PWD is headed by a Chief Engineer, supported by 14 Additional Chief Engineers (Civil), 2 Additional Chief Engineer (Elec./Mech.), 46 Superintending Engineers, 161 Executive Engineers, 287 Sub-Divisional Engineers, 420 Assistant Engineers, 1247 Sub-Assistant Engineers and staff spread all over the country. Field offices are divided into Civil Working Units and Electrical/Mechanical (E/M) Working units. In the Field there are seven Zonal Additional Chief Engineers in seven Zonal (Divisional) Head quarters under whom there are Superintending Engineers, Executive Engineers, Sub-Divisional Engineers, Assistant Engineers, Sub-Assistant Engineers both for Civil and E/M works. The Ministry of Housing and Public Works exercises the administrative control of the PWD.

The Chief Engineer is the administrative and technical Head of the department. He also acts as the Technical Advisor to the Government of Bangladesh. The next in command are Sixteen Additional Chief Engineers. Each Additional Chief Engineer has a separate hierarchical setup of Superintending Engineers, Executive Engineers, Sub-Divisional Engineers and Assistant Engineers.

The operational units in the PWD are spread throughout the country. To facilitate better client/users satisfaction and adequate technical, administrative and supervisory control in the execution of projects, field organizations are comprised of Zones, Circles, Divisions and Sub-Divisions.

Manpower position of PWD could be seen from the table below: