Site manager: job description

Site managers, also known as construction managers, are responsible for supervising
construction sites and running construction projects.
Site managers are also known as site agents, contracts managers, construction managers
and building managers.
What does a site manager do? Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key
skills | Useful links | Find jobs and courses
Site managers are responsible for ensuring that a construction project is completed on time and
within budget. Alternative job titles for site managers include construction manager, project
manager and site agent. Site managers work on construction sites and work often begins just
before construction. More senior construction managers will take responsibility for an entire
project and may be known as the project manager or project director. More junior site managers
may take responsibility for only a part of a project (also known as a package).

Key tasks include:

 supervising and overseeing the direction of the project (or a package), ensuring that the
client’s specifications and requirements are met, reviewing progress and liaising with quantity
surveyors to monitor costs
 liaising with the client, other construction professionals and, sometimes, members of the
public
 coordinating and supervising construction workers
 selecting tools and materials
 making safety inspections and ensuring construction and site safety
 checking and preparing site reports, designs and drawings
 maintaining quality control procedures
 finding ways to prevent problems and to solve any that crop up
 assessing and minimising risk
 writing reports and keeping on top of paperwork
 helping to negotiating contracts and securing permits and licences
As construction managers work on site wherever that site is, be prepared to relocate or face a
longer commute as and when required.

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Typical employers of site managers
 Construction companies (typically contractors)
 House building and property developing companies
 The public sector (a few vacancies)
 Companies that operate on or own a lot of land, such as infrastructure companies and retailers
(a few vacancies)
Vacancies are advertised on TARGETjobs, on the websites of individual construction
companies, by careers services and via recruitment agencies. You can also find vacancies
through national newspapers and through the magazines and jobs websites of relevant
professional bodies, such as the Chartered Institute of Building and Institution of Civil
Engineers.

Qualifications and training required

There are routes into a career as a site manager for both university graduates and school leavers.
Graduates will need a degree in a construction-related subject, such as construction and project
management or civil engineering. Most graduate site managers work towards gaining chartership
with the Chartered Institute of Building, a professional qualification you gain on the job.

Relevant experience can be beneficial to securing your graduate job. Some employers offer
sponsorship, vacation work and 'year out' placements, which can provide valuable contacts and a
useful insight into the profession. Most large companies advertise formal graduate schemes or
individual graduate vacancies, but aspiring site managers can also send out speculative
applications to smaller companies.

To find out about how you can get into this career via a school leaver route (eg an apprenticeship
or school leaver training programme) see the construction and property sector of
TARGETcareers, our website aimed at school leavers. You may find our construction
management job role article particularly helpful.
Key skills for site managers
 Good communication skills
 Problem solving skills
 Decision-making ability
 Commercial awareness
 Ability to motivate others
 Teamworking skills
 Good knowledge of building methods and regulations
Next: search graduate jobs and internships
 View our graduate construction and building services vacancies and internships
Site engineer: job description
Site engineers provide technical advice about, plan, organise and supervise construction projects.
Site engineers tend to have more specific, technical knowledge than site managers.
What does a site engineer do? Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills
Site engineers have similar jobs to construction (site) managers on a construction project. They
manage parts of a construction project (also known as packages), providing technical advice,
supervising staff on site and ensuring that their packages are completed on time and within
budget.
The main difference between site managers and site engineers is that site engineers tend to have
a more specific, technical knowledge and expertise. Site engineers typically come from a civil,
structural, geotechnical, building services, mechanical or electrical engineering background and
manage packages related to those areas.

Key tasks of the job include:

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 managing parts of construction projects
 overseeing building work
 undertaking surveys
 setting out sites and organising facilities
 checking technical designs and drawings to ensure that they are followed correctly
 supervising contracted staff
 ensuring projects meet agreed specifications, budgets or timescales
 liaising with clients, subcontractors and other professional staff, especially quantity surveyors
and the overall project manager
 providing technical advice and solving problems on site
 preparing site reports and filling in other paperwork
 liaising with quantity surveyors about the ordering and negotiating the price of materials
 ensuring that health and safety and sustainability policies and legislation are adhered to
Site engineers work out on a construction site in all weathers and tend to work on one project at a
time. Depending on the location of the project, they might need to relocate or complete a lengthy
commute.

You can find out salaries in the construction industry in our graduate salaries article.
Typical employers of site engineers
 Construction companies and specialist civil engineering companies (contractors)
 Public sector organisations – a few vacancies
Vacancies are advertised online on TARGETjobs, individual construction companies’ websites
and careers service websites. You can also find jobs advertised in national newspapers and via
professional bodies, such as the Institution of Civil Engineers, the Institution of Structural
Engineers and the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers.

Qualifications and training required

There are routes into a career as a site engineer for both university graduates and school leavers.
Graduates will need an accredited degree in engineering: usually civil, structural, geotechnical,
mechanical, electrical or building services. While in their graduate role, graduates will work
towards a professional qualification with the most appropriate professional body (such as the
Institution of Civil Engineers): this will either be incorporated or chartered status, depending on
whether they have a BEng or an MEng/MSc. Find out more about getting chartered and
incorporated engineering qualifications.
Site engineer applicants are more attractive to graduate recruiters if they have some work
experience within the construction industry . The most common types of industry work
experience are years in industry as part of a sandwich degree course or summer placements. Find
out more about getting work experience in construction.
To find out about how you can get into this career via a school leaver route (eg an apprenticeship
or school leaver training programme) see the construction and property sector of
TARGETcareers, our website aimed at school leavers.
Key skills for site engineers
 Commercial awareness – an understanding of how your actions can affect profitability of a
project
 Team working and communication
 Technical skills
 An eye for detail
 Problem solving
 Management skills