintenance specialists, who generally average a lower pay when compared to building engineers annual salary. In fact, the difference is about $34,756 per year.

    While both building engineers and maintenance specialists complete day-to-day tasks using similar skills like hvac, ladders, and plumbing, the two careers also vary in other skills.

    Each job requires different skills like "emergency situations," "roofing," "building operations," and "life safety," which might show up on a building engineer resume. Whereas maintenance specialist might include skills like "hand tools," "grass," "safety procedures," and "work ethic."

    Now, let's take a closer look at the financials in each career. The technology industry tends to pay more for maintenance specialists with an average of $57,768. While the highest building engineer annual salary comes from the technology industry.

    In general, maintenance specialists reach similar levels of education when compared to building engineers resumes. Maintenance specialists are 1.5% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

    What a Building Engineer Does FAQs

    What Is The Difference Between Civil Engineering And Building Engineering?

    The difference between civil engineering and building engineering comes down to the scope and responsibilities of each role. Building engineers, for instance, focus more on the construction and maintenance of building structures, while Civil engineers, on the other hand, focus more on infrastructure and specific, more specialized projects.

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