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Senior civil engineer vs site engineer

The differences between senior civil engineers and site 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 site engineer. Additionally, a senior civil engineer has an average salary of $83,749, which is higher than the $75,719 average annual salary of a site engineer.

The top three skills for a senior civil engineer include civil 3d, project management and CAD. The most important skills for a site engineer are project management, infrastructure, and site safety.

Senior civil engineer vs site engineer overview

Senior Civil EngineerSite Engineer
Yearly salary$83,749$75,719
Hourly rate$40.26$36.40
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs38,16242,333
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
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 site engineer do?

A Site Engineer supervises the building work and contracted staff, and ensures that all projects meet the agreed specifications, budgets, and timescales. They provide technical advice and solve various problems on-site.

Senior civil engineer vs site engineer salary

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

Senior Civil EngineerSite Engineer
Average salary$83,749$75,719
Salary rangeBetween $60,000 And $115,000Between $53,000 And $106,000
Highest paying CitySan Rafael, CASan Francisco, CA
Highest paying stateCaliforniaCalifornia
Best paying companyMicrosoftFitbit
Best paying industryRetailManufacturing

Differences between senior civil engineer and site engineer education

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

Senior Civil EngineerSite Engineer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 75%Bachelor's Degree, 77%
Most common majorCivil EngineeringCivil Engineering
Most common collegeUniversity of Michigan - Ann ArborMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Senior civil engineer vs site engineer demographics

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

Senior Civil EngineerSite Engineer
Average age4141
Gender ratioMale, 88.9% Female, 11.1%Male, 93.0% Female, 7.0%
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, 3.5% Unknown, 4.6% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% Asian, 17.4% White, 63.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.3%
LGBT Percentage5%5%

Differences between senior civil engineer and site 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.
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Site engineer example responsibilities.

  • Manage standard sub contract RFP package.
  • Manage production of full sets of contract documents (grading, drainage, water, sewer, paving and SWPPP).
  • Create a standardize ISO accept template for requisition and purchase order that are used across the organization.
  • Construct a SQL database to analyze all legacy network connections in order to access which ones need upgrading.
  • Assist in and conduct daily operations and maintenance of plumbing, electrical, HVAC and general maintenance requirements of buildings.
  • Direct broadband engineering team for implementation of hardware.
  • Show more

Senior civil engineer vs site engineer skills

Common senior civil engineer skills
  • Civil 3D, 13%
  • Project Management, 11%
  • CAD, 5%
  • Construction Management, 5%
  • Geotechnical, 4%
  • Business Development, 4%
Common site engineer skills
  • Project Management, 17%
  • Infrastructure, 15%
  • Site Safety, 7%
  • RF, 6%
  • CAD, 4%
  • Ericsson, 4%

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