Engineering and Project Management
Successful Careers in Leadership
If you have Engineering and Project Management Experience, Take a Look at Helmets to
Hardhats.
From the site survey to the final approval, there is a lot that goes into coordinating a
building project. Directing the efforts are construction managers, project superintendents, and
project managers -- skilled individuals who lead the construction crews.
There are many companies listed on the Helmets to Hardhats website that offer opportunities
as construction managers and project superintendents for those with experience in this type of
work. URS Corporation, a leading provider of engineering, construction and technical services for
public agencies and private sector companies around the world, is one such organization. "We build
power plants, oil refineries, chemical plants, roads, highways, bridges, provide waste removal, and
we are a large Department of Energy contractor," said Iz Cakarane, VP of Industrial Relations with
the Washington Group International – the construction arm of URS. URS is the fourth largest
publicly held engineering and construction management company in the U.S. with more than 55,000
employees located in 34 countries worldwide.
A project manager or site superintendent is responsible for coordinating all of the moving
pieces of a project. Much like leadership roles in the military, construction site management
positions require an ability to think quickly on your feet and think clearly in high pressure
situations. Demanding owners, strict schedules and budgets create a demanding environment, where
individuals in the field must be able to make value based judgments.
Similar to commanding a military squadron or coordinating an offensive operation, individuals
in construction project management must also have the ability to effectively (and even forcefully)
communicate with others while maintaining good relations with people in the field. You must be able
to effectively coordinate with project owners, high level government officials, construction crew
personnel, and other construction management staff.
The URS Corporation looks for individuals with leadership skills and project management
experience, as well as those in the engineering field. "We are looking to place project manager
type positions or an engineering graduate coming out of the military," explained Cakarane. "We look
for those types of skills, especially those who have been involved with the Navy Seabees or the
Army Corps of Engineers." He explains that currently, URS has openings for about 4,000 people,
about half of whom are engineering graduates.
If your military experience gave you the skills that would fit well into these professions,
you should search the Helmets to Hardhats website where you’ll find companies like the URS
Corporation that are looking to place candidates in these particular fields.
