Post job

Senior civil engineer vs resident engineer

The differences between senior civil engineers and resident 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 senior civil engineer and a resident engineer. Additionally, a resident engineer has an average salary of $96,425, which is higher than the $83,749 average annual salary of a senior civil engineer.

The top three skills for a senior civil engineer include civil 3d, project management and CAD. The most important skills for a resident engineer are infrastructure, PE, and construction projects.

Senior civil engineer vs resident engineer overview

Senior Civil EngineerResident Engineer
Yearly salary$83,749$96,425
Hourly rate$40.26$46.36
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs38,16231,388
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Average age4141
Years of experience66

What does a senior civil engineer do?

A senior civil engineer is primarily in charge of overseeing the development of public structures such as buildings, bridges, pipelines, and roads. They are responsible for spearheading the design and planning stages, setting goals and objectives, managing budgets and timelines, performing due diligence, inspecting construction sites, and documenting the procedures. Above all, as a senior civil engineer, it is essential to lead and serve as a role model to fellow engineers and contractors, all while implementing the construction site's safety policies and regulations.

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.

Senior civil engineer vs resident engineer salary

Senior civil engineers and resident engineers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Senior Civil EngineerResident Engineer
Average salary$83,749$96,425
Salary rangeBetween $60,000 And $115,000Between $70,000 And $132,000
Highest paying CitySan Rafael, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMicrosoftGoogle
Best paying industryRetailTelecommunication

Differences between senior civil engineer and resident engineer education

There are a few differences between a senior civil engineer and a resident engineer in terms of educational background:

Senior Civil EngineerResident Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 73%
Most common majorCivil EngineeringCivil Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborUniversity of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Senior civil engineer vs resident engineer demographics

Here are the differences between senior civil engineers' and resident engineers' demographics:

Senior Civil EngineerResident Engineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 88.9% Female, 11.1%Male, 90.7% Female, 9.3%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 3.7% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 11.0% Asian, 16.6% White, 63.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%Black or African American, 4.1% Unknown, 4.7% Hispanic or Latino, 12.1% Asian, 12.0% White, 66.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between senior civil engineer and resident engineer duties and responsibilities

Senior civil engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage a geotechnical investigation that include determining boring locations and soliciting bids.
  • Analyze bridge structures for deficiencies following the AASHTO code using hand calculations and software.
  • Respond to RFI's and keep the daily logs and quantity book up to date.
  • Design bridges and other highway relate structures using PennDOT standards, and AASHTO policies and procedures.
  • Represent the client (MTA) during CPM schedule update reviews and contractor requests for change orders.
  • Evaluate contractor's procedure for execution, CPM's, breakdowns for payments and contractors certifications for payments.
  • Show more

Resident engineer example responsibilities.

  • 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.
  • Show more

Senior civil engineer vs resident engineer skills

Common senior civil engineer skills
  • Civil 3D, 13%
  • Project Management, 11%
  • CAD, 5%
  • Construction Management, 5%
  • Geotechnical, 4%
  • Business Development, 4%
Common resident engineer skills
  • Infrastructure, 14%
  • PE, 10%
  • Construction Projects, 8%
  • Contract Administration, 5%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • Construction Inspection, 4%

Browse architecture and engineering jobs