Principal - Engineering - Dams

Beca Pty. Ltd.; Sydney; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working

Employee ownership

Parental leave

Career development

Job summary

Beca is seeking an experienced Dams Lead to drive technical excellence and growth across Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific. You will lead dam lifecycle projects, mentor engineers, and build lasting client relationships while collaborating with multi-disciplinary teams.

You should be a Chartered Engineer (or working towards) with a strong track record in water resources and dam safety, plus excellent communication and project leadership skills in a consultancy environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in civil or environmental engineering with water industry focus.
• Chartered Professional Engineer or working towards chartership.
• Strong track record delivering water resources/dams projects in a consulting setting.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical leadership across the full dam lifecycle from planning to design, construction, operations and safety reviews.
• Drive business development and growth opportunities in dam projects across Australia, NZ and Pacific.
• Mentor junior engineers and build long-term client relationships.
• Deliver dam surveillance, dam safety reviews, risk assessments and related water resource studies.

Skills

Water resources

Dams projects

Leadership

Communication

Risk management

Dam surveillance

Instrumentation data review

Multi-disciplinary teamwork

Project delivery

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering

Chartered Professional Engineer

Tools

Dam safety modelling software

Water resources modelling tools

Job description

Our Australian business is a trusted partner to clients across infrastructure, water, and energy sectors, delivering practical and innovative ground engineering solutions. With expertise spanning all markets, our team is helping to shape the world we live in across Australasia and the Asia Pacific. We offer the opportunity to build a career path within a fascinating industry, in a business line that offers variety, challenge and tremendous growth potential across all markets. The opportunity As our business goes from strength to strength, we are looking for an experienced and strategic Dams Lead to join our business. This is a key role that is critical to drive the growth, technical excellence, and delivery of our dam’s infrastructure portfolio across Australia, NewZealand and the Pacific. This is an exceptional opportunity for a recognised industry professional to lead and manage high‑profile projects and contribute to the sustainable management of critical water assets. Working closely with clients, regulators, and internal stakeholders, you will provide technical leadership across the full dam lifecycle, from planning and design through to construction, operations, risk assessment, and dam safety reviews. Working in partnership with a variety of urban and regional clients, with a strong focus on developing and maintaining long‑term relationships. In this role, you will be responsible for Driving business development initiatives, identify growth opportunities, and support proposal development. Delivering a variety of water resources and dam safety management projects. This may include, dam surveillance, dam safety reviews and risk assessments, dam safety emergency planning, dam break assessments, and input into water security assessments and water resource planning studies. Collaborating with our multidiscipline teams to secure, manage and deliver projects Building and maintaining trusted, long‑term relationships with clients Developing and mentoring junior engineers Remaining at the forefront of technological developments, research and industry best practice

About you

You will be a Chartered Professional Engineer (or working towards being chartered) and hold a bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental engineering, or closely related engineering discipline, and gained a strong understanding of water industry standards and best practices. You’ll be seeking fulfilment through autonomy, career flexibility, knowledge learning and sharing, and working for a business that provides purpose and relevance in what you do. With outstanding communication skills and the ability to influence and drive successful project outcomes, you’ll have experience working in a consulting environment, delivering projects as part of a multi‑disciplinary and multi‑office team. You will have a strong track record in the successful delivery of water resources / dams projects, as well as being passionate about developing and motivating and mentoring others to achieve their potential. You will pride yourself in being a trusted adviser to our clients and work with them in partnership to develop and improve strategic water resource management and dams management outcomes. Other skills and expertise include Experience in the surveillance of concrete and embankment dams / detention basins, including engineering inspections and instrumentation data review Understanding of risk management and the ability to identify project risks, design‑related risks and major infrastructure risks General experience with bulk water supply infrastructure , major stormwater infrastructure , water resources and water supply systems Proficiency in a range of industry‑standard software and systems related to water resource / water security modelling, dam break modelling and consequence category assessments, and dam safety analyses

What We Offer:

• Flexibility & Wellbeing: We recognise that achieving a work‑life balance is unique to everyone. Enjoy flexible working options to manage your personal and family priorities, along with dedicated leave for wellbeing and community engagement.
• Belonging & Ownership: Join a diverse and inclusive team where collaboration and creativity thrive, and you can bring your whole self to work. You may also have the chance to take advantage of our unique shareholder opportunities, sharing in our collective success.
• Parental Leave: Take time for what matters most with up to 14 weeks of fully paid parental leave, inclusive of all genders.
• Career Growth & Development: Your growth is our priority! Benefit from continuous learning and professional development through our company training programmes and support for professional accreditation, including pathways to Chartership with Engineers Australia. Work alongside industry leaders and gain hands‑on experience to unlock your career potential.

Beca prides itself on supporting a diverse and inclusive culture – open to inputs from creative people of all genders, ethnicity, identity, thought and experiences.

Who is Beca?

Beca is one of the Asia‑Pacific region's largest employee‑owned professional services consultancies. Our team of over 4000 professionals is diverse enough to bring a wide range of perspectives and expertise to every client and challenge, creating resourceful, smart solutions from our collective experience and insights. ‘Creative people together transforming our world’ is our vision. It reflects our culture, our aspirations and our purpose – to make everyday better. Our four values – partnership, tenacity, enjoyment and care – sit at the heart of everything we do, reflecting how we work every day with each other and our clients. At Beca we make everyday better for our clients, our people and our community and your involvement makes it possible. Our size and agility mean you’re not just on the fringes; you’re making a visible difference, partnering to develop and deliver solutions from the ground up. As a people‑focused business, we understand that work‑life balance means a lot of different things to different people and that it’s not always easy juggling work with everything else life throws at us. This is why we are happy to discuss flexible working arrangements for all opportunities in the Beca team.

If you have any questions, you can find out more about our people and projects by visiting www.beca.com

Hello! And welcome to a whole new world of possibilities with Beca. We hope you’re as keen as we are to find out more about each other. We look forward to seeing your application. The Talent Acquisition Team Make everyday better Creative people together transforming our world' is our vision. It reflects our culture, our aspirations and our purpose - to make everyday better. But we need problem solvers - the makers, the creators, the planners and practitioners to convert ideas into reality. For over 100 years, we’ve been making a visible difference, developing, and delivering solutions for our clients, our people and our community. Focusing on sustainability, innovation, and digital technologies, to create better and safer outcomes. What makes us different? At Beca, our people are our business. We support curiosity and value great ideas, and are passionate about creating a workplace where people are engaged, feel incredible and can belong. Our employee‑ownership model sets us apart. It’s an opportunity for our people to be invested in the future success of our business, with share ownership available for eligible employees. We also offer a range of employee benefits, designed to reward and recognise the amazing things our people are doing everyday. And our values of partnership, tenacity, enjoyment and care are reflected in the way we work, with our people and with our clients. When you are part of our Beca family, you’ll own your own career path and contribute to a legacy. Join us and discover for yourself how you own your career and can make a everyday better.