Career Overlap Transition record
RecordMove

Architect to construction manager

An architect already meets 29% of what the construction manager role asks for. The move turns on 19 required skills not yet in the profile.

Fig. 1 · Skill transfer ESCO v1.2.1 · directional
From architect
29 % overlap
Distant match
To construction manager
16 You already bring
19 Still to learn
56 Skills in the target role2
Learning distance A rebuild

75.5/ 100

1 How much of what a construction manager is expected to do is already part of an architect’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the construction manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.

Why

Why this move works

A construction manager role treats 8 of its required skills as things an architect already does. You would walk in with these on day one.

  • building materials industry
  • communicate with construction crews
  • green building practices
  • identify customer's needs
  • interpret technical requirements
  • manage contracts

What stands in the way is 19 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.

Table 2

Table 2 · What you already bring

Of the 16 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A construction manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of an architect background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area
  • already held consider building constraints in architectural designs communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held integrate building requirements in the architectural design communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held participate in governmental tenders communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held integrate engineering principles in architectural design communication, collaboration and creativity
  • already held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects information skills
  • already held communicate with construction crews communication, collaboration and creativity

All 16 carried skills, including the 8 the construction manager role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you may need to learn

The 40 missing skills fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.

Skill to pick up Tier
01 business, administration and law 4 required, 5 supplementary
  • still to learn budgetary principles required
  • still to learn construction product regulation required
  • still to learn cost management required
  • still to learn quality standards required
  • optional, not held corporate social responsibility optional
  • optional, not held project commissioning optional
  • optional, not held total quality control optional
  • optional, not held contract law optional
  • optional, not held environmental legislation optional
02 engineering, manufacturing and construction 4 required, 4 supplementary
  • still to learn civil engineering required
  • still to learn construction equipment related to building materials required
  • still to learn construction industry required
  • still to learn energy conservation required
  • optional, not held quantity surveying optional
  • optional, not held building construction principles optional
  • optional, not held construction methods optional
  • optional, not held nuclear energy optional
03 communication, collaboration and creativity 4 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn liaise with architects required
  • still to learn plan construction of houses required
  • still to learn work in a construction team required
  • still to learn advise on construction materials required
  • optional, not held design power plant systems optional
  • optional, not held communicate with customers optional
  • optional, not held order construction supplies optional
04 assisting and caring 3 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn apply safety management required
  • still to learn check construction compliance required
  • still to learn ensure compliance with legal requirements required
  • optional, not held follow nuclear plant safety precautions optional
  • optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
  • optional, not held manage environmental impact optional
05 information skills 3 required, 3 supplementary
  • still to learn calculate needs for construction supplies required
  • still to learn prepare construction documents required
  • still to learn review construction projects required
  • optional, not held audit contractors optional
  • optional, not held manage construction archive optional
  • optional, not held review construction plans authorisations optional
06 handling and moving 1 required
  • still to learn identify construction materials from blueprints required

2 further areas in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a construction manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.

Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.

Appendix

Appendix · The rest of the record

All 16 skills that carry over
Skill Type
  • already held building materials industry knowledge
  • already held communicate with construction crews skill
  • already held green building practices knowledge
  • already held identify customer's needs skill
  • already held interpret technical requirements skill
  • already held manage contracts skill
  • already held oversee construction project skill
  • already held project management knowledge
  • already held carry out tendering skill
  • already held consider building constraints in architectural designs skill
  • already held energy efficiency knowledge
  • already held ensure compliance with construction project deadline skill
  • already held integrate building requirements in the architectural design skill
  • already held integrate engineering principles in architectural design skill
  • already held monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects skill
  • already held participate in governmental tenders skill
The 2 learning areas not shown above
Skill to pick up Tier
07 management skills 2 supplementary
  • optional, not held manage budgets optional
  • optional, not held monitor contractor performance optional
08 health and welfare 1 supplementary
  • optional, not held radiation protection optional
21 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
Skill to pick up Tier
  • optional, not held corporate social responsibility optional
  • optional, not held design power plant systems optional
  • optional, not held follow nuclear plant safety precautions optional
  • optional, not held project commissioning optional
  • optional, not held quantity surveying optional
  • optional, not held total quality control optional
  • optional, not held audit contractors optional
  • optional, not held building construction principles optional
  • optional, not held communicate with customers optional
  • optional, not held construction methods optional
  • optional, not held contract law optional
  • optional, not held ensure compliance with environmental legislation optional
  • optional, not held environmental legislation optional
  • optional, not held manage budgets optional
  • optional, not held manage construction archive optional
  • optional, not held manage environmental impact optional
  • optional, not held monitor contractor performance optional
  • optional, not held nuclear energy optional
  • optional, not held order construction supplies optional
  • optional, not held radiation protection optional
  • optional, not held review construction plans authorisations optional
79 held skills the construction manager role does not ask for
Skill Type
  • not needed by the target role adapt existing designs to changed circumstances skill
  • not needed by the target role advise customers on building materials skill
  • not needed by the target role advise legislators skill
  • not needed by the target role advise on building matters skill
  • not needed by the target role airtight construction knowledge
  • not needed by the target role apply systemic design thinking skill
  • not needed by the target role architectural conservation knowledge
  • not needed by the target role architectural design knowledge
  • not needed by the target role architectural theory knowledge
  • not needed by the target role architecture regulations knowledge
  • not needed by the target role assess environmental impact skill
  • not needed by the target role assess heating and cooling systems skill
  • not needed by the target role building codes knowledge
  • not needed by the target role building information modelling knowledge
  • not needed by the target role cartography knowledge
  • not needed by the target role communicate with local residents skill
  • not needed by the target role conduct field work skill
  • not needed by the target role construction legal systems knowledge
  • not needed by the target role create architectural sketches skill
  • not needed by the target role create solutions to problems skill
  • not needed by the target role design an artificial lighting system skill
  • not needed by the target role design building air tightness skill
  • not needed by the target role design building envelope systems skill
  • not needed by the target role design building retrofitting solutions skill
  • not needed by the target role design buildings skill
  • not needed by the target role design harmonious architecture skill
  • not needed by the target role design microclimates in buildings skill
  • not needed by the target role design open spaces skill
  • not needed by the target role design passive energy measures skill
  • not needed by the target role design spatial layout of outdoor areas skill
  • not needed by the target role design window and glazing systems skill
  • not needed by the target role develop a specific interior design skill
  • not needed by the target role develop architectural plans skill
  • not needed by the target role develop professional network skill
  • not needed by the target role draw blueprints skill
  • not needed by the target role energy performance of buildings knowledge
  • not needed by the target role engineering principles knowledge
  • not needed by the target role ensure infrastructure accessibility skill
  • not needed by the target role envelope systems for buildings knowledge
  • not needed by the target role environmental design knowledge

39 further entries not listed here

18 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice

Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.

Skill to pick up Tier
  • still to learn budgetary principles required
  • still to learn construction product regulation required
  • still to learn cost management required
  • still to learn civil engineering required
  • still to learn construction equipment related to building materials required
  • still to learn construction industry required
  • still to learn energy conservation required
  • still to learn quality standards required
  • optional, not held corporate social responsibility optional
  • optional, not held project commissioning optional
  • optional, not held quantity surveying optional
  • optional, not held total quality control optional
  • optional, not held building construction principles optional
  • optional, not held construction methods optional
  • optional, not held contract law optional
  • optional, not held environmental legislation optional
  • optional, not held nuclear energy optional
  • optional, not held radiation protection optional
Index

Other moves recorded from architect

Full index of moves from architect

FAQ

Common questions about this move

Can an architect become a construction manager?

Yes, and it is a career change move. An architect already covers 29% of what a construction manager is expected to do: 16 skills carry over, 8 of which the construction manager role treats as required.

What skills does an architect need to become a construction manager?

19 required skills are missing, plus 21 optional ones. They fall into 8 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by business, administration and law. The single most important is budgetary principles.

How hard is the move from architect to construction manager?

Its learning distance is 75.5 out of 100, which is the career change band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.

Note

How this record was compiled

Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.