Design Manager – Water Infrastructure

AECO; Newcastle City Council; Hybrid; AUD 130,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work arrangements

Hybrid work options

Additional annual leave

Volunteer leave

Public holidays flex

Job summary

AECOM Newcastle is seeking a Design Manager to lead water infrastructure design delivery across water and wastewater projects. You will guide multidisciplinary teams, manage client interfaces, and ensure delivery within time and budget. The role offers hybrid work with a Newcastle office base.

Bring proven design management experience in pumps, pipes or treatment systems and a relevant tertiary qualification, with NSW clients and ANZ collaboration.

Qualifications

• Track record delivering projects on time, within budget, and to high quality standards.
• Experience in design management, overseeing planning, design, and execution of projects.
• Strong understanding of water infrastructure including pumps, pipes, or treatment systems and NSW client exposure.
• Excellent communication and collaboration with stakeholders, contractors, clients and multidisciplinary teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead overall design delivery and ultimate project decisions.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary project teams and engage end clients and contractors.
• Ensure delivery within quality, time and budget constraints.
• Collaborate with ANZ leaders on project delivery and resourcing initiatives.

Skills

Water infrastructure

Leadership

Coordination

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

At AECOM, we're delivering a better world. Whether improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water, or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive. We are the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world’s most complex challenges and build legacies for future generations.

There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

Job Description

Due to significant contract awards within our Australia and New Zealand Water business, we are expanding our Water Infrastructure group and are currently searching for a Design Manager to join the team, based in our Newcastle office.
The Water Infrastructure group provides services to a range to both internal and external clients, delivering projects across water and wastewater treatment, civil infrastructure, and defence sectors. From concept design to design delivery partnerships and design and construct solutions, we prioritise sustainable outcomes that benefit both our clients and the communities they serve.

How you’ll make a difference:

• Utilise your water infrastructure knowledge, leadership, coordination and communication skills to successfully engage and guide multidisciplinary project delivery teams, whilst working with closely with end clients and contractors.


• You will be responsible for overall design delivery including having the ultimate carriage on any design project decisions.


• Ensure projects are delivered within the constraints of quality, time and budget.


• Work collaboratively with leaders across our ANZ team for delivery of the projects, as well as assisting with project resourcing and business initiatives.

Qualifications

The following qualifications and experience are highly desired, but if you don’t tick all the boxes, you could still be a perfect fit for this role.

The qualities that help you thrive:

• A successful track record in delivering projects on time, within budget, and to outstanding quality standards.


• Proven experience in design management, overseeing the planning, design, and execution of projects.


• Experience in and a strong understanding of water infrastructure including in pumps, pipes, or treatment systems, as well as exposure to key water infrastructure clients within NSW.


• Excellent ability to communicate and collaborate effectively with a range of stakeholders, including contractors, clients, and multidisciplinary teams.


• Ability to understand how various systems, processes, and stakeholders interconnect, ensuring seamless integration and a bigger-picture approach.


• A relevant tertiary qualification.

Additional Information

Why you’ll love working with us

• Flexible work arrangements, including alternative start/finish times, part-time, job-sharing and hybrid work options


• Purchase up to 6 weeks additional annual leave per year


• Volunteer and representation leave


• Flex public holidays – swap Easter or other holidays for ones that suit you better

Ready to push the limits of what’s possible?

We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those with disabilities, additional health or mental health needs, and/or neurodiverse conditions. If you require any adjustments during the hiring process, please let us know.

Applications are reviewed as they come in, and the role may close earlier than expected, so if this opportunity sounds like you.

To support this commitment, all newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.

AECOM acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the landson which we, our clients and our communities live and workaround Australia.We pay our respects to their cultures and to their Elders — past, present, and emerging. We are committed to connecting to Country in our work through meaningful engagement with First Nations peoples and businesses.Find out more about our Australian Reconciliation Action Plan here:https://aecom.com/au/our-vision-for-reconciliation/.

About AECOM

AECOM is the world’s trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering professional services throughout the project lifecycle – from advisory, planning, design and engineering to program and construction management. On projects spanning transportation, buildings, water, new energy and the environment, our public- and private-sector clients trust us to solve their most complex challenges. Our teams are driven by a common purpose to deliver a better world through our unrivaled technical and digital expertise, a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion, and a commitment to environmental, social and governance priorities. AECOM is a Fortune 500 firm and its Professional Services business had revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025. See how we are delivering sustainable legacies for generations to come at aecom.com and @AECOM.

Freedom to Grow in a World of Opportunity

You will have the flexibility you need to do your best work with hybrid work options.Whether you’re working from an AECOM office, remote location or at a client site, you will be working in a dynamic environment where your integrity, entrepreneurial spirit and pioneering mindset are championed.

You will help us foster a culture of equity, diversity and inclusion – a safe and respectful workplace, where we invite everyone to bring their whole selves to work using their unique talents, backgrounds and expertise to create transformational outcomes for our clients.

AECOM provides a wide array of compensation and benefits programs to meet the diverse needs of our employees and their families. We also provide a robust global well-being program. We’re the world’s trusted global infrastructure firm, and we’re in this together – your growth and success are ours too.

Join us, and you’ll get all the benefits of being a part of a global, publicly traded firm – access to industry-leading technology and thinking and transformational work with big impact and work flexibility.As an Equal Opportunity Employer, we believe in each person’s potential, and we’ll help you reach yours.