ADD ADVICE TO FAVContracting engineer
What contracting engineers do
- translate designs (working drawings) into products, eg roads, tunnels, bridges, airports, chemical plants, oil installations
- arrange the procurement of materials and the logistics of construction
- survey and prepare the site
- supervise staff and subcontractors
- manage logistics of completing the project within time and budget
- monitor costs
- liaise with design consultants, the client and anyone inconvenienced by the new installation.
Key skills
- ability to organise and motivate a team
- ability to delegate work to others
- good communication and negotiating skills
- common sense and the self-confidence to demand quality working practices and materials
Training to be a contracting engineer
Training usually starts on site, assisting with the general management of day-to-day events. Secondment to a design office completes the requirements of the engineering profession for chartered engineer status.
Salaries
Starting salaries vary from one industry to another and range from £20,000 to £24,000. Perks include additional pay for working unsocial hours, for example on an oil rig or motorways and railways.
Professional bodies
Contracting engineers may join the most relevant professional body. Many of those employed in petrochemical contracting companies, for example, are members of the Institution of Chemical Engineers or the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. Those working in civil engineering join the Institution of Civil Engineers.
