Design and Engineering Manager

Kinexus Australia; Adelaide; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Kinexus Australia is seeking an experienced Design & Engineering Manager to lead a multidisciplinary engineering team in a specialist maritime and defence setting.

You will provide technical and people leadership, overseeing design activities across projects and collaborating with Project Managers to ensure on-time delivery, budget adherence and compliance with standards. Senior leadership in naval programs and matrix environments is essential.

Qualifications

• Experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Background in naval or defence programs.
• Ability to deliver on time, cost and quality.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.
• Experience in matrix organisations.
• NV1 security clearance eligibility.

Responsibilities

• Lead, manage and develop a multidisciplinary engineering team to meet project objectives.
• Coordinate with Project Managers to deliver designs on time and to standards.
• Develop Design Plans and ensure activities align with processes.
• Review scopes, milestones and approvals within delegated authority.
• Manage external consultants and suppliers against performance requirements.
• Mentor and develop engineering personnel and capability.
• Support business development and tender activities.
• Monitor KPIs, resource utilisation and team performance.

Skills

Naval/maritime defence engineering

Team leadership

Project delivery

Stakeholder management

Scheduling & planning

Mentoring

Communication

Education

Engineering degree

CPEng recognition

Tools

Excel

Engineering design tools

Job description

Job Description

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Design & Engineering Manager to lead a multidisciplinary engineering team within a specialist maritime and defence engineering environment.

This role will provide technical and people leadership while overseeing the delivery of engineering and design activities across multiple projects. Working within a matrix structure, you will collaborate closely with Project Managers to ensure engineering deliverables are delivered on time, within budget and to the required technical and contractual standards.

This is an opportunity to take a senior leadership position within an established engineering organisation supporting complex naval and defence programs.

This role can be located in either Perth, WA or Adelaide, SA.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, manage and develop a multidisciplinary engineering team to achieve project, technical, cost and schedule objectives.
• Monitor team utilisation and resource requirements, proactively allocating work to meet project and business priorities.
• Work closely with Project Managers to support the delivery of engineering designs, technical scopes and project deliverables.
• Develop and manage Design Plans, ensuring design activities are delivered in accordance with established engineering processes and standards.
• Coordinate design activities across multiple engineering disciplines to ensure effective integration and delivery.
• Undertake engineering design activities within your area of technical expertise where required.
• Review and approve scopes of work, deliverables and milestones within delegated authority.
• Monitor and manage design approval and validation processes.
• Manage external engineering consultants, contractors, suppliers and service providers against agreed performance requirements.
• Build strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders to ensure project and client objectives are achieved.
• Support performance and remuneration reviews for engineering personnel.
• Lead engineering capability development, succession planning and workforce development initiatives.
• Establish and manage engineering practice leaders and communities of practice.
• Provide mentoring, coaching and technical leadership to engineering and design personnel.
• Support the selection and implementation of appropriate engineering design tools and systems.
• Contribute to R&D Tax Incentive applications where required.
• Support business development and proposal activities.
• Monitor engineering team KPIs, utilisation and overall performance.

About You

You will be an experienced engineering leader with a strong background in naval or maritime defence engineering, combined with the ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and manage complex design delivery activities.

You Will Ideally Have

• Tertiary qualifications in Engineering and professional development sufficient to attain or maintain Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) recognition.
• Previous experience managing a design function across major naval or defence engineering projects.
• Proven experience leading engineering teams to meet time, cost, quality and contractual requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, influence and develop engineering professionals.
• Strong understanding of project and client-specific technical requirements.
• Experience developing detailed scopes of work and technical deliverables.
• Experience coordinating procurement and tender processes.
• Experience engaging and managing engineering contractors and external service providers.
• Strong design leadership, coordination and technical management capabilities.
• Experience working across multidisciplinary teams and with diverse stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a challenging and dynamic project environment.
• Strong organisational and scheduling skills, including proficiency with Excel or equivalent scheduling tools.
• A proactive, self-motivated and results-driven approach.

Additional Requirements

• Eligibility to obtain and maintain an NV1 Security Clearance.
• Willingness to occasionally travel and attend ship checks.
• Ability to work effectively across a matrix project environment.

For more information, visit our website www.kinexus.com.au or contact Lewis Landau on 0422 572 745.