Table 1Transition record

construction managertocontract engineer

A construction manager already meets 29% of what the contract engineer role asks for. The move turns on 9 required skills not yet in the profile.

From construction manager

29%

Overlap1

To contract engineer

8 Skills carried over

9 Required, not held

66.5 Difficulty2

Career overlap Distant match

29%

Learning distance Substantial retraining

66.5/ 100

Easy adjacentmoderatesubstantialcareer change Hard

1 Share of the contract engineer role’s weighted skill requirement already met by the construction manager profile. Required skills count in full, supplementary skills at 0.35. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs. 2 Combines what is missing with how specialised it is, so a gap of general skills scores easier than the same number of narrow ones.

Why

Why this move works

A contract engineer role treats 5 of its required skills as things a construction manager already does. These are the ones it depends on most.

contract law
interpret technical requirements
manage budgets
manage contracts
project management

What stands in the way is 9 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 8 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A contract engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a construction manager background worth leading with.

Skill the target role also needs Area

already held carry out tendering management skills
already held construction industry engineering, manufacturing and construction
already held interpret technical requirements information skills
already held contract law business, administration and law
already held cost management business, administration and law
already held project management business, administration and law

All 8 carried skills, including the 5 the contract engineer role treats as required.

Table 3

Table 3 · What you would need to learn

The 25 missing skills fall into 7 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered below in the order worth working in: the areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the supplementary ones.

Skill to acquire Tier

01 engineering, manufacturing and construction 3 required

required, not held engineering processes required
required, not held engineering principles required
required, not held technical drawings required

02 information skills 2 required, 3 supplementary

required, not held assess financial viability required
required, not held perform scientific research required

optional, not held assess supplier risks optional
optional, not held maintain contract administration optional
optional, not held perform contract compliance audits optional

03 management skills 1 required, 6 supplementary

required, not held manage engineering project required

optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
optional, not held define technical requirements optional
optional, not held identify suppliers optional
optional, not held manage sub-contract labour optional
optional, not held manage tender processes optional
optional, not held perform project management optional

04 communication, collaboration and creativity 1 required, 5 supplementary

required, not held build business relationships required

optional, not held compare contractors' bids optional
optional, not held consult with technical staff optional
optional, not held handle customer complaints optional
optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
optional, not held meet contract specifications optional

05 assisting and caring 1 required

required, not held ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations required

06 working with computers 1 required

required, not held use technical drawing software required

1 further area in the appendix

Table 4

Table 4 · Where to start

The 3 entries a contract engineer 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 8 skills that carry over

Skill Type

already held contract law knowledge
already held interpret technical requirements skill
already held manage budgets skill
already held manage contracts skill
already held project management knowledge
already held carry out tendering skill
already held construction industry knowledge
already held cost management knowledge

The 1 learning area not shown above

Skill to acquire Tier

07 business, administration and law 2 supplementary

optional, not held labour legislation optional
optional, not held tax legislation optional

16 supplementary skills, helpful but not required

Skill to acquire Tier

optional, not held assess supplier risks optional
optional, not held issue sales invoices optional
optional, not held compare contractors' bids optional
optional, not held consult with technical staff optional
optional, not held define technical requirements optional
optional, not held handle customer complaints optional
optional, not held identify suppliers optional
optional, not held labour legislation optional
optional, not held maintain contract administration optional
optional, not held manage contract disputes optional
optional, not held manage sub-contract labour optional
optional, not held manage tender processes optional
optional, not held meet contract specifications optional
optional, not held perform contract compliance audits optional
optional, not held perform project management optional
optional, not held tax legislation optional

48 held skills the contract engineer role does not ask for

Skill Type

not needed by the target role advise on construction materials skill
not needed by the target role apply safety management skill
not needed by the target role audit contractors skill
not needed by the target role budgetary principles knowledge
not needed by the target role building construction principles knowledge
not needed by the target role building materials industry knowledge
not needed by the target role calculate needs for construction supplies skill
not needed by the target role check construction compliance skill
not needed by the target role civil engineering knowledge
not needed by the target role communicate with construction crews skill
not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
not needed by the target role consider building constraints in architectural designs skill
not needed by the target role construction equipment related to building materials knowledge
not needed by the target role construction methods knowledge
not needed by the target role construction product regulation knowledge
not needed by the target role corporate social responsibility knowledge
not needed by the target role design power plant systems skill
not needed by the target role energy conservation knowledge
not needed by the target role energy efficiency knowledge
not needed by the target role ensure compliance with construction project deadline skill
not needed by the target role ensure compliance with environmental legislation skill
not needed by the target role ensure compliance with legal requirements skill
not needed by the target role environmental legislation knowledge
not needed by the target role follow nuclear plant safety precautions skill
not needed by the target role green building practices knowledge
not needed by the target role identify construction materials from blueprints skill
not needed by the target role identify customer's needs skill
not needed by the target role integrate building requirements in the architectural design skill
not needed by the target role integrate engineering principles in architectural design skill
not needed by the target role liaise with architects skill
not needed by the target role manage construction archive skill
not needed by the target role manage environmental impact skill
not needed by the target role monitor contractor performance skill
not needed by the target role monitor parameters' compliance in construction projects skill
not needed by the target role nuclear energy knowledge
not needed by the target role order construction supplies skill
not needed by the target role oversee construction project skill
not needed by the target role participate in governmental tenders skill
not needed by the target role plan construction of houses skill
not needed by the target role prepare construction documents skill

8 further entries not listed here

5 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 acquire Tier

required, not held engineering processes required
required, not held engineering principles required
required, not held technical drawings required
optional, not held labour legislation optional
optional, not held tax legislation optional

Index

Other moves recorded from construction manager

Full index of moves from construction manager

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.