Design Manager, Water
Job Title: Design Manager - Water (EPC)
Location: Sydney or Brisbane, Australia
The Opportunity
We are working with a global EPC contractor seeking an experienced Design Manager to lead the delivery of complex water and wastewater infrastructure projects across Australia.
This position will take ownership of the full design lifecycle-from bid phase through to detailed design and construction delivery-ensuring technical excellence, programme alignment, and commercial outcomes.
This role is best suited to a Process or Mechanical Engineer with strong experience operating within EPC or Design & Construct project environments.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and manage the end-to-end design process across major water and wastewater projects, from tender through to construction-ready design.
- Coordinate multidisciplinary engineering teams including process, mechanical, civil, electrical, and I&C disciplines.
- Act as the design authority, ensuring compliance with technical standards, client requirements, and regulatory frameworks.
- Interface with construction, procurement, and commercial teams to ensure design alignment with programme, cost, and buildability.
- Support work-winning activities including tenders, methodology development, and technical submissions.
- Manage design schedules, deliverables, and budgets to ensure successful project outcomes.
- Identify and mitigate design risks, resolving technical challenges throughout the project lifecycle.
- Act as the key point of contact for clients and stakeholders on all design-related matters.
- Drive value engineering, innovation, and optimisation across treatment processes and infrastructure design.
- Mentor and support engineers within the team to build technical capability.
Requirements
- Degree-qualified in Process, Mechanical, or related Engineering discipline.
- Proven experience in design management within the water sector (water or wastewater treatment and infrastructure).
- Strong experience delivering projects within EPC, Design & Construct, or contractor-led environments.
- Demonstrated experience coordinating multidisciplinary design teams.
- Experience across the full project lifecycle including feasibility, concept design, detailed design, procurement, construction, and commissioning.
- Strong understanding of design delivery, risk management, and stakeholder coordination.
- Commercial awareness with exposure to tenders or project delivery strategy.
- Chartered Engineer status (or working towards) is preferred.
What's on Offer
Opportunity to join a global EPC business with a strong project pipeline in Australia.
Exposure to end-to-end project delivery across major water infrastructure projects.
A leadership role combining technical delivery, stakeholder management, and work-winning.
Long-term career progression across a growing ANZ platform.
FAQs
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