Associate Structural Engineer / Senior Associate Structural Engineer (Building Structures)

HDR; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 140,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Employee ownership

Major projects exposure

Collaborative culture

Global network

Leadership opportunities

Job summary

HDR Melbourne seeks an Associate/ Senior Associate Structural Engineer to lead major building projects. Based in Melbourne, you’ll drive technical excellence, client relationships, and team development within HDR’s national Building Structures practice.

You’ll provide design leadership from concept through construction, mentor engineers, and contribute to growth of the Melbourne and national practice, working across multidisciplinary teams.

Qualifications

• Degree in Civil or Structural Engineering with professional registration.
• CPEng status or equivalent professional registration.
• Significant experience in consulting structural engineering for complex buildings.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and delivery of major structural projects across building sectors.
• Provide technical leadership, design oversight and QA from concept to construction.
• Support growth of Melbourne and national structural practice and client engagement.
• Develop practical, safe structural solutions meeting regulatory requirements.
• Collaborate with architects, MEP engineers and stakeholders for project success.
• Mentor engineers and develop the Melbourne structural team and capabilities.

Skills

Technical leadership

Client relationships

Project delivery

Mentoring

Education

Civil or Structural Engineering degree

CPEng status or equivalent

Job description

About Us

At HDR, we specialise in engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services. Our global team of more than 15,000 employees is united by our values and strengthened by our employee‑owned culture. We collaborate across disciplines, leverage global expertise, and empower our people to create solutions that make a lasting impact.

About Us

At HDR, we specialise in engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services. Our global team of more than 15,000 employees is united by our values and strengthened by our employee‑owned culture. We collaborate across disciplines, leverage global expertise, and empower our people to create solutions that make a lasting impact.

The Role

We’re seeking an Associate or Senior Associate Structural Engineer to join our National Building Structures Team and play a key role in delivering complex building projects. Based in Melbourne and working closely with the National Building Structures Leader, this position will play a key leadership role within HDR’s structural engineering practice, helping to drive project delivery, technical excellence, client relationships and team development across the business. If you’re looking to lead major multidisciplinary projects, influence technical outcomes, mentor emerging engineers and contribute to the continued growth of a nationally connected structural engineering practice, we’d love to hear from you.

What You'll Be Doing

• Lead the design and delivery of major structural engineering projects across a broad range of building sectors, serving as a senior technical advisor and client‑facing leader throughout the project lifecycle.
• Provide technical leadership, design oversight and quality assurance throughout all project phases, from concept design through to construction.
• Support the National Building Structures Leader in developing the Melbourne and national structural engineering practice, including strategic growth initiatives, client engagement and capability development.
• Develop practical, safe and buildable structural solutions that meet client, project and regulatory requirements.
• Drive successful multidisciplinary project outcomes through effective collaboration with architects, building services engineers and project stakeholders.
• Lead the resolution of complex technical and construction challenges while maintaining design intent and project objectives.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, contractors, consultants and project stakeholders.
• Support business development activities, including proposals, fee submissions, presentations and client engagement.
• Mentor and develop engineers and designers, contributing to capability building and the continued growth of the Melbourne structural practice.
• Take on Project Leader responsibilities, managing project delivery, coordination, programme, commercial performance and client satisfaction.

What Makes This Role Different?

This is more than a traditional structural design role. You'll have the opportunity to lead structural solutions for some of Australia's most complex data centre and mission critical projects while helping shape technical outcomes, strengthen client relationships and contribute to the growth of HDR's Building Engineering Services practice. You'll be supported by HDR's global network of technical specialists while playing a key role in delivering innovative, practical and high‑quality structural engineering solutions. This role offers a unique opportunity to act as a key leader within HDR's structural engineering practice, working alongside the National Building Structures Leader and helping shape the future growth of the Melbourne and national structures team.

What You'll Bring

• A technical leader who enjoys guiding teams and influencing project outcomes.
• Passionate about delivering high‑quality structural engineering solutions.
• A confident communicator who builds trusted relationships with clients and colleagues.
• Commercially aware and accountable for project performance and delivery.
• Collaborative and able to bring multidisciplinary teams together.
• Committed to mentoring and developing others.
• Curious, growth‑oriented and continuously looking for ways to improve outcomes for clients and project teams.

Ideally, You'll Have

• A degree qualification in Civil or Structural Engineering.
• Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) status, or equivalent professional registration.
• Significant experience within a consulting structural engineering environment.
• A strong track record delivering structural design for complex building projects across all project phases.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary project teams and coordinating across multiple stakeholders.
• Sound knowledge of the National Construction Code (NCC) and relevant Australian Standards, including AS 1170, AS 3600, AS 4100, AS 3700 and AS 2870.
• Experience with site inspections, construction phase services, technical reporting and stakeholder coordination.
• Strong project management capabilities, including programme, budget, resource and risk management.
• Demonstrated success in client relationship management and business development activities.

Why Join HDR?

• Employee ownership model – share in the success you help create.
• Major project exposure – work on complex data centre and mission critical projects.
• Collaborative culture – work within a multidisciplinary team that values quality, innovation and technical excellence.
• Global expertise – leverage HDR's international network of structural engineering and building design specialists.
• Leadership opportunities – play a key role in the continued growth of our national structural team, with the potential to take on broader leadership responsibilities over time.

What We Believe

HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment

As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.

Primary Location:Australia-VIC-Melbourne Industry:Building Engineering Schedule:Full-time Employee Status:Regular BusinessClass:Building Structural Job Posting:Sep 15, 2026

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity. We are an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer (https://www.hdrinc.com/equal-employment-opportunity-employer). We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.