Writing about my (former) job: Owner's representative

I read some time ago that you should write about your job. I worked as an owner's representative on construction projects for almost 20 years. I no longer do, but this is what I know best. Owner's representative is a common occupation for engineers and architects, but it is not widely known outside the construction industry. I did not know that it was a common job for engineers until after I graduated from university.

I started working as an owner's representative when I finished my studies in 2003. I have worked as an owner's representative in Spain and in Norway. The experience has been quite similar in both places, but not exactly the same.

How I got my job

I studied for a master's degree in engineering and specialized in structural engineering and industrial construction. This qualification is sufficient to get hired as a site engineer, which is often the first step before becoming an owner's representative.

In Spain, engineer is a protected title, and owner's representative (director de obra) is a regulated profession. This means that you have to be the right kind of engineer or architect to work as an owner's representative, and you need an accredited university degree to call yourself an engineer or architect. Different kinds of degrees give access to being an owner's representative in different fields. For example, a given degree may give you access to work on a road construction project, but not on a power plant project.

In Norway, engineer is not a protected title, and owner's representative (byggeleder) is not a regulated profession. Owner's representatives here are a mix of engineers and tradespeople with long experience.

The job market in construction follows the economy. There are periods when there is strong demand and others where it is very difficult to find a job. In 2003, when I entered the job market, there was a construction boom in Spain. I applied for a few jobs and got hired right away. Six months later, one of the first companies that had interviewed me, called again. They had an opening close to where I was currently working and wanted to hire me. It was not unusual for engineering consultancies to poach each other's employees at the time.

When the financial crisis hit Spain, it was almost impossible to find a job in the construction sector. Many of my former colleagues were unemployed for more than a year or two, changed careers to different fields, or emigrated. I moved to Norway. When I decided to move to Norway, I applied for 42 open positions before being hired. I believe it took so many attempts because I was applying from Spain with limited knowledge of Norwegian.

After moving to Norway, I have been interviewed for every single owner's representative position that I have applied for. If you have the right qualifications and speak Norwegian, the market has been quite favorable for the last few years. Even recent graduates can get a job easily.

What does the owner's representative do

To explain what the owner's representative does, it is useful to understand how construction projects are organized. When a developer wants to build something, they set up a team to oversee the construction. The team usually consists of a project manager, an owner's representative, and possibly some site engineers. The developer hires a contractor to do the actual building. The contractor, in turn, sets up its own project organization consisting of a project manager, a site manager, and possibly one or more project superintendents. The site manager is the counterpart of the owner's representative.

Depending on the size of the project, several roles may be merged into one. For small projects, the project manager may perform the owner's representative duties and manage several projects simultaneously. For big projects, a project manager will supervise several owner's representatives who follow different contractors.

The job of the owner's representative is to ensure that the contractor delivers according to their contract. The project manager is responsible for the project's budget and risk. The project manager selects a contract type with a risk profile that matches the developer's requirements. Most construction contracts are standardized. The owner's representative must ensure that the contractor delivers according to the quality, cost, and the schedule agreed in the contract. Quality also includes the technical specifications.

When I started working, I didn't see the point of having an owner's representative. If the project documents and the contract describe what has to be built, why do developers need an owner's representative? It turns out that construction projects seldom go according to plan; there are unforeseen situations that require changes along the way. The owner's representative reviews change proposals, issues change orders, and informs the project manager regarding deviations on quality, cost, and schedule.

The owner's representative spends a lot of time talking to the site manager. There are scheduled status meetings, usually once a week or every two weeks. It is normal to be in contact more often than that. I got along well with most site managers, but it can be challenging when there are problems with the project, especially if the contractor loses money on the project. The relationship can be tense and unpleasant, but continued communication is unavoidable.

Sometimes the design documents are unclear or incomplete. In those cases, the contractor will ask for clarification. The owner's representative is responsible for answering the contractor. An engineering background is important in these situations. The owner's representative may answer directly or may engage the original designer to issue a clarification.

Contractors send claims to the developer. Contractors often believe that certain activities or materials are not included in the contract. Sometimes they are right. The design documents or the contract may miss something, but more often than not, a discussion ensues. Reviewing contractor claims is big part of the job.

I noticed a difference between contractors in Spain and those in Norway. Contractors in Spain are more proactive. They will usually come with alternative proposals and optimized solutions. Generally, Spanish contractors have more technical expertise in-house. They are also more aggressive in presenting claims. Norwegian contractors expect very detailed design documents that ready to build.

An owner's representative should be forward-looking and should try to anticipate future claims, delays, and changes before they materialize. This gives project management time to adapt by, for example, reducing the scope of the project.

Ultimately, everything in a construction project revolves around money. Delays mean extra financing costs, delayed revenues, and may endanger the profitability of the project. For transport projects, especially if they affect traffic, the cost of extra time for the users may be substantial. Changes in quality are also a question of cost ultimately. Lower quality may lead to reduced durability, diminished performance, or higher maintenance costs.

Health and safety is paramount. This is the responsibility of the HSE coordinator. Sometimes the owner's representative assumes the HSE coordinator role as well. This happens often in Norway. I believe this is malpractice. There is an obvious conflict between cost, quality and progress versus health and safety.

One thing that I did not expect was how important the contracts are. I frequently referred back to the contract during the projects. My engineering background was not sufficient to understand and interpret contracts. It was through working with lawyers and taking some courses that I became better at that.

I would perform site inspections to assess progress and quality. Depending on the project, I had assistants or a quantity surveyor to help me. We would verify that the contractor's control plan met the requirements, that it was implemented, and that the results were satisfactory. Sometimes independent testing is required to verify the results supplied by the contractor.

The owner's representative job is quite varied because you are working on different projects and with different teams all the time. It is very satisfying to see a project completed. The days are varied--you may be out on site, in meetings with the contractor, reviewing claims, issuing technical clarifications, or updating a forecast. On the other hand, I used my engineering skills very little, maybe about 20% of the time. Sometimes you feel more like a lawyer, an accountant, or an administrative assistant.

Career development

The most common career path is to work on bigger or more complex projects. For example, someone may start with small road projects--maybe a new roundabout or a simple pavement reinforcement--and over time become the owner's representative for a section of a new highway. Other professionals may specialize in certain types of projects, for example, steel bridges.

Another common career path is to become a project manager. People move up in the developer's organization and eventually into management. Also, within the developer's organization, people may take other engineering roles related to the types of projects that they have worked on, such as operations or maintenance.

Sometimes owner's representatives can change sides and work for contractors. They become site managers. This is quite rare, but the opposite is very common. Many engineers start their carriers with a contractor, and over time move to developers or to engineering consultancies that work for developers in the owner's representative role.

For those who work for an engineering consultancy, it would be natural to move up to management and business development over time.