What does a resident engineer do?
A Resident Engineer is responsible for all planning aspects of a project. They maintain project engineering records, monitor and expedite weekly reports for accuracy, and develop and perform quality control procedures.
Resident engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real resident engineer resumes:
- Lead municipal construction projection for maintenance and rehabilitation of internal roads.
- Implement safe working practices base on OSHA regulations.
- Monitor demolition activities for compliance with OSHA, NESHAPS.
- Check AutoCAD drawing sets and take-offs on a daily basis.
- Perform random quality checks on highway materials and prepare reports base on RFI.
- Work involve, road paving, utility relocation, curbing and sewrline rebuilding.
- Direct all strategic planning and management for the scope of inspections; ensure conformance to NRC rules.
- Direct and supervise foreign nationals on all piping, HVAC, and electrical systems and civil earthwork projects.
- Inspect the installation of 3500' of new 8"PVC sewer line, replacing existing clay line.
- Project make up of full depth asphalt pavement, camel overpasses, interchanges/bridges, utility tunnels and box culverts.
- Install controls and monitoring systems for HVAC, humidity, security, mechanical space automation and boiler room support.
- Project make up of runway widening/extension, surface milling, sealing, and asphalt resurfacing to accommodate larger and longer planes.
- Review road occupancy permit applications for completeness.
- Conduct inspections of plumbing facilities; ensure a strict implementation of proper safety procedures.
- Conduct safety-focused inspections to ensure licensee compliance with license provisions and NRC rules and regulations.
Resident engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 14% of Resident Engineers are proficient in Infrastructure, PE, and Construction Projects. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Organizational skills, and Speaking skills.
We break down the percentage of Resident Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Infrastructure, 14%
Supported infrastructure set-up, procurement for anomaly processing equipment, NDA interpretation, Operator training, and Nuclear Safety.
- PE, 10%
Assisted others including PE's with cost estimating and price negotiations.
- Construction Projects, 8%
Act as RE representing Chicago Department of Water Management on sewer reconstruction projects performed by private contractor.
- Contract Administration, 5%
Provided issue resolution rose from the inspection process or from contract administration.
- Project Management, 5%
Prepared technical architectural and implementation design documents and work with the project management to develop the implementation plan.
- Construction Inspection, 4%
Supervised construction inspection staff, tracked/approved extra work, coordinated work with Thruway Authority and day staff.
Most resident engineers use their skills in "infrastructure," "pe," and "construction projects" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential resident engineer responsibilities here:
Organizational skills. Another essential skill to perform resident engineer duties is organizational skills. Resident engineers responsibilities require that "civil engineers often oversee several projects at the same time and must be able to allocate resources effectively." Resident engineers also use organizational skills in their role according to a real resume snippet: "enabled organizational growth and increased project approval by training engineers in project management. "
Math skills. Another crucial skill for a resident engineer to carry out their responsibilities is "math skills." A big part of what resident engineers relies on this skill, since "civil engineers use calculus, trigonometry, and other mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting." How this skill relates to resident engineer duties can be seen in an example from a resident engineer resume snippet: "prepared and checked mathcad engineering calculations (incorporating building seismic response spectra). "
Problem-solving skills. Lastly, "problem-solving skills" is an important element of what a resident engineer does. Resident engineer responsibilities require this skill because "civil engineers may encounter problems during each stage of their work." This resume example highlights how resident engineer duties rely on this skill: "provided technical direction to employees regarding root cause analysis, issue resolution and establish corrective action. "
The three companies that hire the most resident engineers are:
- System One41 resident engineers jobs
- Palo Alto Networks31 resident engineers jobs
- HNTB30 resident engineers jobs
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Compare different resident engineers
Resident engineer vs. Structural designer
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.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a resident engineer are more likely to require skills like "infrastructure," "pe," "construction projects," and "contract administration." On the other hand, a job as a structural designer requires skills like "revit," "structural design," "bim," and "navisworks." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Structural designers tend to make the most money working in the construction industry, where they earn an average salary of $69,802. In contrast, resident engineers make the biggest average salary, $100,676, in the telecommunication industry.structural designers tend to reach lower levels of education than resident engineers. In fact, structural designers are 6.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% less likely to have a Doctoral Degree.Resident engineer vs. Structural engineering internship
A structural engineering intern is responsible for supporting the engineering team on construction and structural projects, identifying cost-reduction techniques, and drafting layouts that adhere to clients' specifications, business requirements, and budget limitations. Structural engineering interns join the engineers on area visits, inspecting site foundation, and calculating dimensions and material costing. They also shadow the team's best practices and recommend ways to maximize productivity and efficiency to deliver high-quality outputs within the required deadlines. A structural engineering intern must be highly technical and analytical, especially on designing deliverables that meet quality standards.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, resident engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "infrastructure," "pe," "contract administration," and "project management." Meanwhile, a structural engineering internship has duties that require skills in areas such as "structural analysis," "revit," "powerpoint," and "structural design." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
Structural engineering interns may earn a lower salary than resident engineers, but structural engineering interns earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $56,459. On the other hand, resident engineers receive higher pay in the telecommunication industry, where they earn an average salary of $100,676.structural engineering interns earn higher levels of education than resident engineers in general. They're 5.6% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Resident engineer vs. Representative projects
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.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from resident engineer resumes include skills like "pe," "project management," "technical support," and "corrective action," whereas a representative projects is more likely to list skills in "autocad," "construction observation," "construction administration," and "project scope. "
Representative projects earn the best pay in the technology industry, where they command an average salary of $64,096. Resident engineers earn the highest pay from the telecommunication industry, with an average salary of $100,676.When it comes to education, representative projects tend to earn similar degree levels compared to resident engineers. In fact, they're 2.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.9% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Resident engineer vs. Civil engineering internship
Even though a few skill sets overlap between resident engineers and civil engineering interns, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a resident engineer might have more use for skills like "infrastructure," "pe," "contract administration," and "osha." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of civil engineering interns require skills like "civil 3d," "gis," "roadway design," and "powerpoint. "
Civil engineering interns enjoy the best pay in the construction industry, with an average salary of $65,780. For comparison, resident engineers earn the highest salary in the telecommunication industry.civil engineering interns reach similar levels of education compared to resident engineers, in general. The difference is that they're 3.6% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 2.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Types of resident engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
