Civil Engineering Technician Job Description: Top Duties and Qualifications

A Civil Engineering Technician, or Civil Engineer Technician provides technical support to Engineers on construction projects. Their duties include managing the project budget, inspecting project sites and supporting the overall direction of engineering projects.

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Civil Engineering Technician duties and responsibilities

Civil Engineering Technicians are just as comfortable using the software associated with construction and design as they are working outside inspecting everything from rock sediment to machinery. Some of their main duties include:

Performing initial site surveys, analysing soil, rock and other materials
Creating engineering design plans using computer-aided design (CAD) software
Ensuring project feasibility through research and cost analysis
Predicting design and construction time frames
Preparing estimates of labour and material costs
Negotiating with suppliers
Supervising and reporting on overall project progress
Reporting problems to Construction Managers and preparing reports for Engineers

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What does a Civil Engineering Technician do?

A Civil Engineering Technician works on the project construction site and in an office to assist the Civil Engineers with technical aspects of the project. They are involved from the beginning of all projects, inspecting construction sites by surveying the area and running tests on the soil and rock. They deal with the technical elements of a project, managing the budget, working with suppliers, creating delivery schedules for materials and machinery. They also act as a liaison between construction and Engineering employees, ensuring all workers on the job are aware of the needs, constraints and deadlines of the project.

Civil Engineering Technician skills and qualifications

A Civil Engineering Technician must be well-versed in negotiating, persuading and maintaining clear lines of communication between multiple departments. A successful Civil Engineer Technician candidate will also have various prerequisite skills and qualifications that include:

Proven team management and leadership skills
Thorough attention to detail
The ability to work well with others
Belief in their own abilities
The ability to use their initiative
Flexibility and open-mindedness
The ability to be respectful of others’ time
Thorough understanding of the software utilised by the company

Civil Engineering Technician experience requirements

All applicants must be comfortable researching construction sites and potentially working in uncomfortable weather. This familiarity with construction sites will help them communicate with both site Managers and Engineers regarding the project. They should also have a strong foundation in computer-aided design (CAD) software such as AutoCAD, PDS or Civil 3D.

Civil Engineering Technician education and training requirements

There are a few ways applicants can obtain the position. Some employers require applicants to have completed university and received their Higher National Diploma in Civil Engineering. Others require applicants to have taken some college courses and obtained one of the following — the Level 2 Certificate in Construction and the Built Environment, Level 3 Diploma in Civil Engineering or T level in Design, Surveying and Planning. Other applicants take unrelated university courses but complete a Civil Engineering Technician Advanced Apprenticeship that teaches them the basics of civil engineering through observation and on-the-job training.

Civil Engineering Technician salary expectations

According to Indeed Salaries, the average salary for a Civil Engineering Technician in the UK is £32,477 per year. Salary is usually dependent on experience, location and company.

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Civil Engineering Technician job description FAQs

What is the difference between a Civil Engineer and a Civil Engineering Technician?

Both positions involve planning and inspecting building projects. A Civil Engineering Technician spends a good amount of time in an office, preparing building plans with the Civil Engineer. However, they also have a large number of on-site tasks including overseeing the job site, managing job site employees and reporting back to the Civil Engineer about how the project is going. A Civil Engineer works mostly in an office, creating plans for projects and reviewing the work that the technician completes on the site.

Do Civil Engineering Technicians have different responsibilities in different industries?

A Civil Engineering technician will have a similar role in all industries — overseeing a building’s construction and ensuring everything is in accordance with the vision of both the client and the Lead Civil Engineer. However, different industries have different project plans that Civil Engineering Technicians must be familiar with. For example, the construction plans for a hospital have very different requirements than the plans for a large office space. An applicant must be as familiar with the industry as they are with the technical aspects of the position.

How can you make your Civil Engineering Technician job description stand out?

Specify the industry your company works within, such as government, medical or banking. This gives an applicant an idea of the type of work they will be performing and a better sense of the overall working environment. Also, highlight competitive elements like salary, pension and holidays.