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.
Site engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real site engineer resumes:
- 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.
- Work extensively with AutoCad to examine electrical one lines and transformer drawings.
- Develop AutoCAD layout drawings and job-specific technical information for customer site preparation to ensure seamless interface at customer facilities.
- Maintain ISO documentation for capital equipment purchase procedure tracking budgetary and schedule milestone right from program initiation till equipment delivery.
- Maintain ISO documentation for capital equipment purchase procedure tracking budgetary and schedule milestone right from program initiation till equipment delivery.
Site engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 17% of Site Engineers are proficient in Project Management, Infrastructure, and Site Safety. They’re also known for soft skills such as Leadership skills, Organizational skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Site Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Management, 17%
Collaborate with hotel operations management, project management, and design teams to assure quality outcome of hotel requirements.
- Infrastructure, 15%
Manage daily operation and capacity of the Data Center collocation space, physical cabling infrastructure, and distributed computing services environment.
- Site Safety, 7%
Followed on-site safety management guidelines.
- RF, 6%
Interfaced with RF Engineer to insure effective site location for design objectives.
- CAD, 4%
Reviewed supplementary CAD drafting and provided support for project modifications.
- Ericsson, 4%
Manage installation, on-air related services, Radio and Transmission equipment reception for the Ericsson 3G project.
"project management," "infrastructure," and "site safety" are among the most common skills that site engineers use at work. You can find even more site engineer responsibilities below, including:
Organizational skills. Many site engineer duties rely on organizational skills. "civil engineers often oversee several projects at the same time and must be able to allocate resources effectively.," so a site engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways site engineer responsibilities rely on organizational skills: "key achievements boost organizational success by creating and delivering contractor-based project value; profitably negotiated construction contracts to achieve significant revenue. "
Problem-solving skills. site engineers are also known for problem-solving skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to site engineer responsibilities, because "civil engineers may encounter problems during each stage of their work." A site engineer resume example shows how problem-solving skills is used in the workplace: "delivered fully integrated solutions, which includes peripherals, servers, communications, operating systems and applications software. "
Math skills. Lastly, "math skills" is an important element of what a site engineer does. Site engineer responsibilities require this skill because "civil engineers use calculus, trigonometry, and other mathematics for analysis, design, and troubleshooting." This resume example highlights how site engineer duties rely on this skill: "developed and presented curricula for rf transmission principles, propagation, line-of-sight profiling, and great circle geometry. "
The three companies that hire the most site engineers are:
- Leidos26 site engineers jobs
- HDR11 site engineers jobs
- Wsp USA Buildings Inc.8 site engineers jobs
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Site engineer vs. Representative projects
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.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, site engineer responsibilities require skills like "project management," "site safety," "rf," and "cad." Meanwhile a typical representative projects has skills in areas such as "osha," "autocad," "construction observation," and "inspection reports." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Representative projects earn the highest salaries when working in the technology industry, with an average yearly salary of $64,096. On the other hand, site engineers are paid more in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $84,459.On average, representative projects reach similar levels of education than site engineers. Representative projects are 2.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.9% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Site engineer vs. Structural designer
A Civil Designer plans, scales, and drafts drawings and maps for roads, bridges, and other construction projects. They work with engineers and project managers in determining material, labor, and other costs of the assigned projects.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, site engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "infrastructure," "site safety," "rf," and "cad." Meanwhile, a structural designer has duties that require skills in areas such as "revit," "structural design," "bim," and "navisworks." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, structural designers earn a lower salary than site engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, structural designers earn the most pay in the construction industry with an average salary of $69,802. Whereas site engineers have higher pay in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $84,459.Average education levels between the two professions vary. Structural designers tend to reach similar levels of education than site engineers. In fact, they're 1.8% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.9% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for site engineers in the next 3-5 years?
Dean of Graduate Education, School of Engineering, Tufts University
The pandemic has also renewed our sense of need for internet security, privacy, and access to service. When all our social and educational interactions had to move to virtual platforms, we became aware of just how small and ill-prepared the world was and how inequitable the availability of these services was to parts of the world.
Site engineer vs. Civil designer
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.
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, site engineers are more likely to have skills like "project management," "infrastructure," "site safety," and "rf." But a civil designer is more likely to have skills like "civil 3d," "autocad," "civil engineering," and "civil design."
Civil designers earn the highest salary when working in the construction industry, where they receive an average salary of $74,665. Comparatively, site engineers have the highest earning potential in the manufacturing industry, with an average salary of $84,459.Most civil designers achieve a lower degree level compared to site engineers. For example, they're 5.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Site engineer vs. Structural engineering internship
Even though a few skill sets overlap between site engineers and structural engineering interns, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a site engineer might have more use for skills like "project management," "infrastructure," "site safety," and "rf." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of structural engineering interns require skills like "structural analysis," "revit," "powerpoint," and "structural design. "
Structural engineering interns enjoy the best pay in the technology industry, with an average salary of $56,459. For comparison, site engineers earn the highest salary in the manufacturing industry.The average resume of structural engineering interns showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to site engineers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 10.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.7%.Types of site engineer
Updated January 8, 2025











