Associate Design Manager

Aurecon Group; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Aurecon Group in Adelaide is seeking an Associate, Design Manager to lead the Design Management team and actively shape major, multidisciplinary projects from planning through commissioning. You will coordinate architects, engineers, and contractors while guiding delivery strategy and client value propositions.

You will mentor the team, manage workloads, and maintain strong client relationships, influencing commercial outcomes and local capability growth within our Delivery Management practice.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading major, complex and multidisciplinary project teams within Buildings or similarly demanding environments.
• Strong Design Management, Project Engineering or integrated delivery experience with ability to develop scopes.
• Broad technical understanding across engineering and design disciplines, with ability to challenge assumptions.
• Senior client and stakeholder engagement experience with influence to navigate complex environments.
• Strong commercial and project governance capability across fees, budgets, programmes, resourcing, scope and risk.
• Demonstrated people leadership and mentoring experience across teams.
• Experience contributing to bids, pursuits and work winning through client insight and delivery credibility.
• A relevant qualification in engineering, architecture, project management, design management or related discipline.
• Adelaide market knowledge and local relationships will be highly regarded.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design management of major, complex and multidisciplinary projects from planning through commissioning.
• Establish project governance, scopes, packages of work, accountabilities, programmes, budgets and reporting.
• Coordinate architects, engineers, specialists, contractors and stakeholders, managing interfaces and risks.
• Provide day-to-day leadership for Adelaide's Design Management team, including workload planning and mentoring.
• Act as a senior escalation point for delivery, stakeholder and people matters.
• Build trusted relationships with senior clients and represent Aurecon in key project settings.
• Contribute to bids and pursuits by shaping delivery strategy, scope, fees, resourcing and value propositions.
• Take responsibility for commercial performance, including forecasting, scope management and risk.
• Collaborate with Practice Leader and discipline leaders to strengthen local delivery performance.

Skills

Design leadership

Project leadership

Client engagement

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Education

Engineering/Architecture/PM qualification

Tools

Budgeting

Planning

Job description

Associate, Design Manager

About the opportunity

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.

We value diverse experiences and welcome applications for part-time or flexible working arrangements. For recruitment adjustments, contact [e-mail]. Our hiring decisions are made by people, not AI. We’re most interested in your individual thinking and experiences, so please ensure your application reflects your authentic perspective.

We’ve re‑imagined engineering. Aurecon is an engineering and infrastructure advisory company, but not as you know it! Think engineering. Think again. Find out more here.