By Eamonn Ryan
For engineers working in technically demanding fields such as HVAC, career progression increasingly requires more than expertise in design and engineering principles. Understanding project finance, contracts, management, communication and the complete project lifecycle can be just as important when moving into senior and managerial positions.
The 2025 graduates.
Supplied by CESA
That broader understanding was one of the key benefits highlighted by graduates of Consulting Engineers South Africa’s (CESA’s) 2025 Business of Consulting Engineering Management Development Programme (BCE MDP).
The programme, delivered through the CESA School of Consulting Engineering (SCE), is aimed at developing the management and leadership capabilities of consulting engineering professionals.
The experiences of the graduates demonstrate how professional development can help bridge the gap between technical engineering and the wider responsibilities that come with career progression.
Understanding the complete project
Siya Nxumalo, an electrical engineer at consulting engineering firm WSP, said the programme expanded his understanding of the consulting engineering industry beyond its technical dimension. “Not just the technical side of engineering, but all round, in financial, contractual, the whole project lifecycle. It ties up all those elements very well, especially as you are working towards professional registration,” he said.
That wider perspective is particularly relevant to engineers in building services. An HVAC engineer may be responsible for developing a technically appropriate system, but the eventual success of the project also depends on factors such as capital cost, operating costs, programme, procurement, contractual responsibilities, coordination with other disciplines and the client’s long-term objectives.
Understanding these factors becomes increasingly important as engineers move from purely technical roles towards project leadership and management.
Developing the person as well as the engineer
For Sesona Mgoduka, a civil engineer at Hatch, the programme provided benefits extending beyond technical and project-related knowledge. “I learned how to manage my time better and how to handle management better, as well as balancing life while trying to better myself,” she said.
The ability to manage time, people and competing priorities is a critical part of the transition from engineer to manager. In sectors such as HVAC, senior engineers may simultaneously oversee design teams, interact with clients and contractors, review technical work and manage project deadlines.
These responsibilities require a different set of skills from those developed through technical engineering education alone.
Preparing for senior responsibility
Nthabiseng Masemola, a mechanical engineer at Hatch, said the programme’s emphasis on quality and project delivery had helped prepare her for the next stage of her career. “I would definitely recommend this course, it helps you grow as a person and prepares you for taking on a more senior, managerial role,” she said.
Mechanical engineering has a particularly direct relationship with HVAC, where engineers may progress from design and technical roles into project management, discipline leadership and ultimately senior management.
The transition requires engineers to understand not only how systems should be designed, but how engineering businesses operate and how projects are delivered successfully.
From technical specialist to engineering leader
The experiences of the graduates reinforce a broader change taking place across consulting engineering. Technical competence remains fundamental, but engineers moving into leadership roles must increasingly combine that expertise with commercial awareness, people management and an understanding of the entire project lifecycle.
This is especially evident in building-services engineering. HVAC projects are influenced by energy costs, building regulations, environmental targets, equipment availability, maintenance requirements and the interaction between mechanical systems and the rest of the building.
An engineer who can understand those wider considerations is better positioned to contribute to project decisions beyond the immediate technical brief.
The BCE MDP is intended to support precisely this transition: developing professionals who can take their technical foundation and apply it within the broader commercial, managerial and organisational environment of consulting engineering.
For the HVAC sector, where experienced engineers are increasingly required to lead multidisciplinary teams and deliver systems that balance performance, efficiency, compliance and cost, that combination of technical and management capability is becoming an increasingly valuable part of professional development.
