Graduate Civil Engineer



Note: This profile provides a market aligned view of this job’s typical core requirements, informed by Korn Ferry’s Success Profile methodology, and will evolve over time.

An entry-level engineering professional in the first two years post-graduation. Uses professional concepts and academic knowledge to assist in solving engineering problems of limited scope and complexity. Contributes to civil projects such as roads, railroads, airports, bridges, dams, water and sewage systems, irrigation systems and power plants, supporting the team in delivering high-quality outcomes for clients. Focuses on building practical experience and understanding of engineering practices in a real-world consulting environment.

Responsibilities

Responsibilities describe the typical accountabilities and scope of work for this job,  while recognising that individual objectives are set with the manager and may vary over time.

• Client & Customer Management (External): Help senior colleagues manage client and customer relationships by using relevant sales or client systems.
• Community of Practice Management: Participate in a community of practice in a defined area of expertise or consulting to begin to build own expertise.
• Contract Management: Deliver required outcomes by coordinating activities of subcontractors and suppliers and acting as a primary point of contact for them while working within an established contract management plan.
• Engineering Inspections: Carry out inspections under the supervision of senior colleagues to evaluate the quality of engineering works and/or the integrity of existing installations or structures, and make recommendations to senior colleagues on the remedial works needed to ensure conformance with specifications and regulatory requirements.
• Engineering Solutions Design: Contribute to the development of, and implement feasibility testing of, proposed engineering solutions to provide feedback and data to validate the design.
• Health, Safety, and Environment: Follow the organization's health, safety, and environment (HSE) policies, procedures, and mandatory instructions to identify and mitigate environmental risks and risks to the well-being of self and others in the workplace; instruct the team in safe working methods; identify instances of risky behaviors within the team and take appropriate action, escalating serious issues as appropriate.
• Improvement/Innovation: Identify shortcomings in existing processes, systems, and procedures, and use established change management programs to address them.
• Personal Capability Building: Develop own capabilities by participating in assessment and development planning activities as well as formal and informal training and coaching. Develop and maintain an understanding of relevant technology, external regulation, and industry best practices through ongoing education, attending conferences, and reading specialist media.
• Product and Solution Development: Carry out a range of product development and engineering activities. Use established systems to analyze customer needs and define and deliver products.
• Project Management: Support others by carrying out a range of project management activities.
• Request for Bid Solicitation/Proposal/Tender Response: Gather information and resources to assist in the drafting of standardized tenders/proposals in response to bid solicitations, request for proposal, and request for tender.

Competencies

Competencies describe the observable behaviours that differentiate effective performance in this job and guide expectations, feedback, and development discussions.

• Collaborates – Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives. For example, finds many ways to add value to the team; probes to draw out richer input from others; is a valued resource who goes out of the way to help others.
• Communicates Effectively – Develops and delivers multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. For example, listens attentively and takes an interest. Keeps others well informed; conveys information clearly, concisely, and professionally when speaking or writing.
• Decision Quality – Makes good and timely decisions that keep the organization moving forward. For example, knows when to act independently and when to escalate issues. Integrates various inputs, decision criteria, and trade-offs to make effective decisions. Typically makes good independent decisions.
• Ensures Accountability – Holds self and others accountable to meet commitments. For example, accepts responsibility for own work, both successes and failures. Handles fair share and does not make excuses for problems. Usually meets commitments to others.
• Manages Complexity – Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. For example, looks at complex issues from multiple angles; explores issues to uncover underlying issues and root causes; sees the main consequences and implications of different options.
• Optimizes Work Processes – Knows the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement. For example, pursues, explores, and develops ways to ensure own work is as effective as possible within all relevant processes. Shares an analysis of process problems with stakeholders; discusses how to resolve the issue.
• Plans and Aligns – Plans and prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals. For example, outlines clear plans that put actions in a logical sequence; conveys some time frames. Aligns own work with relevant workgroups. Takes some steps to reduce bottlenecks and speed up the work.

Skills

Skills reflect the technical, professional, and functional capabilities required to perform the job effectively at the expected level, and guide assessment and development.

• Define Future State/TO-BE State – Works with full competence to envision and document the future state of processes and products by identifying the solution scope, potential value of the future state, and the changes to the process, products, organization infrastructure, capabilities, and technology necessary to achieve the desired future state. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Document and Model User Requirements – Works with full competence to utilize the appropriate modeling tool(s) to diagram the requirements from data and state changes, process and process improvements, as well as use cases and user stories. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Engineering Build – Works with full competence to build engineering solutions. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Engineering Design – Works with full competence to apply appropriate method, tools, processes and software to execute engineering design activities. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Engineering Development – Works with full competence to apply appropriate method, tools, processes and software to achieve engineering development outcomes. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Engineering Implementation – Works with full competence to implement, evaluate and refine engineering design outcomes. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Engineering Specification – Works with full competence to produce technical engineering specifications and related materials. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Engineering Standards and Compliance – Works with full competence to ensure adherence to engineering standards and compliance within interdisciplinary engineering projects. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Engineering Technical Operations Support – Works with full competence to identify, diagnose and resolve operational problems through the development of engineering outcomes. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Engineering Technical Practices – Works with full competence to integrate diverse engineering technical practices. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Engineering Technology – Works with full competence to exploit new and advancing technology to create engineering outcomes. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Engineering Testing – Works with full competence to test, evaluate and replan engineering outcomes. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Health and Safety – Works with full competence to manage and apply safe systems of work. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Risk Management Techniques – Works with full competence to identify, assess, prioritize and manage risks. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Systems and Tools - Engineering – Works with full competence to effectively utilize and apply a variety of engineering software, hardware, and methodologies to solve complex technical problems across various engineering disciplines. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.
• Validate Requirements – Works with full competence to identify assumptions in order to manage risk, assess the success with measurable evaluation criteria, and evaluate alignment of requirements with solution scope to support value delivery. Typically works without supervision and may provide technical guidance.

Education

• Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent Level

Experience

• General Experience: Sound experience and understanding of straightforward procedures or systems (7 to 12 months)
• Managerial Experience: None