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Construction project engineer vs project manager

The differences between construction project engineers and project managers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a project manager has an average salary of $91,578, which is higher than the $68,635 average annual salary of a construction project engineer.

The top three skills for a construction project engineer include construction management, project management and construction materials. The most important skills for a project manager are project management, project scope, and customer service.

Construction project engineer vs project manager overview

Construction Project EngineerProject Manager
Yearly salary$68,635$91,578
Hourly rate$33.00$44.03
Growth rate7%8%
Number of jobs66,147167,116
Job satisfaction-4.17
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Average age4147
Years of experience6-

What does a construction project engineer do?

A construction project engineer specializes in performing technical work while coordinating clients, managers, subcontractors, and suppliers, ensuring efficient and safe operations. Moreover, their responsibilities revolve around reviewing overall construction plans and blueprints, delegating tasks, gathering data, producing progress reports, developing project objectives, and monitoring construction progress while prioritizing the budget and deadlines. They may also control project plans, assess workforce performance, and maintain daily records. Furthermore, it is essential to adhere to safety policies and regulations to maintain a safe work environment for everyone.

What does a project manager do?

Project managers oversee a specific project related to the organization's business. They manage the whole project from inception to evaluation. They initiate planning with involved departments, follow-through on the plans, ensure smooth execution of the plans, and evaluate the project for further improvements should these be needed. In line with this, project managers also ensure that the project is cost-efficient and well within the budget. They also manage the different work teams involved in the project and ensure that things are running smoothly on this aspect as well.

Construction project engineer vs project manager salary

Construction project engineers and project managers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Construction Project EngineerProject Manager
Average salary$68,635$91,578
Salary rangeBetween $53,000 And $87,000Between $64,000 And $129,000
Highest paying CitySacramento, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyAbbottThe Citadel
Best paying industryHealth CareTechnology

Differences between construction project engineer and project manager education

There are a few differences between a construction project engineer and a project manager in terms of educational background:

Construction Project EngineerProject Manager
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 72%Bachelor's Degree, 68%
Most common majorCivil EngineeringBusiness
Most common collegeColumbia University in the City of New YorkUniversity of Pennsylvania

Construction project engineer vs project manager demographics

Here are the differences between construction project engineers' and project managers' demographics:

Construction Project EngineerProject Manager
Average age4147
Gender ratioMale, 90.3% Female, 9.7%Male, 68.9% Female, 31.1%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 11.4% White, 67.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 7.7% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.9% Asian, 9.0% White, 65.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage5%10%

Differences between construction project engineer and project manager duties and responsibilities

Construction project engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage roll-out and operation of new site CMMS system, ARCHIbus.
  • Ensure the quick responses from designers for RFI (s) for all project manage and oversee.
  • Facilitate coordination between MEP trades and manage finishes.
  • Manage QA activities and maintain up-to-date quality control system.
  • Manage and/or participate in a variety of water and wastewater assist company principles as engineering consultants for numerous municipal clients.
  • Lead teams in FDA compliance, IQ-OQ-PQ validation methods.
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Project manager example responsibilities.

  • Schedule and manage the GCP audit process.
  • Define, develop and manage metrics and KPIs systems for new product business group.
  • Manage the application process for the FDA medical device, minority and small business certifications.
  • Manage multiple projects and resources simultaneously while mentoring, coaching and implementing best practices, SOX and HIPAA compliance standards.
  • Lead teams using the Informatica ETL tool for the design and development of multiple financial and risk enterprise data warehouses.
  • Administer and manage Salesforce requirements.
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Construction project engineer vs project manager skills

Common construction project engineer skills
  • Construction Management, 20%
  • Project Management, 11%
  • Construction Materials, 6%
  • Construction Projects, 6%
  • Shop Drawings, 4%
  • Meeting Minutes, 4%
Common project manager skills
  • Project Management, 23%
  • Project Scope, 6%
  • Customer Service, 6%
  • Infrastructure, 5%
  • Status Reports, 4%
  • Risk Management, 3%

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