Civil projects consist of many different moving parts, with teams often having to collaborate with both public and private sector entities. Juggling the needs of local and state council bodies with cost breakdowns from private sector suppliers and contractors, and perhaps even accommodating the comings and goings of the general public, can also influence timelines and project strategies for civil projects.
With so many boxes to be ticked and agreements to be forged, you can imagine that the day-to-day responsibilities of project leaders and their supervisors can also look very different to what you’d expect from a graduate or even mid-level civil engineering role. So what can you expect in the way of responsibilities, challenges, and opportunities as you progress further through a career in the civil engineering sector?
Let’s answer this question by outlining some of the six core skills that civil engineers can definitely benefit from attaining when taking on more senior project management roles.
1. Data Analytics & Reporting
For project leaders, developing a specialised understanding of data points including structural analyses, geotechnical risk calculations, and metrics gathered via IIoT like smart sensors all aids in developing project strategies and outlines to pitch to stakeholders (i.e. investors, supply partners, etc.).
Here, civil engineers can benefit from attaining industry certificates relating to data analytics and presentation, including components for building proficiency with structural analyses. General data qualifications like a diploma in data analytics may also be ideal for engineers looking to branch out to different sectors for senior opportunities further on in their careers.
2. Budgeting & Administration
Senior civil engineers are often working across multi-million dollar projects with highly detailed budgets across a catalogue of different suppliers and project partners. Managing project budgets are just one half of the equation when it comes to overseeing the administrative load of these roles, however. Engineers in senior management positions are also tasked with managing both internal and external resources, including staff working schedules, and managing traffic of people and equipment both on-site and off-site.
Fine tuning working schedules in accordance with project timelines is a vital administrative component for keeping projects on-track and thus, within budget. Here, a keen understanding of engineering processes must be combined with a flair for organisation and robust scheduling and organisational practices.
3. Risk Management & Regulatory Compliance
From adhering to building and construction regulations as well as maintaining ISO certification, compliance is naturally a paramount concern for all engineering projects. For senior engineers and team leaders in particular, ensuring compliance at every phase of your project and strengthening your ongoing compliance processes is basically a staple of your daily to-do list.
This means that senior engineers can benefit from engaging with ISO standards, as well as building codes and other industry codes and legislation. Building a familiarity with compliance documentation and policies can also be beneficial in supporting team leaders to contribute to internal policy development that ticks all the right regulatory boxes.
For smaller teams, senior engineers may even benefit from completing internal auditor courses, safety officer certificates, or other related courses to support compliance processes as well as risk assessment and hazard management for their teams.
4. Project & People Management
As you’d expect, being a project manager also demands engineers to hone their leadership skills and build rapport not only with their team members, but also with key stakeholders and external partners (i.e. suppliers, architects, contractors, government contacts, etc.). Making a commitment to communicate effectively with your team members and ensure any conflicts are resolved promptly and respectfully, can help keep your working environment positive and conducive to peak performance and productivity.
Leaders are also tasked with ensuring project teams uphold the standards and processes that support your project scheduling/timeline and also help to maintain your quality of work. This can include making sure your team follows safety protocols on-site, but even comms-based processes like upholding file formatting and processing requirements, or even adhering to emailing and digital communication processes. With everyone operating with the same systems, you can make sure your team communications stay cohesive, and that everyone stays in the loop, which is growing increasingly important as project teams shift more towards hybrid and even remote working models.
5. Sustainable Design
Sustainable design practices are becoming an essential consideration for civil engineering teams, namely because eco-conscious approaches can help facilitate future-ready or even futureproof developments. Project partners across the public sector often also have directives from their department leaders to include sustainability talking points for civil developments to cultivate positive public sentiments. This is also why we’re seeing more civil projects including environmental reporting and stipulate alignment with environmental or sustainability standards (i.e. ISO 14001:2015, for instance).
Engaging with sustainable building and construction practices is also a must for civil engineers looking to undertake senior roles further on in their careers. Completing short courses with a focus on sustainability in urban design or other similar subjects can also help engineers qualify for leadership roles in urban development projects (i.e. ‘greener cities’ initiatives). If you also just have a keen interest in sustainable design practices like passive heating and cooling systems, solar integration, thermal mass management, and other areas of study, then you’ll find sustainability upskilling to be not only a professional advantage, but also personally enriching.
6. Technological Adaptability
Finally, civil engineers can expect to find themselves working across a variety of tools and digital platforms on a daily basis, and leadership roles are no exception here either. From advanced design software like AutoCAD to BIM 360, as well as operating drones and other land surveying equipment, your worksites and office spaces are going to be filled with not just computational tech, but also field equipment that you will need to build proficiency with.
Thankfully, civil engineers have no shortage of hands-on learning opportunities across all the projects that they’ll find themselves working on over the course of their careers. But if you wanted to equip yourself with specialised technological training, then you can enrol in dedicated software courses that help you gain proficiency with 3D building models, or even to help you stay up-to-date with systems you’re using currently as new features are being added in (think AI, IIoT integration, etc.).
Build a Career Pathway that Provides Ample Leadership Opportunities
There’s opportunities to learn at every phase of your career in civil engineering, but for those who do have ambitions to undertake leadership roles, engaging with the core skills we’ve outlined above can help you stay ready if and when the right senior opportunities come your way.
Be sure to invest in skills building across the areas we’ve outlined above wherever you can, be it through putting your hand up for taking on additional responsibilities with every new project, enrolling in short courses for upskilling, and working with your mentors and industry connections to keep a few feelers out for the right leadership opportunities.
