What does a construction engineer do?
A Construction Engineer designs, coordinates, and supervises projects within the construction industry. They conduct surveys, analyze results, and supervise projects from the cradle to the grave.
Construction engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real construction engineer resumes:
- Manage 3D BIM coordination, improving field production and reducing rework.
- Manage all aspects of work packages which include subsea EPC's contractors (i.e.
- Manage all trades installing formwork, concrete, interior finishes, built-up and rubber roofs, and EIFS.
- Calculate sub-contractors weekly accomplish work for payroll.
- Manage Geotechnical subcontractor daily testing logs and sampling activities.
- Manage and/or participate in a variety of water and wastewater assist company principles as engineering consultants for numerous municipal clients.
- Utilize bulldozers, cranes, graders and other heavy equipment to move tons of earth and material to complete construction projects.
- Assist in 3D BIM coordination with subcontractors.
- Support product launch procedures with major OEM.
- Supervise the construction of NCDOT roadway projects.
- Create design for concrete formwork and miscellaneous steel structures.
- Utilize Centria metal panels with integral windows and louvers.
- Assist others including PE's with cost estimating and price negotiations.
- Create drawings, models, and assemblies of apparatuses using SolidWORKS.
- Assist all phases of residential construction design including roofing, drywall, and framing
Construction engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 18% of Construction Engineers are proficient in Tractor Trailer, Construction Sites, and Cranes. They’re also known for soft skills such as Math skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Construction Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Tractor Trailer, 18%
Transported heavy construction equipment with tractor trailer and assisted in combat engineer missions.
- Construction Sites, 16%
Conducted timely inspections of all construction sites and suggested improvements where necessary.
- Cranes, 15%
Crane operator examiner, Competent Person Rigger Trainer, certification of Man lifts operators.
- Bulldozers, 11%
Trained in basic operations of Dump Trucks, Front End Loaders, Back-Hoe Loaders, Bulldozers, Graders, and Scrapers.
- Grade Stakes, 8%
Placed, finished and performed concrete and asphalt paving and curbing projects and analyzed information on and placement of grade stakes.
- Combat, 8%
Performed ground and aerial reconnaissance; advised engineer staff section personnel in matters involving combat engineer operations.
Common skills that a construction engineer uses to do their job include "tractor trailer," "construction sites," and "cranes." You can find details on the most important construction engineer responsibilities below.
Math skills. The most essential soft skill for a construction engineer to carry out their responsibilities is math skills. This skill is important for the role because "civil engineers use calculus, trigonometry, and other mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting." Additionally, a construction engineer resume shows how their duties depend on math skills: "interpreted prints & cad drawings to complete quantitative take offs and estimates on materials. "
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform construction engineer duties is organizational skills. Construction engineers responsibilities require that "civil engineers often oversee several projects at the same time and must be able to allocate resources effectively." Construction engineers also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "established job procedures and organizational duty matrixes, including creation of a construction management procedures manual. "
Problem-solving skills. This is an important skill for construction engineers to perform their duties. For an example of how construction engineer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "civil engineers may encounter problems during each stage of their work." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a construction engineer: "design resolution, work inspection, take off and requisitioning of field material, punch list preparation, and planning assistance. ".
The three companies that hire the most construction engineers are:
- Army National Guard223 construction engineers jobs
- National Guard127 construction engineers jobs
- Oracle48 construction engineers jobs
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Compare different construction engineers
Construction engineer vs. Representative projects
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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, construction engineer responsibilities require skills like "tractor trailer," "construction sites," "cranes," and "bulldozers." Meanwhile a typical representative projects has skills in areas such as "infrastructure," "autocad," "construction observation," and "inspection reports." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Representative projects earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $64,096. On the other hand, construction engineers are paid more in the energy industry with an average salary of $89,735.The education levels that representative projects earn slightly differ from construction engineers. In particular, representative projects are 1.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a construction engineer. Additionally, they're 1.0% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Construction engineer vs. Civil designer
Civil engineer interns work to improve their knowledge about construction and its relevant works. An internship provides them insight into various aspects of construction and how things run at the site. Through an internship, they learn how to differentiate between reality and engineering. Civil engineering interns will typically perform various tasks, including preparing and monitoring documents, working closely with the civil engineer to resolve issues and review complaints, and preparing plans and maps. They are also expected to visit construction sites to do their planning, quality control, documentation, and site execution.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real construction engineer resumes. While construction engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "tractor trailer," "construction sites," "cranes," and "bulldozers," civil designers use skills like "civil 3d," "autocad," "civil engineering," and "civil design."
Civil designers may earn a lower salary than construction engineers, but civil designers earn the most pay in the construction industry with an average salary of $74,665. On the other hand, construction engineers receive higher pay in the energy industry, where they earn an average salary of $89,735.In general, civil designers achieve lower levels of education than construction engineers. They're 5.8% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 1.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for construction engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Karen Panetta Ph.D.
Dean of Graduate Education, School of Engineering, Tufts University
The pandemic has also renewed our sense of need for internet security, privacy, and access to service. When all our social and educational interactions had to move to virtual platforms, we became aware of just how small and ill-prepared the world was and how inequitable the availability of these services was to parts of the world.
Construction engineer vs. Civil engineering internship
A Structural Designer designs, develops, and supervises the construction of new buildings and bridges, or extensions to existing properties or other structures. They review and update construction drawings as well as communicate project problems and flaws to managers.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from construction engineer resumes include skills like "tractor trailer," "cranes," "bulldozers," and "grade stakes," whereas a civil engineering internship is more likely to list skills in "civil 3d," "gis," "roadway design," and "powerpoint. "
Civil engineering interns make a very good living in the construction industry with an average annual salary of $65,780. On the other hand, construction engineers are paid the highest salary in the energy industry, with average annual pay of $89,735.Most civil engineering interns achieve a similar degree level compared to construction engineers. For example, they're 0.7% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 2.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Construction engineer vs. Structural designer
Types of construction engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
