What is the Difference Between a Site Manager and a Site Engineer?

The two different designations in the field of construction are site engineers and managers. The majority of people get these two terms mixed up. The roles of a site engineer and a site supervisor are not the same. This uncertainty will be resolved in this article. And if you’re interested getting into this field, there is lot of information about site engineer jobs and site manager jobs on Construction Job Board.

Site Engineer: 

The site engineer is a member of the site management staff. The site engineer is in charge of security, health, and safety and oversees materials and employees on the job. Site engineers ensure that designs are implemented effectively and work closely with the general contractor, subcontractors, and the project manager. The functions and responsibilities of a site engineer are not universally applicable to all building sites. Changes in position and duties are based on the project’s activity and conditions. For the execution and completion of the project, the site engineer should perform their primary tasks and responsibilities.

Site Manager: 

Site managers can explain construction plans and demonstrate leadership, communication, and problem-solving abilities. The task and obligation of the site supervisor are to inspect the construction site regularly and instruct the construction team and subcontractors. Construction site supervisors keep an eye on the progress of projects and verify that all safety requirements are followed. They are responsible for monitoring construction workers and subcontractors, teaching them on-site safety rules, and evaluating their performance.

Responsibilities of Site Engineer:

The responsibilities of a construction site engineer are as follows, but many of these will be distributed among other engineers on the site according to their experience and ability.

  1. Works according to the drawings and specifications.  
  2. Calculating the number of materials.  
  3. Observance of safety requirements.  
  4. Resolving technical issues with employer’s representatives, suppliers, subcontractors, and statutory authorities.  
  5. Quality assurance by following CSIs/procedures method statements, quality plans, and inspection and test plans
  6. Liaising with the company to ensure that purchase orders define the specified requirements adequately.  
  7. Preparing technical reports, record drawings, site diary, daily progress report, monthly progress report, subcontractor bills, etc.  
  8. Tracking up the material wastage.  
  9. Supervising and counseling trainee engineers.  
  10. Job reviews of subordinate staff.  

Responsibilities of Site Manager:  

Now, the role of a construction site engineer depends on the type of work involved and the experience they have working on a construction project.  

  1. The responsibility of supervising the whole site. 
  2. Oversee operations on a day-to-day basis. 
  3. Before the work begins, a site manager gets things ready by organizing the team and preparing the site, carefully planning the tasks to be completed.
  4. Supervising the laborers at every stage of the construction.
  5. Study the drawings and finish the work by managing the labor, material, and machinery as per daily planning. 
  6. Ensure that work is done safely, within budget, on time, and to the right quality standards. 
  7. Monitor progress by overseeing the delivery of materials and carrying out safety checks to sort out any issues which could hold up work as they arise. 
  8. Monitoring the work and providing the current work status to the concerned Site Engineer.
  9. Keep in close contact with the site team at all times, and liaise with architects, engineers, surveyors, and planners. 

To put it simply, the site manager would be responsible for maintaining the site and dictating logistic factors. The engineer would choose materials and control the state of execution on site. Visit Construction Job Board for more details on the site engineer and site manager jobs in London.