How long should a civil engineer CV be?

Two pages for graduates and mid-level engineers. Senior or chartered engineers with extensive project portfolios can extend to three pages, but every line must add value, project outcomes, not duties.

Do I need chartership to get a civil engineering role?

Not for graduate or junior roles, but you must show you are on the pathway ("working towards CEng MICE" and ICE IPD registration). For mid-level and senior roles, CEng MICE or IEng status is expected and often a hard requirement.

What if I have no site experience?

Lead with your design-office skills (software, codes, deliverables produced) and any academic or placement site work (investigations, setting-out, health and safety training). Obtain a CSCS card and SSSTS to signal site readiness, and seek site-visit or supervision opportunities in your first role.

Should I include a photo on my CV?

No. UK CVs do not include photos, date of birth, or marital status. Focus on chartership, project outcomes, and technical competences.

How do I show BIM and sustainability skills?

List Revit and ISO 19650 in your skills section, then evidence BIM delivery in project bullets ("produced BIM Level 2 models for £22M scheme"). For sustainability, quantify carbon reductions, BREEAM ratings, or SuDS compliance in your achievements.

Can I switch from design to site (or vice versa) with my CV?

Yes, but you must show competence in both. For a design-to-site move, foreground your site investigations, temporary works, CDM coordination, and H&S training (SMSTS, CSCS). For site-to-design, emphasise any design deliverables you produced (calcs, drawings, specs) and your knowledge of Eurocodes and DMRB.

Civil Engineer CV Example

Updated 29 July 2026

A civil engineer CV that wins interviews in 2026 puts chartership status, project values, and quantified delivery outcomes front and centre. This guide shows you how to structure your CV for UK infrastructure roles, with real examples at graduate, mid-level, and senior levels.

Civil Engineer CV examples

Civil Engineer (Highways & Drainage)

Mid-level

Chartered civil engineer with six years of experience in highways, drainage, and SuDS design across infrastructure projects worth £80M+. Proven track record delivering BIM Level 2 schemes to Eurocodes, DMRB, and Sewers for Adoption standards, with strong site investigation and CDM coordination skills. Experienced in AutoCAD Civil 3D, Revit, InfoDrainage, and Primavera P6.

Why it works: Declares sub-discipline and chartership status up front, then quantifies every project with value, code, and delivery outcome, paired with the software and deliverable produced.

AutoCAD Civil 3DRevit (BIM Level 2)InfoDrainageMicroDrainagePrimavera P6Eurocodes (EN 1992, EN 1997)

Riley Sample

Civil Engineer – Highways & Drainage

Email:

jordan.sample.ceng@example.com

Location:

Birmingham, UK

Phone:

+44 7700 900456

LinkedIn:

https://linkedin.com/in/jordansample

SUMMARY

SKILLS

•

AutoCAD Civil 3D

•

Revit (BIM Level 2)

•

InfoDrainage

•

MicroDrainage

•

Primavera P6

•

Eurocodes (EN 1992, EN 1997)

•

DMRB (Design Manual for Roads and Bridges)

•

Sewers for Adoption

•

CIRIA SuDS Manual (C753)

•

CDM 2015 regulations

•

Total station and GPS setting-out

•

SMSTS

•

CSCS card (Gold – Supervisor)

EXPERIENCE

Senior Civil Engineer

Apex Civil Engineering Consultancy

Mar. 2023

Present

•

Led design and delivery of a £22M highway improvement scheme, producing DMRB-compliant GA drawings, drainage calculations, and BIM Level 2 models in Revit, delivered three months ahead of schedule and 5% under budget.

•

Designed SuDS drainage for a £15M mixed-use development using InfoDrainage, achieving 30% reduction in surface water discharge and BREEAM Excellent rating.

•

Managed a team of four engineers and two technicians on a £18M rail-access road project, coordinating site investigations, temporary works approvals, and CDM Principal Designer duties with zero reportable incidents.

•

Prepared technical specifications and tender documents for a £9M drainage upgrade programme, supporting procurement and contract administration to NEC4 ECC.

Civil Engineer

Regional Infrastructure Partners

Jul. 2020

Feb. 2023

•

Produced drainage and highway design calculations to Eurocodes and DMRB for a £12M urban regeneration scheme, reducing carbon footprint by 18% through low-carbon concrete specification.

•

Conducted site investigations and setting-out using total station and GPS for five projects totalling £28M, delivering factual reports and as-built surveys within programme.

•

Coordinated BIM workflows across multidisciplinary teams on a £10M education campus project, ensuring clash-free design and handover to ISO 19650 standards.

•

Supervised construction of a £6.5M highway widening scheme, managing temporary traffic management and liaison with local authority, completing two weeks early.

EDUCATION

MEng (Hons) Civil Engineering

University of Nottingham

Civil Engineering

2016

2020

•

Upper Second Class Honours (2:1). JBM-accredited for CEng pathway.

•

Dissertation: carbon-optimised pavement design for strategic road network, achieving 25% embodied-carbon reduction.

ACHIEVEMENTS

•

Chartered Engineer (CEng) and Member of ICE (MICE)

Engineering Council / Institution of Civil Engineers

•

CSCS Card (Gold – Supervisor)

CSCS

•

SMSTS (Site Management Safety Training Scheme)

CITB

•

NEBOSH National Certificate in Construction Health and Safety

NEBOSH

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Languages:

English (Native)

Interests:

•

ICE West Midlands regional committee member

•

Mentor for ICE graduate members progressing toward Professional Review

Build your civil engineer CV →

How to write a civil engineer CV

Format and length

UK civil engineer CVs run two pages for graduates and mid-level roles, extending to three for senior or chartered engineers with extensive project portfolios. Use reverse-chronological order, starting with your most recent role. Include your chartership status as a post-nominal next to your name (CEng MICE, IEng, or "working towards CEng") and in your personal statement.

Section order

Contact details and chartership status at the top (name with post-nominals, location, email, phone, LinkedIn).
Personal statement (2–3 sentences summarising your sub-discipline, chartership, years of experience, and key technical strengths).
Skills (design software grouped by sub-discipline, design codes, site/survey competences, and BIM/sustainability credentials).
Experience (quantified project achievements with values, team sizes, and delivery outcomes).
Education (degree, accreditation status for CEng pathway, and relevant final-year projects).
Certifications and professional memberships (CSCS, SMSTS/SSSTS, NEBOSH, ICE membership grade).
Additional information (languages, professional interests, publications if relevant).

What to include per section

Section	Graduate	Mid-level	Senior
Chartership	"Working towards CEng MICE" + IPD registration	CEng MICE or IEng status with year achieved	CEng MICE + CDM Principal Designer or technical approver role
Projects	Placement + academic projects with values (even if modest, e.g. £2M)	3–5 projects, £5M–£25M range, with delivery outcomes	Portfolio of £20M+ projects, team sizes led, ahead-of-schedule or under-budget results
Software	AutoCAD Civil 3D, Revit, MicroDrainage, Primavera	Add sub-discipline tools (InfoDrainage, STAAD.Pro) + BIM workflows	Full suite by discipline + ISO 19650 BIM leadership
Site skills	CSCS card, SSSTS, site investigation, setting-out with total station	SMSTS, CDM coordination, temporary works approvals	CDM Principal Designer, contract administration (NEC3/4)
Codes	Eurocodes, DMRB, Sewers for Adoption	+ CIRIA guidance, BS standards for specialism	Full code portfolio + technical approval authority

Personal statement

Lead with your chartership status (or pathway), sub-discipline, and years of experience. Follow with your technical strengths (software, codes, BIM) and a headline achievement or project scale. Keep it 2–3 sentences.

Experience bullets

Every bullet must include: action verb + project value + quantified result. Pair each project with the design code, software, and deliverable you produced (calculations, GA drawings, tender docs, factual reports). Show both design-office and site experience.

Skills

Group software by sub-discipline rather than a flat list: AutoCAD Civil 3D and MicroStation for highways/drainage, Revit for BIM, STAAD.Pro or SAP2000 for structural analysis, InfoDrainage for SuDS. List the design codes you work to (Eurocodes, DMRB, CIRIA, Sewers for Adoption) and your site/survey competences (total station, GPS setting-out, CSCS, SMSTS/SSSTS).

Education and certifications

State whether your degree is JBM-accredited for the CEng pathway. Mention relevant final-year projects that demonstrate design, sustainability, or BIM skills. List CSCS grade, SMSTS/SSSTS, NEBOSH, and ICE membership grade under a separate Certifications heading.

Personal statement examples

Strong

Chartered civil engineer (CEng MICE) with eight years of experience in highways and drainage design across projects worth £100M+. Proven track record delivering BIM Level 2 schemes to Eurocodes and DMRB standards, with strong site investigation and CDM coordination skills. Experienced in AutoCAD Civil 3D, Revit, InfoDrainage, and Primavera P6, with a focus on sustainable drainage and carbon-reduction design.

Weak

Hard-working and detail-oriented civil engineer with a degree in Civil Engineering. Passionate about infrastructure and looking for a role where I can use my skills and grow. A team player with good communication skills and a positive attitude.

Writing your experience

The result-plus-metric pattern

Civil engineering recruiters scan for three things in every bullet: project value, your scope (what you designed or led), and the delivery outcome (ahead of schedule, under budget, compliance achieved, carbon reduced). A duties-only bullet ("responsible for drainage design") tells them nothing about impact.

Before and after examples

Weak (duties only)	Strong (quantified achievement)
Responsible for drainage design on residential projects.	Designed SuDS drainage for a £15M residential development using InfoDrainage, achieving 30% reduction in surface water discharge and BREEAM Excellent rating.
Assisted with site investigations and surveys.	Conducted site investigations and setting-out using total station and GPS for five projects totalling £28M, delivering factual reports and as-built surveys within programme.
Managed a team of engineers on infrastructure projects.	Led a team of 22 engineers and technicians on a £65M rail station expansion, completing six months ahead of schedule and achieving 35% embodied-carbon reduction.

Action verbs for civil engineers

Lead with verbs that signal ownership of design and delivery: designed, produced, led, delivered, managed, coordinated, assessed, approved, specified, supervised. Pair each verb with the deliverable (calculations, GA drawings, tender documents, factual reports, BIM models) and the standard or code you worked to.

Example bullets by seniority

Graduate:

Produced drainage GA drawings and calculations for a £4.2M residential development using MicroDrainage and AutoCAD Civil 3D, achieving SuDS compliance to Sewers for Adoption standards.
Conducted site investigations and levelling surveys for three projects totalling £6M, producing factual reports and setting out using total station and GPS equipment.

Mid-level:

Led design and delivery of a £22M highway improvement scheme, producing DMRB-compliant GA drawings, drainage calculations, and BIM Level 2 models in Revit, delivered three months ahead of schedule and 5% under budget.
Designed SuDS drainage for a £15M mixed-use development using InfoDrainage, achieving 30% reduction in surface water discharge and BREEAM Excellent rating.

Senior:

Led design and delivery of a £65M rail station expansion, managing a team of 22 engineers and technicians, completing six months ahead of schedule and achieving BREEAM Excellent with 35% embodied-carbon reduction.
Acted as CDM Principal Designer and technical approver for a £48M highway viaduct replacement, producing Eurocode EN 1992 and EN 1993 compliant calculations and GA drawings in Revit, delivered under budget by 8%.

Key skills & ATS keywords

Hard skills

AutoCAD Civil 3DMicroStationRevit (BIM Level 2)STAAD.ProSAP2000ROBOT Structural AnalysisInfoDrainageMicroDrainagePrimavera P6Total station setting-outGPS/GNSS surveyingEurocodes (EN 1992, EN 1993, EN 1997)DMRB (Design Manual for Roads and Bridges)CIRIA guidance (C660, C753)Sewers for AdoptionBS 8006 (reinforced earth)ISO 19650 BIMSuDS designBREEAM and carbon-reduction designCDM 2015 regulationsNEC3/NEC4 contract administration

Soft skills

Project leadershipMultidisciplinary coordinationTechnical report writingStakeholder liaisonMentoring graduate engineersProblem-solving under programme pressureContract administrationHealth and safety management

ATS keywords

CEng MICEIEngChartered EngineerAutoCAD Civil 3DRevitBIM Level 2STAAD.ProInfoDrainageMicroDrainagePrimavera P6EurocodesDMRBCIRIASewers for AdoptionSuDSBREEAMCDM Principal DesignerCSCSSMSTSSSSTSNEBOSHTotal stationGPS setting-outSite investigationTemporary worksNEC3NEC4ISO 19650

Education & certifications

Education

State your degree title, classification, and whether it is accredited by the Joint Board of Moderators (JBM) for the CEng or IEng pathway. If your final-year project is relevant to your target role (sustainable design, BIM, structural analysis, SuDS), include a one-line description with a quantified outcome (e.g. "achieving 25% embodied-carbon reduction").

For graduates, education sits near the top of your CV. For mid-level and senior engineers, it moves below experience but remains important as proof of your route to chartership.

Certifications that matter

Chartership and professional registration:

CEng MICE (Chartered Engineer, Member of the Institution of Civil Engineers) – the gold standard for UK civil engineers.
IEng (Incorporated Engineer) – for technician-level or site-focused roles.
EngTech (Engineering Technician) – entry-level registration.
ICE IPD (Initial Professional Development) registration – signals you are on the pathway to chartership.

Site and safety:

CSCS card (state the grade: Green for trainee, Gold for supervisor, Black for manager).
SMSTS (Site Management Safety Training Scheme) – for site supervision and management roles.
SSSTS (Site Supervisor Safety Training Scheme) – for site supervision.
NEBOSH National Certificate or Diploma in Construction Health and Safety.

Design and technical:

CDM Principal Designer accreditation (Association for Project Safety).
BIM Level 2 training or ISO 19650 certification.
BREEAM Accredited Professional (AP) or LEED AP for sustainability-focused roles.

Contract and project management:

NEC3 or NEC4 contract training.
APM Project Management Qualification (PMQ) or PRINCE2 for project-focused roles.

List these under a separate "Professional Memberships and Certifications" heading, with the issuing body and year obtained (if recent and relevant).

Common mistakes to avoid

Listing duties instead of outcomes ("responsible for drainage design" or "assisted with site investigations").
Rewrite every bullet to include project value, your scope, and a quantified result: "Designed SuDS drainage for a £15M development using InfoDrainage, achieving 30% reduction in surface water discharge and BREEAM Excellent."
Missing chartership status or pathway. Recruiters scan for CEng MICE, IEng, or "working towards CEng" in the first five seconds.
Add your chartership status as a post-nominal next to your name (e.g. "Riley Sample CEng MICE") and in your personal statement. If you are a graduate, state "working towards CEng MICE" and mention ICE IPD registration.
Omitting project values and team sizes. A CV with no £-figures reads as junior, even for experienced engineers.
Every project bullet must include the project value (£4.2M, £25M, £65M) and, for leadership roles, the team size you managed (e.g. "managing a team of 15 engineers and technicians").
Flat-listing software without context. "Proficient in AutoCAD, Revit, STAAD.Pro" tells recruiters nothing about what you produced.
Group software by sub-discipline and pair each tool with the deliverable: "AutoCAD Civil 3D (highways GA drawings and drainage calculations)", "Revit (BIM Level 2 models for £22M scheme)", "STAAD.Pro (structural analysis for £14M bridge)".
Design-only CV with no site or construction-phase experience. This reads as purely academic for contractor and multidisciplinary roles.
Evidence site work: site investigations, CDM responsibilities, temporary works, supervision, and a valid CSCS card. If you have limited site experience, include placement or graduate-scheme site rotations and any H&S training (SSSTS, SMSTS).
Missing design codes and standards. Code literacy (Eurocodes, DMRB, CIRIA, Sewers for Adoption) is sector-specific shorthand recruiters recognise.
Name the codes you work to in your skills section and in project bullets: "produced DMRB-compliant GA drawings", "designed to Eurocode EN 1992 and EN 1997", "achieved SuDS compliance to Sewers for Adoption standards".

Junior vs senior: what changes

Aspect	Junior	Senior
Personal statement	Leads with degree, placement experience, and chartership pathway ("working towards CEng MICE"). Mentions BIM and sustainability credentials to signal currency.	Leads with CEng MICE status, years of experience, and portfolio scale (£200M+). Highlights leadership, technical approval authority, and CDM Principal Designer role.
Project values and team sizes	Projects in the £2M–£6M range, often supporting a senior engineer. No team-leadership responsibility yet.	Projects £20M–£65M+, with team sizes of 15–22 engineers and technicians. Clear delivery outcomes (months ahead of schedule, % under budget).
Software and codes	Core tools for the sub-discipline (AutoCAD Civil 3D, Revit, MicroDrainage) plus Eurocodes and DMRB. BIM Level 2 competence is a differentiator.	Full suite by discipline (STAAD.Pro, SAP2000, InfoDrainage, Primavera) plus ISO 19650 BIM leadership and contract administration (NEC3/4). Technical approver for Eurocode designs.
Site and CDM experience	CSCS card (Green or Gold), SSSTS, site investigations, and setting-out with total station. CDM awareness but not Principal Designer responsibility.	CSCS Black card, SMSTS, NEBOSH Diploma, and CDM Principal Designer accreditation. Coordinates temporary works approvals and contract administration.
Sustainability and BIM	BIM Level 2 competence and SuDS design to Sewers for Adoption. May reference carbon reduction in academic or placement projects.	ISO 19650 BIM leadership across multidisciplinary teams. Proven track record of BREEAM Excellent or net-zero schemes with quantified carbon reductions (e.g. 35% embodied-carbon saving).
Certifications	CSCS Green/Gold, SSSTS, ICE IPD registration. Degree accredited for CEng pathway.	CEng MICE, CSCS Black, SMSTS, NEBOSH Diploma, CDM Principal Designer. May hold NEC3/4 or APM PMQ for contract/project management.