Experienced/Senior Engineer - Waste & Resource Recovery

SMEC (an SJ Group company); Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work arrangements

Ethical client base

Mentorship by industry leaders

Professional development programs

Dynamic career pathways

Purchased additional annual leave

Celebration day leave

Gen parental leave

Job summary

SMEC is seeking an experienced engineer to join our Waste team in NSW, with flexibility to be based in Sydney or Wollongong. The role focuses on landfill design, waste infrastructure, and multidisciplinary delivery.

With 4+ years of experience, you will lead projects, develop client relationships, manage contracts, and support business development across NSW, including containment, leachate, gas management, and recycling facilities. site exposure is expected.

Qualifications

• Environmental/Civil Engineering qualifications required.
• 4+ years' experience in landfill and waste industry preferred.
• Proven project management and client relationship management capability.
• Excellent communication skills, verbally and written.
• Some site-related work experience.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver landfill and waste infrastructure design projects (containment cells, capping, lining systems, transfer stations, organic processing facilities, leachate and gas infrastructure).
• Oversee GITA/construction phase services including contract administration, superintendent roles, quality assurance and site supervision.
• Project management of waste infrastructure and other waste related projects.
• Engineering input into waste infrastructure designs including landfills, materials recycling facilities, resource recovery centres and other design projects.
• Building and maintaining relationships with clients and key stakeholders.
• Drive business development activities.
• Mentoring and supporting junior team members.

Skills

Project management

Client relationship management

Excellent communication

Site experience

Education

Environmental/Civil Engineering

Job description

• Rare opportunity to join our Waste team, flexibility to be based Sydney or Wollongong
• Environmentally sensitive and sustainability-focused organisation
• Great collaborative team culture with FWA, attractive packages and benefits

About SMEC

Delivering exceptional outcomes starts with having exceptional people.

SMEC provides unique opportunities to work on iconic industry projects with experienced colleagues and leadership teams. We support and empower employees to drive innovation initiatives within a well-established and growing organisation.

Infrastructure

At SMEC, we understand that our continued success within the infrastructure market is the result of building long-term client relationships. We listen and understand the specific needs of our clients and deliver a complete value chain of services to provide sustainable solutions across major infrastructure projects worldwide.

The role

This role is ideal for an experienced engineer with landfill design experience or construction‑focused engineer who enjoys technical delivery and wants the opportunity to be part of multidisciplinary teams, lead projects, develop client relationships and expand service offerings across NSW.

With a minimum of 4+ years’ experience, you will assist in delivering waste, resource recovery and recycling infrastructure design; construction management projects; managing client relationships and business development activities. Experience in landfill design or civil infrastructure would be highly regarded.

As a member of a diverse infrastructure design team, there is opportunity to work across multidisciplinary projects. You’ll work on a broad range of waste and resource recovery projects including landfill containment and capping, cell development, leachate and gas management systems, transfer stations, resource recovery centres, materials recycling facilities, and major facilities upgrades.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver landfill and waste infrastructure design projects (containment cells, capping, lining systems, transfer stations, organic processing facilities, leachate and gas infrastructure)
• Oversee GITA/construction phase services including contract administration, superintendent roles, quality assurance and site supervision
• Project management of waste infrastructure and other waste related projects
• Engineering input into waste infrastructure designs including landfills, materials recycling facilities, resource recovery centres and other design projects
• Building and maintaining relationships with clients and key stakeholders
• Drive business development activities
• Mentoring and supporting junior team members

Ideal Applicants Will Have/be

• Environmental/Civil Engineering qualifications, or similar
• 4+ years' experience, ideally within the landfill and waste industry
• Proven project management and client relationship management capability
• Excellent communication skills, verbally and written
• Some site related work experience

What We Offer

• Flexible work arrangements to support work/life balance
• Ethical client base
• Opportunity to work alongside and be mentored by industry leaders
• Professional Development Programs from graduates to leaders through mixture of inhouse programs and external courses as well as tertiary education financial assistance
• Dynamic career pathways and growth opportunities to work on projects nationally and internationally
• Purchased additional annual leave
• Annual Celebration Day Leave
• Generous paid parental leave (primary and secondary)
• Wellbeing benefits

SMEC is committed to building a diverse, inclusive and gender‑equitable workforce and encourages applications from people of all backgrounds across engineering and technical disciplines. We provide a supportive and flexible working environment that recognises individual contribution, supports career progression, and enables our people to balance work and life at all stages of their career.

As a family‑friendly employer, we offer flexible working arrangements and benefits including 18 weeks of universal paid parental leave. We are proud to foster an inclusive culture that supports gender equity, LGBTI+ inclusion and First Nations representation, with access to strong professional networks, role models, and mentoring and sponsorship programs.