Principal Mechanical Engineer

Optimum Consulting; City of Brisbane; On-site; AUD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Optimum Consulting seeks a Principal Mechanical Engineer to lead a team of engineers on challenging projects across mining, energy, chemicals, and oil & gas in Brisbane. You will be the senior technical authority, guiding design work and ensuring quality and standards are met.

You will mentor graduates, drive technical excellence, support business development, and collaborate with clients on-site to optimise outcomes and asset performance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) and RPEQ registration (essential).
• Extensive senior-level mechanical engineering experience, preferably in consulting.
• Site-based experience in mining, energy, chemicals or oil & gas.
• Proficiency in ANSYS, CAESAR II, AFT Fathom/Impulse, PV Elite/Compress, Inventor or AutoCAD.
• Strong mentoring capability and knowledge transfer to engineers.
• Commercial awareness and ability to win work.
• Strong technical writing and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver complex mechanical engineering work, including equipment design, FEA, pipe stress, fitness-for-service assessments and CFD modelling.
• Review and verify engineering outputs to meet standards and quality requirements.
• Mentor, coach and develop engineers and graduates, supporting them toward professional registration.
• Provide expert technical advice across the business and to clients, explaining design decisions clearly.
• Visit client sites to work with operations teams and assist with audits and commissioning.
• Contribute to business development through client meetings, site visits, proposals, scoping and estimating effort.
• Improve internal engineering tools, design aids and standards.

Skills

Mentoring

Technical writing

Presentation skills

Client relationship management

Commercial awareness

Education

Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) and RPEQ registration

Tools

ANSYS

CAESAR II

AFT Fathom/Impulse

PV Elite/Compress

Inventor

AutoCAD

Job description

Our client is a well-regarded engineering consultancy that partners with Australian industry to deliver safe, sustainable and commercially sound outcomes across the full asset lifecycle, from studies and design through to project execution, commissioning and operations. They are known for a practical, value-driven approach to project delivery and for building long-term relationships with major industry partners.

They are now seeking an experienced Principal Mechancial Engineer to lead a team of engineers and graduate engineers, while continuing to apply your own technical expertise across a variety of challenging projects.

The role

You will report to the Manager, Mechanical Engineering and act as the senior technical authority within the mechanical function. Key responsibilities include:

• Lead and deliver complex mechanical engineering work, including equipment design, FEA, pipe stress, fitness-for-service assessments and fluid/CFD modelling
• Review and verify engineering outputs, making sure work meets relevant Standards, Codes and quality requirements
• Mentor, coach and teach engineers and graduates, including supporting them towards RPEQ or chartered status
• Provide expert technical advice across the business and to clients, explaining design decisions clearly and influencing project direction
• Visit client sites to work with operations teams and help with audits, investigations and commissioning
• Contribute to business development through client meetings, site visits, technical input to proposals, and scoping and estimating engineering effort
• Improve internal engineering tools, design aids and standards

About you

• Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical) and RPEQ registration (essential)
• Extensive mechanical engineering experience at a senior level, ideally within consulting
• Site-based experience in Australian industry: mining, energy, chemicals or oil & gas
• Deep technical capability in one or more of ANSYS (or similar FEA), CAESAR II, AFT Fathom/Impulse, PV Elite/Compress, Inventor or AutoCAD
• A real interest in mentoring and passing on knowledge
• Commercial awareness and the confidence to build client relationships and help win work
• Strong technical writing and presentation skills for both technical and non-technical audiences

Why apply?

• A senior technical role where your expertise is the focus, not admin or people management
• Varied, technically challenging work across multiple industries rather than a single asset
• Real influence over technical standards and the development of the mechanical team
• A supportive culture built on being driven, authentic, empathetic and supportive, where people understand what life on site is really like