Principal Design Manager

AECO; Adelaide; Hybrid; AUD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work options

Flexible annual leave

Job summary

AECOM is seeking a multi-disciplinary design manager to join our Building Engineering Team in Adelaide. This role shapes technical strategy, defines client requirements and leads integrated design across multiple disciplines to deliver cohesive, high-quality outcomes for clients.

The role requires strong leadership, deep experience in complex, defence-adjacent projects, and the ability to guide the front-end design, governance, and programme controls from concept through detailed design.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience with a strong technical grounding before moving into design management or multidisciplinary leadership.
• Proven track record delivering complex multidiscipline projects across defence, healthcare, aviation or sports infrastructure.
• Experience leading full design teams and acting as Design Manager/Consultants Representative for clients and stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of program control, commercial risk, technical governance and compliance frameworks.
• Credibility to challenge technical specialists while maintaining collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead and integrate large multidisciplinary design teams across architecture, civils, structural, MEP, fire, security, acoustics, and specialists.
• Act as the primary client interface, extracting requirements and managing evolving scope within secure environments.
• Own front-end design strategy, project execution plans, and technical assurance processes from concept to detailed design.
• Manage programme, commercial and governance obligations, ensuring delivery per defence standards and regulatory controls.
• Provide technical leadership, chair design reviews, and resolve cross-discipline conflicts.

Skills

Leadership

Client engagement

Technical coordination

Governance & risk

Defence standards knowledge

Education

Engineering degree

Job description

Our global portfolio of work comprises the design of iconic and award-winning buildings and landscapes. From strategic planning through to project realisation, the connections we make among people and place provide sustainable outcomes for our clients and the communities we serve. We place a premium on investing in digital capabilities and innovations which bring a unique consistency and efficiency to our scalable work. Together with our clients, we are working to evolve and elevate the built environment across sectors including social infrastructure, transit, technology and logistics, and commercial and corporate real estate, while focusing on solutions that promote long term health and wellbeing for all.

Everyone belongs at AECOM

We’re committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging - because great ideas come from diverse perspectives. AECOM is proud to be a Fortune 500 Most Admired Company, a WGEA Employer of Choice for Gender Equality, #Work180 Equitable Workplace Awards 2025 Winner and an AWEI Bronze Tier LGBTQ+ Inclusive Employer.

Job Description

Due to a growing pipeline of work, we are looking for a multi-disciplinary design manager to join our Building Engineering Team, based in Adelaide. This role shapes technical strategy, defines client requirements and leads integrated multi-disciplinary design teams. We are looking for a leader who can manage the full design team – ensuring cohesive, high-quality outcomes for our clients.

How you’ll make a difference:

• Lead and integrate large multidisciplinary design teams, driving technical coordination across architecture, civils, structural, MEP, fire, security, acoustics and specialist consultants, ensuring fully integrated solutions.


• Act as the primary client interface, engaging with stakeholders and end users to extract operational requirements, translate them into technical briefs, and manage evolving scope within secure environments.


• Own the front-end design strategy, establishing project execution plans, technical assurance processes, risk registers and programme controls from concept through detailed design.


• Manage programme, commercial and governance obligations, ensuring delivery in line with DSC or framework requirements, maintaining compliance with Defence standards, security protocols, and regulatory controls.


• Provide technical leadership and assurance, chairing design reviews, challenging discipline leads, resolving cross-discipline conflicts, ensuring buildability, safety, resilience and long-term asset performance.

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:

• Ideally, 12+ years’ experience, with a strong technical grounding before transitioning into design management or multidisciplinary project leadership.


• Proven track record delivering complex, multidisciplinary projects across defence, healthcare, aviation and / or sports infrastructure


• Experience leading full design teams and acting as the Design Manager/Consultants Representative of contact for clients and key stakeholders.


• Strong understanding of programcontrol, commercial risk, technical governance and compliance frameworks.


• Credibility and confidence to challenge technical specialists while maintaining collaborative team dynamics.

Please note, given the nature of the role – Australian Citizenship is required with prior defence clearance highly advantageous.

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


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


• Continuous learning and growth - lunch and learns, professional development courses, financial study assistance, 5 days paid study leave, global career opportunities

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.

AECOM acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the landon 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.

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