What does a facility designer do?
A facility designer specializes in developing establishment plans according to project requirements. Although the extent of their responsibilities varies on every project, it usually includes meeting with clients to conceptualize facility plans, conducting research and analysis, visiting sites to perform measurements and assessments, utilizing special tools and software, and coordinating with engineers and clients. Moreover, a facility designer typically works in a team setting, which requires an active communication line for a smooth and efficient workflow.
Facility designer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real facility designer resumes:
- Manage general facilities including commissioning, building management systems, and calibrations for GMP area for tablets production operation.
- Do the DCR of LDPE plant using PDMS.
- Design of piping service systems using PDMS.
- Set up models in Navisworks for client review.
- Set up and navigate models with Navisworks for client model
- Create piping models for oil and gas industry using CadWorx.
- Design and modeling of steel piping supports using CADWorx and PDS.
- Generate ISO s from 3D models for all detail design projects.
- Assist checking co-working designers' & sketchers' ISO's before IFC.
- Interface with electrical, HVAC, and research engineers in the design process.
- Complete extensive 3-D modeling of architectural, electrical, structural, mechanical, HVAC, and piping systems in AutoCad.
- Involve in engineering support for downstream refinery turnaround in addition to upstream oil and gas recovery site development.
- Develop PLC-based boiler management system to coordinate steam production from multiple boilers and interface with production equipment to reduce operating costs.
- Present in and attend design reviews of high power RF transistors.
- Utilize MATLAB scripts to perform automate RF tests of RF amplifier chains in DownLink transceiver systems.
Facility designer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 16% of Facility Designers are proficient in Revit, Facilities Design, and Space Planning. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Computer skills.
We break down the percentage of Facility Designers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Revit, 16%
Prepared complex Architecture and Engineering construction drawings for residential and commercial projects utilizing AutoCAD Architecture and REVIT.
- Facilities Design, 7%
Contract labor-Sr. Designer/Facilities Design: Design of Platforms, Jackets, Production equipment, pipeline risers and interconnecting piping.
- Space Planning, 5%
Provided space planning and design documents for internal facility planning department.
- Construction Drawings, 5%
Conducted site inspections comparing construction drawings to final build out.
- Calculation, 5%
Performed equipment sizing calculations for steam heating and process equipment, as well as review of building specifications and equipment selection.
- HVAC, 5%
Provided a completed set of plan drawings including, Demo HVAC, Elec., Architecture.
"revit," "facilities design," and "space planning" are among the most common skills that facility designers use at work. You can find even more facility designer responsibilities below, including:
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for a facility designer to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what facility designers do because "graphic designers must be able to perceive their work from their consumers’ point of view to ensure that the designs convey the client’s message." Additionally, a facility designer resume shows how facility designers use analytical skills: "maintain the dealerfacility archibus cafm database and provide technical support to all team members. "
Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling facility designer duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "graphic designers must communicate with clients, customers, and other designers to ensure that their designs accurately and effectively convey information." According to a facility designer resume, here's how facility designers can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "sourced materials for various design projects, as well as communication with professional packaging companies overseas. "
Computer skills. This is an important skill for facility designers to perform their duties. For an example of how facility designer responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "most graphic designers use specialized graphic design software to prepare their designs." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of a facility designer: "designed products using computer-aided design software applications such as autocad, pro/engineer, and solidworks. ".
Artistic ability. A big part of what facility designers do relies on "artistic ability." You can see how essential it is to facility designer responsibilities because "graphic designers must be able to create designs that are artistically interesting and appealing to clients and consumers." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical facility designer tasks: "draw and sketch artistic architectural and structural features. "
Time-management skills. Another crucial skill for a facility designer to carry out their responsibilities is "time-management skills." A big part of what facility designers relies on this skill, since "graphic designers often work simultaneously on multiple projects, each with a different deadline." How this skill relates to facility designer duties can be seen in an example from a facility designer resume snippet: "experience in leading design projects from start to finish on time, on budget, and with excellent quality. "
Creativity. Another skill commonly found on facility designer job descriptions is "creativity." It can come up quite often in facility designer duties, since "graphic designers must be able to think of new approaches to communicating ideas to consumers." Here's an example from a resume of how this skill fits into day-to-day facility designer responsibilities: "produced engineering drawings for injection molding, vacuum form and laser cutting vendors from creative drawing renderings. "
The three companies that hire the most facility designers are:
- Gensler11 facility designers jobs
- Garver, LLC8 facility designers jobs
- HDR6 facility designers jobs
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Compare different facility designers
Facility designer vs. Project engineer
A Project Engineer develops the plan that the entire team or company will undertake. The project engineer develops the plans, strategies, and goals of a project and then gives it to the management for approval and allocation. The Project Engineer will also recommend material, equipment, and the type of personnel needed. This position is integral in the smooth flow of any project, so hiring someone to hold this position will decide the success of a project.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between facility designers and project engineer. For instance, facility designer responsibilities require skills such as "revit," "facilities design," "space planning," and "calculation." Whereas a project engineer is skilled in "project management," "autocad," "cad," and "ul." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Project engineers really shine in the energy industry with an average salary of $85,761. Comparatively, facility designers tend to make the most money in the media industry with an average salary of $82,814.On average, project engineers reach similar levels of education than facility designers. Project engineers are 0.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Facility designer vs. Senior engineer
A senior engineer is responsible for overseeing all operations within a designated area. With years of experience and expertise, a senior engineer may take charge of establishing goals, deadlines, and budgets for a particular project. They must devise and implement strategies that would improve the quality of workflow and deliver significant results. Furthermore, a senior manager must also supervise a team of skilled engineers, leading them in the joint effort to reach the company's vision and mission, all while adhering to the safety standards and regulations.
While some skills are similar in these professions, other skills aren't so similar. For example, resumes show us that facility designer responsibilities requires skills like "revit," "facilities design," "space planning," and "construction drawings." But a senior engineer might use other skills in their typical duties, such as, "java," "python," "architecture," and "c #."
Senior engineers may earn a higher salary than facility designers, but senior engineers earn the most pay in the start-up industry with an average salary of $125,167. On the other hand, facility designers receive higher pay in the media industry, where they earn an average salary of $82,814.senior engineers earn higher levels of education than facility designers in general. They're 6.9% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for facility designers in the next 3-5 years?
Abby Guido
Assistant Professor, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University
Facility designer vs. Engineer
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from facility designer resumes include skills like "revit," "facilities design," "space planning," and "construction drawings," whereas an engineer is more likely to list skills in "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #. "
Engineers earn the highest salary when working in the automotive industry, where they receive an average salary of $97,672. Comparatively, facility designers have the highest earning potential in the media industry, with an average salary of $82,814.Most engineers achieve a similar degree level compared to facility designers. For example, they're 0.4% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.3% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Facility designer vs. Chief engineer
A chief engineer is responsible for monitoring the engineering department's overall operations, ensuring performance efficiency, and everyone's strict compliance with the safety standards and regulatory procedures. Chief engineers manage the distribution of the tasks to the team, communicate with the clients and management for instructions and specifications, monitor expenses and forecast sales reports, analyze and approve designs, negotiate contracts, and process disputes. A chief engineer must have excellent knowledge of the engineering disciplines and exemplary leadership skills to handle the team's performance towards the company's objectives.
Types of facility designer
Updated January 8, 2025
