CAD Lead – VIC Rail, Maritime and Freight

WSP in Australia; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

WSP in Australia is seeking a seasoned CAD team lead to manage the drafting function for Victoria’s rail projects, including Suburban Rail Loop and Melbourne Airport Rail. You will set standards, drive QA, allocate resources, and mentor a high-performing team within a large consultancy environment.

Working with Digital Engineering Managers and discipline leads, you will champion Digital Engineering adoption, coordinate with GCC centres in Bangalore and Manila, and ensure delivered designs meet

Qualifications

• Formal engineering/drafting qualification required for senior role.
• Proven experience leading drafting teams in large consultancy settings.
• Strong proficiency with Rail drafting standards and BIM/Digital Engineering
• Experience coordinating multi-disciplinary design delivery and QA processes

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement and govern CAD standards, procedures, templates, workspaces and drawing production workflows across our projects
• Oversee the preparation, coordination, and issue of complex drawing packages, ensuring quality and consistency across outputs
• Act as the technical authority for drafting, setting and maintaining standards, QA processes, and best practice procedures
• Plan and allocate resources to meet project timelines, budgets, and deliverables
• Provide senior-level technical guidance and conduct detailed reviews of drawings and models
• Work closely with discipline leads, engineering leads and project managers to support integrated design delivery
• Drive capability uplift through mentoring, coaching, and structured development of team members
• Support recruitment, workforce planning, and performance management within the team
• Collaborate with Global Capability Centres in Bangalore and Manila
• Champion Digital Engineering, including adoption of new tools, workflows, and innovation initiatives
• Contribute to continuous improvement of systems, standards, and delivery processes

Skills

Team leadership

Stakeholder management

Mentoring

QA processes

Education

Diploma or Degree in Engineering, Design Technology, Drafting, Digital Engineering or a related discipline

Tools

MicroStation

AutoCAD

OpenRoads

OpenRail

ProjectWise

Job description

Job Description

What if you could do the kind of work the world needs? At WSP, you can contribute to impactful, world-class projects and collaborate with leading professionals across the industry. With access to global expertise, advanced technology, and a culture that values curiosity and diverse thinking, you will lead a high-performing drafting team and play a key role in delivering complex infrastructure projects across Victoria.

This role sits within our Rail, Maritime and Freight team and will see you leading the rail drafting function across major VIC projects such as Suburban Rail Loop and Melbourne Airport Rail. You will be accountable for technical quality, team performance and development, and continuous improvement, while supporting delivery outcomes for clients across transport and infrastructure. Working closely with the Digital Engineering Managers, Design Managers, Discipline Leads and Information Management teams, the CAD team lead provides technical leadership and support to project teams, enabling efficient production and coordination of design deliverables throughout the project lifecycle.

What You’ll Do

• Develop, implement and govern CAD standards, procedures, templates, workspaces and drawing production workflows across our projects


• Oversee the preparation, coordination, and issue of complex drawing packages, ensuring quality and consistency across all outputs


• Act as the technical authority for drafting, setting and maintaining standards, QA processes, and best practice procedures


• Plan and allocate resources to meet project timelines, budgets, and deliverables


• Provide senior-level technical guidance and conduct detailed reviews of drawings and models


• Work closely with discipline leads, engineering leads and project managers to support integrated design delivery


• Drive capability uplift through mentoring, coaching, and structured development of team members


• Support recruitment, workforce planning, and performance management within the team


• Collaborate with our Global Capability Centres (GCC) in Bangalore and Manila


• Champion Digital Engineering, including adoption of new tools, workflows, and innovation initiatives


• Contribute to the continuous improvement of systems, standards, and delivery processes

This is a Melbourne-based role with hybrid working arrangements.

About You

• Diploma or Degree in Engineering, Design Technology, Drafting, Digital Engineering or a related discipline.


• Extensive experience as a Drafter, operating at Senior, Associate or Principal Technician or equivalent level – usually minimum of 10 years of experience within a large consultancy environment.


• Strong experience across multi-disciplinary rail infrastructure projects in VIC, with deep understanding of VIC standards and experience drafting for Track, OHW, Traction Power and CSR packages.


• Advanced proficiency in MicroStation, AutoCAD, OpenRoads, OpenRail and ProjectWise


• Demonstrated ability to lead quality assurance, standards development, and technical governance


• Strong understanding of information management and project delivery processes.


• Effective communication, stakeholder management and coordination skills across multidisciplinary teams.


• Previous people management experience

Desirable

• Knowledge of BIM and Digital Engineering frameworks.


• Experience working within alliance or integrated project delivery environments.


• Familiarity with Autodesk Revit, Civil 3D and model coordination platforms.

Key Relationships

Internal

• Regional Executive – Rail, VIC & SA (reports to)


• CAD and Design Production Team in VIC (leads)


• CAD and Design Production Team interstate and GCC


• Discipline Leads


• Design Managers


• Digital Engineering Managers


• Digital Engineering Leads


• Information Management Team


• Project Controls and Quality Teams

External

• Client Representatives


• Alliance Partners


• Subconsultants


• Software Vendors

Imagine a better future for you and a better future for us all.

Join our close-knit community of talented individuals who share your passion for making a positive impact. Our global team includes more than 83,000 employees, working together to make a difference in communities both close to home and around the world.

An employee Share Purchase Plan is available to all our permanent employees who wish to become owners and vested partners in WSP’s collective success. To find out more about our commitment to the health and wellbeing of our people, and the programs we’ve designed to help you thrive, go to our Employee Benefits page.