Construction recruitment
Site Engineer Recruitment
The Site Engineer provides on-site technical engineering support across setting out, quality control, and design coordination. It is typically the first site-based role for civil and construction engineering graduates, and the stepping stone to Project Manager and Contracts Manager positions within main contracting. Site Engineers carry out and check setting out using total station and GPS equipment, conduct quality inspections, coordinate technical queries with the design team, and maintain detailed as-built records. We recruit Site Engineers for main contractors, infrastructure contractors, and housebuilders across the UK, with salaries from £26,000 at graduate entry through to £55,000 at senior level.
What the role involves
- Carrying out and checking setting out on site using total station, GPS, and digital level equipment to construction drawings, maintaining setting out registers and ensuring sub-contractors are working to approved coordinates
- Conducting quality control inspections at each stage of construction and completing QA inspection and test records, ensuring all hold points and witness points are signed off before works proceed
- Reviewing drawings and specifications, raising design queries and RFIs with the design team, and coordinating responses, maintaining an RFI register and tracking outstanding queries against their impact on programme
- Preparing and reviewing method statements and risk assessments for construction activities
- Coordinating with subcontractors on technical matters, including setting out handover and quality sign-off
- Producing as-built drawings and maintaining technical site records, diaries, and test certificates
Who employers are looking for
A BEng or HNC/HND in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or Structural Engineering is the standard qualification at graduate level. Most employers require a CSCS Gold Card (Skilled Worker) or Black Card at minimum. Total station setting out experience is expected by mid-career level, and many employers test candidates' ability to carry out setting out calculations independently. SMSTS is beneficial and is typically expected for progression from Site Engineer to Site Manager or Project Manager.
Graduate Site Engineers joining ICE membership as AMICE typically use this role to gather initial competency evidence for their ICE Professional Review. Progress toward IEng or CEng via the ICE is the recognised career development path. Infrastructure site engineers, particularly those working on highways, rail, and civil engineering schemes, earn above building sector equivalents and develop a broader technical skill set. Progression from Site Engineer to Site Manager typically takes three to five years and brings a significant salary increase. Site Engineers who can demonstrate strong quality management skills alongside setting out are in high demand.
Building contractors and infrastructure contractors have different expectations of the Site Engineer role. In building construction, the emphasis is on quality inspections, RFI coordination, and as-built record keeping. In civil engineering and infrastructure, setting out precision, earthworks measurement, and daily diaries for contemporaneous records are central activities. Mid-career Site Engineers applying to infrastructure roles are expected to understand standard earthworks compaction testing, drainage inspection procedures, and concrete pour records as a minimum. Those who have maintained digital site records and QA registers throughout a full project lifecycle, rather than relying on paper-based systems, are consistently preferred by tier 1 and tier 2 infrastructure contractors. The transition from Site Engineer to Senior Site Engineer typically requires demonstrating that you have supervised and checked others' setting out, not just carried out your own.
Salary benchmarks
Site Engineers in London and the South East earn 15 - 20% above the national average. Infrastructure site engineers earn above building sector equivalents. Car allowance or site vehicle is common. Progression to Site Manager or Project Manager typically brings a significant salary uplift.
Industries that hire Site Engineers
- Main contracting: setting out and quality management on commercial building, residential, and mixed-use projects, where the Site Engineer supports the Site Manager on technical queries and quality sign-off
- Infrastructure: highways, rail, and civil engineering projects where setting out accuracy and QA records are contractual requirements, and where digital survey data is increasingly integrated with BIM models for quality verification
- Housebuilding: setting out foundations, services, and roads on residential development sites
- Commercial construction: technical quality assurance on complex or high-specification building schemes
- M&E and specialist subcontracting: technical coordination and setting out support on major installation packages
Related roles
- Civil Engineer: the natural progression from Site Engineer, moving into design or principal-level site engineering
- Site Manager: operational progression route for Site Engineers who develop their management and commercial awareness
- Construction Project Manager: senior delivery role that experienced Site Engineers move toward through the Site Manager route
- Planning Engineer: an alternative technical progression for Site Engineers with strong interest in programme management
Where we place Site Engineer professionals
We place Site Engineer professionals across the UK. Browse by location or register your CV for roles that match your experience.
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