Principal Structural Engineer - to $250k

Structural Jobs; Sydney; On-site; AUD 236,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Structural Jobs in Sydney seeks an accomplished Principal Structural Engineer who balances hands-on engineering with leadership and client management. The role focuses on major projects, technical direction, and developing key client relationships to progress towards Associate Director.

The successful candidate will combine strong engineering expertise with commercial awareness, lead projects, mentor teams, and drive business growth while staying engaged technically as needed.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated leadership in large-scale structural projects.
• Strong client relationship management and communication skills.
• Ability to provide technical direction and design reviews for complex structures.
• Mentor and develop structural engineers within a project team.

Responsibilities

• Lead major structural engineering projects.
• Maintain direct relationships with key clients.
• Understand client needs and ensure delivery by the team.
• Develop existing client relationships and identify new opportunities.
• Lead, mentor and develop structural engineers.
• Manage resources, programmes and project deliverables.
• Provide senior technical direction and design reviews.
• Remain hands-on with complex engineering when required.
• Work with architects, builders and other consultants.
• Prepare scopes, fee proposals and project submissions.
• Monitor project budgets and commercial performance.
• Support business development and future workload.
• Help develop the next generation of senior engineers.

Skills

Leadership

Client management

Mentoring

Technical direction

Education

CPEng (Chartered Professional Engineer)

Job description

Principal Structural Engineer - to $250k

• Client Leadership | Major Projects | Pathway to Associate Director
• You've reached Principal level. The next move needs to take you somewhere.
• Great salary $250-236k depending on experience

Principal Structural Engineer - Sydney

• Client Leadership | Major Projects | Pathway to Associate Director
• You've reached Principal level. The next move needs to take you somewhere.
• Great salary $250-236k depending on experience

This opportunity is for an accomplished Principal Structural Engineer who wants to remain close to engineering while developing the client, commercial and leadership responsibilities required to progress towards Associate Director.

You won't be brought in simply to manage projects from behind a desk. We are looking for somebody who still enjoys engineering, understands complex structures and can provide technical direction when required - but who has also developed the confidence and commercial awareness to manage important clients and lead teams.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Leading major structural engineering projects
• Maintaining direct relationships with key clients
• Understanding what clients need and ensuring the team delivers it
• Developing existing client relationships and identifying new opportunities
• Leading, mentoring and developing structural engineers
• Managing resources, programmes and project deliverables
• Providing senior technical direction and design reviews
• Remaining hands-on with complex engineering when required
• Working closely with architects, builders and other consultants
• Preparing scopes, fee proposals and project submissions
• Monitoring project budgets and commercial performance
• Supporting business development and future workload
• Helping develop the next generation of senior engineers

Ideally, you'll already have a strong reputation within the Australian structural engineering market and a background across substantial building structures.

• CPEng would be highly regarded.
• But we're equally interested in the person behind the qualifications.
• At this level, clients need to trust you. Your team needs to respect you. And when a project becomes difficult, you need to be somebody who can bring the right people together and find a way forward.
• We're therefore looking for a Principal who understands that good consulting engineering is a combination of technical ability, communication, commercial awareness and relationships.
• You may already be doing much of this in your current position.
• Perhaps you're managing the projects, looking after the clients, mentoring the team and helping win the work - but there is still another layer above you and no clear indication of when you'll actually move forward.

That's where this opportunity becomes interesting.

• The next step is Associate Director.
• This is intended to be a genuine career progression move for somebody who wants to demonstrate that they can take responsibility not only for engineering projects, but increasingly for clients, people and the performance of part of the structural business.
• You don't have to give up engineering to become a leader here. In fact, they want somebody who can combine both.

If you're looking for a Principal role that has a destination rather than simply another title, I'd be very interested in having a confidential conversation.

Note: Only Australian / New Zealand applicants with local experience are encouraged to apply.

All enquiries are strictly confidential.