Associate Design Manager

aurecongroup; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Aurecon is seeking an Associate, Design Manager to lead Adelaide's Design Management team and actively contribute to major, multi‑discipline projects. You will drive delivery governance, client engagement and capability development while overseeing commercial accountability and pursuits.

In this hands‑on leadership role you’ll manage scopes, packages of work, budgeting and interfaces across projects, mentoring the team and building trusted client relationships in a dynamic environment.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading major, complex, multi‑disciplinary projects in Buildings or similar environments.
• Strong design management, project engineering or integrated delivery experience.
• Ability to develop scopes and structure work packages.
• Senior client and stakeholder engagement experience with influencing skills.
• Commercial governance across fees, budgets, scope and risk.
• Demonstrated people leadership, coaching and mentoring.
• Experience contributing to bids, pursuits and client value propositions.

Responsibilities

• Lead design management of major, complex, multidisciplinary projects from planning to commissioning.
• Establish governance, scopes, budgets, programmes and reporting.
• Coordinate architects, engineers, specialists and contractors, managing interfaces and risks.
• Provide day‑to‑day leadership for Adelaide's Design Management team, including workload planning and succession.
• Serve as escalation point for delivery, stakeholder and people matters.
• Build relationships with senior clients and represent Aurecon in key settings.
• Contribute to bids by shaping delivery strategy, scope and resourcing.
• Monitor commercial performance including forecasting, variations and risk.
• Collaborate with practice leaders to strengthen delivery capability.

Skills

Design management

Project engineering

Integrated project delivery

Client engagement

Commercial governance

People leadership

Bid and pursuits

Delivery governance

Education

Engineering, architecture, project management or related discipline

Job description

Associate, Design Manager

At Aurecon, we are optimistic about the future. We are thinkers, solvers and collaborators who work with our clients to deliver infrastructure and assets that strengthen communities and create a sustainable future.

As Associate, Design Manager in our Delivery Management practice, you will lead Adelaide's Design Management team while continuing to play a hands‑on leadership role across major, complex and multidisciplinary projects. This newly established position combines project delivery, local capability leadership, client engagement, commercial accountability and winning work.

What you'll do

• Lead the design management of major, complex and multidisciplinary projects from planning and concept through design, construction and commissioning.
• Establish project governance, scopes, packages of work, accountabilities, programmes, budgets and reporting arrangements.
• Coordinate architects, engineers, specialists, contractors and project stakeholders, managing interfaces, dependencies and delivery risks.
• Provide day‑to‑day leadership for Adelaide's Design Management team, including workload planning, mentoring, capability development, recruitment and succession.
• Act as a senior escalation point for project delivery, stakeholder and people matters, resolving competing technical, programme and commercial priorities.
• Build trusted relationships with senior clients and represent Aurecon in key project, client and industry settings.
• Contribute to bids and pursuits by shaping delivery strategy, scope, fees, resourcing and client value propositions.
• Take responsibility for commercial performance, including forecasting, scope management, variations, contingency and project risk.
• Work closely with the Practice Leader, Adelaide Buildings Leader, Project Directors and discipline leaders to strengthen local delivery performance and future capability.
• Influence delivery, technical and commercial decisions across teams and disciplines.
• Identify opportunities to improve performance, quality and capability across the practice.

What you'll bring

• Proven experience leading major, complex and multidisciplinary project teams within Buildings or similarly demanding project environments.
• Strong Design Management, Project Engineering or integrated project delivery experience, with the ability to develop scopes and structure packages of work.
• Broad technical understanding across engineering and design disciplines, with the credibility to challenge assumptions and integrate competing requirements.
• Senior client and stakeholder engagement experience, including the judgement and influence to navigate complex environments.
• Strong commercial and project governance capability across fees, budgets, programmes, resourcing, scope and risk.
• Demonstrated people leadership, coaching and mentoring experience, including leading experienced professionals and building capability over time.
• Experience contributing to bids, pursuits, proposals and work winning through strong client insight and delivery credibility.
• A relevant qualification in engineering, architecture, project management, design management or a related discipline.
• Adelaide market knowledge and established local relationships will be highly regarded, as will experience across health, defence, data centres or other major Buildings sectors.

How we support your growth

We believe your career should be a rewarding adventure. You will tackle some of the world's most complex infrastructure challenges in an environment that supports your ambitions, where we hold ourselves and each other to the highest standards. Recognised by the AFR as a Best Place to Work in 2026, we embrace diverse perspectives and give you the opportunity to make a real impact.

Who we are

We are an engineering consultancy with more than 6,000 people across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. We believe the world needs people who can engineer possibilities; people who can create infrastructure that makes life better for people and the planet. That is why we are here: to bring ideas to life, the Aurecon way.