Principal Surface Water Engineer

SLR Consulting Australia Pty Ltd; City of Brisbane; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible work arrangements

Mentoring network

Parental leave scheme

Job summary

SLR Consulting Australia Pty Ltd is seeking an experienced Surface Water Professional to join our Hydrology and Hydrogeology team in Queensland. The role focuses on delivering surface water environmental assessments, hydraulic modelling and report preparation across diverse sectors, including mining and infrastructure.

You will contribute to project wins, build client relationships and mentor junior staff while applying two-dimensional flood modelling and river hydrology knowledge.

Qualifications

• Bachelor-level engineering degree or equivalent.
• RPEQ registration or eligible within six months of hire.
• Strong background in surface water, hydraulics and environmental assessments.
• Experience with hydraulic modelling tools and regulatory standards.

Responsibilities

• Deliver surface water assessments and design projects across multiple sectors.
• Apply hydrologic and hydraulic modelling software to develop robust reports.
• Lead and mentor team members; deliver high-quality client reports on time and within budget.
• Develop and maintain client relationships and pursue project opportunities.
• Contribute to proposals, methodologies and value propositions for clients.
• Provide technical guidance on best practices in surface water engineering.

Skills

Hydrology

Hydraulic modelling

2D hydraulic modelling (TUFLOW)

RORB

WBNM

XP RAFTS

Project management

Client relationships

Education

Engineering degree

RPEQ registration or eligibility

Tools

MUSIC

GoldSim

XP RAFTS

Job description

SLR’s One Team Culture and Commitment

At SLR Consulting, we are technical specialists working on projects with real impact, improving the sustainability of operations for some of the largest and most high-profile organisations in Australia. As a global consultancy, our portfolio spans across industries, markets, and geographies, with our technical teams specializing in finding solutions to the sustainability challenges presenting to our clients. Our mission statement is “Making Sustainability Happen,” and through our technical leadership, familiarity with our clients' business drivers, and strong team culture, we are building a sustainable future in collaboration with our clients. We are proud to have the flexibility to deliver large-scale, multi-disciplinary projects as well as small, single-discipline projects, and everything in between. Our nimble business approach is enabled through governance and processes that empower our staff, with pragmatic risk management and a strong culture of collaboration. This approach enables our staff to work on a broad range of technically interesting and challenging projects, learn from industry-leading specialists, and develop their personal brand with confidence.

Our APAC Hydrology and Hydrogeology Team

Our 60+ person Hydrogeology and Hydrology (H&H) Technical Discipline is one of the largest in SLR Asia Pacific and, as such, is core business. Our business plan focuses on the expansion and enhancement of core business, building on a solid foundation of work with Tier 1 clients in Mining, Built Environment, Renewables, and Infrastructure. We are seeking a motivated surface water professional to join our team and drive the growth of our mature technical team by leveraging new opportunities with existing clients and forging partnerships with new ones. This role will report to our QLD Surface Water State Lead.

We have an adaptable operational approach, and the role can be based in either our Brisbane or Townsville offices, where we have existing teams of 16 and 5 staff, respectively. This position is ideal for someone looking to advance their career by applying their practical knowledge of hydrology, hydraulic modelling and water resources, leading projects across various industries in collaboration with strong technical teams. We work in a collaborative environment across our H&H teams in Brisbane, Townsville, Newcastle, Wollongong, Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth, and closely with other SLR environmental specialists. The group delivers projects across SLR's market sectors, including Built Environment, Infrastructure, Industry, Mining & Minerals, and Power. Our 2025 project focus is on:

• Expanding our portfolio in infrastructure and energy (renewables)
• Expanding our capability in advisory services including expert witness support to the QLD courts.
• Supporting our surface water growth into geographies outside of QLD.

Responsibilities

You will be a positive team player with a great sense of humour, that goes without saying! You will also be responsible for the following:

• Delivering surface water environmental assessments and design projects to a broad range of clients across a multiple sectors.
• Undertaking work that involves the application of hydrologic and hydraulic modelling software and or water balance modelling software.
• Working alongside staff developing models and preparing quality reports for internal and external clients on time and within set budgets.
• Developing, facilitating and enhancing relationships between our internal and external clients and SLR team members.
• Contributing to work winning in the development of prospects into proposals, developing methodologies and identifying the value proposition to assist clients to meet their deadlines.
• Providing advice and assistance to internal and external clients, team members and Project Manager's on projects regarding best principles and practices.
• You will be a strong generalist who can provide high level review work with strong commercial acumen.

Experience

We welcome staff seeking flexible work arrangements including applications for permanent part time. Our ideal candidate will have between 10-15+ year's industry experience, including experience within a consultancy, and have:

• Appropriate Engineering tertiary qualification and relevant industry experience.
• Registration as a Registered Professional Engineer Queensland (RPEQ) or appropriate professional experience and qualifications to support achieving RPEQ registration within six months of hire.
• Extensive experience in hydraulic modelling, particularly application of two-dimensional hydraulic modelling (TUFLOW);
• Experience in hydrologic modelling and assessments (RORB, WBNM and XP RAFTS) and understanding of Australian Rainfall and Runoff and relevant guidelines and standards.
• Knowledge and experience of associated areas of surface water engineering would be highly regarded such as (stormwater management, erosion and sediment control, water quality assessment, streamflow assessments, flood risk analysis and site water management).
• Experience in the assessment of and input into design of water related structures e.g. dams, levees and diversions.
• Knowledge or experience in MUSIC or GoldSim modelling would also be highly regarded but is not essential.
• Experienced in EIS/EA amendment approvals and or understanding of QLD legislation in the resources sector would be highly regarded.
• Excellent communication skills and technical report writing
• Demonstrated experience managing projects throughout the project lifecycle
• Excellent interpersonal skills, self-motivated and ability to work effectively within a team.
• Experience in mentoring, training or supervising staff would also be highly regarded.
• A strong track record in building, nurturing and maintaining ongoing client relationships
• Excellent driving history and hold a current driver's license

Benefits

Of all the benefits at SLR we are most proud of incredibly diverse, expert and friendly team. But whether you are working flexibly, participating in our mentoring network, or looking to utilise our supportive parental leave scheme, our benefits ensure to cater for all. You can find a comprehensive list here.

We’re Making Sustainability Happen. We don’t have all the answers to the complex sustainability challenges faced by humanity today. But we’re working on it. We are a consultancy with 4,500+ employees, working on projects in over 125 countries around the world. When you join SLR, you’ll work alongside some of the world’s leading advisors and technicians on projects of global importance in the environmental space. We know sustainability starts from within. And no matter how good we are today, we can always do better. We continually work on our internal ethics to set the standard for organisations and reflect the advice we give to clients.