Should you consider the place you reside presently, you’re most likely acutely aware of – or have a minimum of pushed previous – a building undertaking. In WA for example, contemporary building initiatives come with the Metronet teach line, the Albany Ring Highway, the Ladies and Small children Medical institution, and the WACA Floor (cricket oval).
On the helm of most of these initiatives is a building supervisor.
What do buildings managers do?
Nathan Moore, a third-year Development Control scholar at Curtin, explains the function succinctly:
“Development managers are answerable for the a success supply of building initiatives. They lend a hand organise and supervise many various folks to verify development, protection, high quality and profitability all over the development procedure,” he says.
You have to recall to mind a building supervisor like a movie director or tune conductor; they coordinate the rankings of folks it takes to create one thing at scale – and create it in the proper means, on the proper time and on the proper value.
Should you, like Nathan, “revel in making issues and dealing with folks”, it’s worthwhile to construct your self a a success occupation in building control, beginning with a Bachelor of Implemented Science (Development Control) from Curtin.
Development supervisor activity snapshot
What they do: Supervise the development of structures and infrastructure from begin to end and organize day by day building actions.
Best abilities they want: Technical (wisdom of building strategies, fabrics and kit), communique, analytical and situation fixing, making plans and scheduling, monetary acumen, protection compliance.
The place they paintings: A mix of place of work and web site paintings.
Annual wage in WA: $205–225K (Search).

Tips on how to grow to be a building supervisor
1. Find out about some extent in building control
Development control is a difficult activity, so whilst you don’t at all times want a level to paintings as one, it will give you the talent point you want to accomplish neatly within the function. Some extent is normally required if you wish to adopt extra senior or advanced roles in building control.
Vasilios Papastamoulis is the direction lead of the Bachelor of Implemented Science (Development Control) at Curtin. He says this system readily prepares scholars for careers in building control via its industry-relevant direction content material and paintings enjoy.
“Probably the most key strengths of our program is its top of the range curriculum, which is intently aligned with present {industry} practices. This alignment is completed via shut collaboration with our {industry} companions, together with the Australian Institute of Development, the Australian Institute of High quality Surveyors and the Chartered Institute of Development,” he explains.
Within the building control direction, scholars can be expecting to be told:
Technical abilities
- building methodologies
- homes of creating fabrics
- inexperienced applied sciences
- sustainable building practices
- virtual applied sciences e.g. Development Knowledge Modelling (BIM), Digital Design and Development (VDC), 4D Scheduling, 5D BIM, virtual twins and so forth.
- scheduling and value estimating
- contract management and control
- protection and high quality in building
- possibility keep an eye on (on-site and around the provide chain).
Comfortable abilities
- communique and management
- analytical and problem-solving
- time control
- stakeholder control
- emotional intelligence.
2. Get {industry} enjoy
Indisputably, gaining sensible enjoy in building control is one of the simplest ways to look if the activity is for you.
“Normally, scholars download entry-level {industry} enjoy whilst they’re nonetheless learning, akin to coordinating and supervising day by day building duties, speaking with subcontractors, making sure protection on web site, writing reviews and even running as labour for development/renovation corporations,” Papastamoulis explains.
“Figuring out all ranges of the development control procedure is very important for efficient on-site supervision.”
He says by the point scholars are of their fourth 12 months, they’ve were given the talents to adopt upper roles with competence.

Nathan Moore got to work with a Perth-based residential building corporate within the first 12 months of his direction. He says the paintings has enabled him to develop and check his talents.
“It’s given me nice perception into the internal workings of building corporations and given me sensible enjoy with techniques, equipment and processes we don’t have at uni,” he says.
“In the long run it has helped me to come to a decision what function I might care to do after I end my level.”
3. Stage up your occupation in building control
Papastamoulis says as soon as graduates have labored in middleman roles for 3 to 5 years, they may be able to development to senior roles like web site supervisor, undertaking supervisor, contract administrator, value supervisor, or well being and protection supervisor, relying on the kind of undertaking and dimension of the corporate.
“After that, they may be able to lead large-scale initiatives and coordinate multi-disciplinary groups as building managers and CEO or CFO, both for personal building corporations or the federal government.”
What’s the adaptation between building control and undertaking control?
Development control and undertaking control might sound like identical roles, however they have got distinct variations.
“The development control direction is a four-year undergraduate honours level (AQF Stage 8), open to high-school graduates or university-ready scholars, while the undertaking control program is a postgraduate direction (AQF Stage 9) – strictly for graduates and execs,” Papastamoulis explains.
He says that undertaking control applies throughout quite a lot of fields together with building, but in addition trade, trade, legislation and healthcare. By contrast, building control is particularly adapted to development, belongings and infrastructure industries.
Papastamoulis additionally mentions that undertaking control comes to overseeing initiatives from inception to crowning glory, with a focal point on total objectives, whilst “building control makes a speciality of the execution of the development segment and control of day by day on-site building actions.”
Alternatively, execs from each industries should have sturdy management, crew control and communique abilities; in different phrases, a excessive point of emotional intelligence (EQ).
“In building, the place groups frequently include people from numerous cultural backgrounds, excessive EQ fosters empathy, complements communique and aids in struggle solution, thereby selling a harmonious, inclusive and productive paintings surroundings,” Papastamoulis says.
Development resilience
Overseeing the development of very important structures and infrastructure like hospitals, freeways and folks’s houses isn’t any imply feat. Because of this, building control could be a annoying occupation. However for Nathan, it’s the excessive stakes nature of the paintings that makes it so fascinating.
“This activity will enchantment to those who like a problem and are pushed to be told. Each and every undertaking is other and would require you to be told new abilities, clear up many issues, improvise and triumph over setbacks,” he says.
“The truth that each day has distinctive demanding situations is thrilling and assists in keeping the activity contemporary and rewarding.”
Papastamoulis advises that Curtin’s building control direction prepares scholars to control the calls for of the career, together with how one can determine and mitigate protection dangers coming up from pressure.
“Scholars actively practise pressure control tactics via quite a lot of building simulation eventualities,” he says.
“This system additionally emphasises time control abilities, difficult scholars to stability a couple of assignments and cut-off dates all over their research.”
Modelling your long run in building control
Development control is a difficult but rewarding occupation that gives various paintings in an very important {industry}. As international locations around the globe proceed to stand sustainability demanding situations akin to inhabitants expansion, power potency and the round financial system, building control will play an more and more necessary function in shaping answers for Australia.
Should you’re an aspiring building supervisor, Nathan says by way of preserving an open thoughts and seizing enjoy alternatives, the sector is your paintings web site.
“The jobs I began off considering I might by no means need to do ended up being those I loved maximum and are the place I’m now taking my occupation!”