Principal Engineer, Roads & Highways

Surbana Consultants Pte Ltd – Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) branch; Gold Coast City; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working arrangements

Parental leave

Job summary

SMEC is seeking a Principal Engineer, Roads & Highways in Queensland to lead major roads projects, provide technical leadership, and drive project excellence. You will mentor engineers, manage client relationships, and contribute to growth while collaborating with multidisciplinary teams to deliver integrated outcomes.

Required qualifications include a Civil Engineering degree, Chartered Engineer or RPEQ, and 15+ years in roads/highways delivery with strong stakeholder engagement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or equivalent.
• Chartered Engineer and/or RPEQ status preferred.
• 15+ years in roads/highways design and delivery.
• Proven leadership and client-relationship capabilities.
• Experience delivering complex transport projects in a consulting context.

Responsibilities

• Lead design and delivery of major roads and highways across Queensland.
• Provide technical leadership and oversight on complex transport projects.
• Drive business development through client relationships and opportunity identification.
• Manage project performance to deliver safely, on time and within budget.
• Develop and mentor engineers to foster technical excellence.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients and stakeholders.
• Contribute to strategic planning, capability development, and regional growth.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Business development

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering

Chartered Engineer / RPEQ

Job description

About the job Join a global consultancy delivering iconic infrastructure projects Work alongside industry-leading specialists in a collaborative, flexible environment Shape your career with genuine professional growth opportunities

About SMEC

SMEC is a global engineering consultancy renowned for delivering complex, sustainable infrastructure solutions across transport, water, energy, and urban development markets. Our teams are empowered to innovate, solve technical challenges, and contribute to projects that positively shape communities across Australia and worldwide. We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and gender‑equitable workforce and encourages applications from people of all backgrounds across engineering and technical disciplines. SMEC provides 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.

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

At SMEC, you'll have the opportunity to influence the future of transport infrastructure across Queensland while working on some of the region's most complex and high-profile roads and highways projects. As a Principal Engineer, Roads & Highways, you'll provide technical leadership, drive project excellence, and play a key role in the continued growth of our Queensland Transport business. This is an exciting opportunity for an established industry leader who enjoys balancing technical delivery, client engagement, team development, and business growth. Working within a collaborative multidisciplinary environment, you'll lead major projects from concept through to delivery while helping expand our capability and market presence across Queensland.

Key Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Lead the design and delivery of major roads and highways projects across Queensland
• Provide technical leadership and oversight on complex transport infrastructure projects
• Drive business development initiatives through client relationship management and identification of new opportunities
• Manage project performance, ensuring delivery is achieved safely, on time, and within budget
• Develop and mentor engineers, fostering a culture of technical excellence and continuous improvement
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, industry partners, and key stakeholders
• Contribute to strategic planning, capability development, and business growth initiatives across the region
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to deliver innovative and integrated project outcomes

About You

You are a recognised transport engineering professional with extensive experience delivering roads and highways projects within a consulting environment. You bring strong technical expertise, commercial acumen, and the ability to build trusted relationships with clients, project partners, and team members alike. As a proven leader, you enjoy mentoring and developing others while driving successful project outcomes. Your understanding of the Queensland transport market, combined with your ability to identify opportunities and influence strategic direction, positions you to make a significant impact within our growing business.

Suitable applicants will have:

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or an equivalent qualification
• Chartered Engineer and/or Registered Professional Engineer of Queensland (RPEQ)
• Approximately 15+ years' experience in roads and highways design and project delivery
• Demonstrated experience leading complex transport infrastructure projects within a consulting environment
• Strong knowledge of the Queensland transport market and relevant design standards
• Proven project management capability, including scope, programme, financial, and resource management
• Established client relationships and a successful track record in business development and work winning
• Excellent stakeholder engagement, communication, and leadership skills
• A commitment to technical excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement
• Chartered status, or eligibility for chartership, will be highly regarded
• Willingness to undertake occasional travel as required

About the Gold Coast

The Gold Coast offers the perfect balance between career opportunity and lifestyle. With world-class beaches, a thriving economy, growing infrastructure investment, and easy access to Brisbane and Northern New South Wales, it's an ideal location for professionals looking to advance their careers while enjoying everything Southeast Queensland has to offer.

SMEC is a global engineering, management and development consultancy delivering innovative solutions for our clients and partners. Leveraging our 70-year history of delivering nation-building infrastructure, we provide technical expertise and advanced engineering services to resolve complex challenges across major infrastructure and energy projects. SMEC has a long and proud history which dates back to Australia’s iconic Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme in 1949, one of the largest and most complex hydroelectric schemes in the world. Headquartered in Australia, we have offices across more than 35 countries in Oceania, Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa and the Americas. Together with our clients and partners, we deliver projects that directly contribute to improving health, quality of life and development outcomes for communities and neighborhoods around the world. Driven by innovation, ingenuity and skill, our people have shaped these outcomes in some of the world’s most remote and challenging environments. Since 2016, SMEC has been a member of the Surbana Jurong Group, an Asia-based global powerhouse of over 16,000 employees. Through our network of global specialists and by collaborating with local partners, we connect clients with the best teams and capabilities to deliver sustainable solutions.