Post job

Civil designer vs project field engineer

The differences between civil designers and project field engineers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 4-6 years to become both a civil designer and a project field engineer. Additionally, a project field engineer has an average salary of $71,292, which is higher than the $58,421 average annual salary of a civil designer.

The top three skills for a civil designer include civil 3d, autocad and civil engineering. The most important skills for a project field engineer are shop drawings, project management, and OSHA.

Civil designer vs project field engineer overview

Civil DesignerProject Field Engineer
Yearly salary$58,421$71,292
Hourly rate$28.09$34.27
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs57,03678,589
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Average age4141
Years of experience66

What does a civil designer do?

A Civil Designer plans, scales, and drafts drawings and maps for roads, bridges, and other construction projects. They work with engineers and project managers in determining material, labor, and other costs of the assigned projects.

What does a project field engineer do?

Field engineers are engineering professionals who work on-site in a different setting to direct workers and report to the management about the status of different projects. These engineers are required to resolve malfunctions or other crises such as construction or machinery problems while overseeing repairs and technical improvements. They must conduct research and studies on-site and installing new systems and technology to ensure smooth operations of machinery. Field engineers must also communicate with clients to discuss and determine the needs and explain complex issues of projects.

Civil designer vs project field engineer salary

Civil designers and project field engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Civil DesignerProject Field Engineer
Average salary$58,421$71,292
Salary rangeBetween $41,000 And $81,000Between $56,000 And $90,000
Highest paying CityWalnut Creek, CARoseville, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaOklahoma
Best paying companyParsonsOHL USA
Best paying industryConstructionEnergy

Differences between civil designer and project field engineer education

There are a few differences between a civil designer and a project field engineer in terms of educational background:

Civil DesignerProject Field Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 44%Bachelor's Degree, 75%
Most common majorDrafting And DesignCivil Engineering
Most common collegeCarnegie Mellon UniversityColumbia University in the City of New York

Civil designer vs project field engineer demographics

Here are the differences between civil designers' and project field engineers' demographics:

Civil DesignerProject Field Engineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 82.9% Female, 17.1%Male, 91.1% Female, 8.9%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 11.2% White, 67.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.0% Asian, 11.2% White, 67.7% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between civil designer and project field engineer duties and responsibilities

Civil designer example responsibilities.

  • Manage production of full sets of contract documents (grading, drainage, water, sewer, paving and SWPPP).
  • Create and revise detail drawings (MEP).
  • Deliver as-built MEP schematics and structural details.
  • Perform the analysis of guy communication towers using CSA-S37/01 and AISC manual guidelines.
  • Use Trimble GPS station to survey projects, upload data into trimble geomatics office3.
  • Direct or participate in surveying to lay out installations and establishreference points, grades and elevations to guide construction.
  • Show more

Project field engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage work orders utilizing client's MAXIMO and BSL system.
  • Manage document control including change orders, billings, RFI tracking, purchasing documentation and contract administration.
  • Manage and/or participate in a variety of water and wastewater assist company principles as engineering consultants for numerous municipal clients.
  • Obtain and evaluate geotechnical data at project sites.
  • Negotiate change-order work and prepare monthly project CPM updates.
  • Create and maintain change order logs on each project also maintaining RFI logs on all projects.
  • Show more

Civil designer vs project field engineer skills

Common civil designer skills
  • Civil 3D, 18%
  • Autocad, 16%
  • Civil Engineering, 8%
  • Civil Design, 4%
  • Site Design, 4%
  • GIS, 3%
Common project field engineer skills
  • Shop Drawings, 10%
  • Project Management, 9%
  • OSHA, 7%
  • Construction Management, 7%
  • Field Supervision, 6%
  • Construction Projects, 5%

Browse architecture and engineering jobs