Senior Civil Designer

Northrop Consulting Engineers; Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Parental leave

Annual salary reviews

Wellbeing support

Career development & mentoring

Team/social events

Diverse project portfolio

Job summary

Northrop Consulting Engineers is seeking an experienced Senior Civil Designer to join our team in Australia. You will prepare civil design drawings for land development and built-form projects, ensuring compliance with SEQ standards.

You will help lead the design documentation phase alongside Senior Designers and Project Managers, while collaborating with engineers, designers, and drafters across disciplines.

Qualifications

• Holds a relevant tertiary qualification in Civil Design.
• Excellent communication skills required for coordinating with internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong problem-solving abilities to overcome design challenges and meet project deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Prepare accurate civil design and drafting drawings for land development and built-form projects.
• Lead the design documentation delivery in collaboration with Senior Designers and Project Managers.
• Ensure compliance with SEQ standards and regulations across projects.
• Collaborate across disciplines to deliver high-quality outcomes.

Skills

Communication

Creative problem solving

Team collaboration

Autonomy

Education

Civil Design degree

Tools

AutoCAD

Civil 3D

Civil 12D

Job description

You’re an experienced civil designer looking to take the next step in your career. You will play a key role in providing engineering design input to all facets of property development and government sector work. Joining an industry-leading team working on marquee SEQ projects, you will have the opportunity to take the next step in your career and be encouraged to develop to your full potential, alongside the owners of the business.

What You’ll Own

As a Senior Civil Designer, you will be joining a professional and collaborative team of engineers, designers, drafters, graduates and undergraduates, working on a diverse range of projects across a variety of sectors. You will prepare accurate civil design and drafting drawings for land development and built-form projects, including civil engineering works such as drainage, water supply, sewerage reticulation systems, roads and subdivisions, ensuring compliance with SEQ standards and regulations.

With a strong pipeline of upcoming projects for both new and existing clients, you will have the opportunity to lead the delivery of the design documentation phase, working alongside experienced Senior Civil Designers and Project Managers.

You will be part of a growing office with a great culture, including regular team catch‑ups, office events and social activities.

This role can be based in our Brisbane, Gold‑Coast or Sydney offices.

The Kind of Person Who Thrives Here

Our team share a particular combination of traits. If you recognise yourself in this, we should talk.

You’re grounded. You stay calm under pressure, and your decisions are guided by a clear internal compass. When things get difficult on a project and they always do, you’re the person who holds steady. Not because you don’t feel the pressure, but because your composure is genuine.

You speak up. You’ll bring an alternative perspective to the design table, even when it’s uncomfortable. You do it constructively and without ego; you’d rather give credit to the team than take it yourself, and you won’t stay quiet when something doesn’t sit right.

You build relationships that last. Not transactional networking. Real, sustained professional relationships, the kind where clients call you first because they trust your judgement, and where colleagues across disciplines genuinely enjoy working with you. Humour helps. So does actually caring about people.

You set your own standard. Your quality comes from professional pride, not from someone checking your work. You’re always looking for the next improvement and you’re never quite satisfied. The more complex the problem, the more engaged you become.

You need autonomy, not bureaucracy. You do your best work when you’re trusted to find the right approach, not handed a rigid process to follow. That’s exactly how we operate.

Why Northrop

We’re employee‑owned. No external shareholders, no private equity, no quarterly earnings pressure. Just 500+ engineers and consultants across NSW, ACT, QLD, and VIC who have a genuine stake in the business they’re building and have been doing so for over 50 years.

What that means in practice: decisions are made by people who do the work. Our management structure is open and accessible. When you have an idea for how to do something better, the people who can say yes are in the room, not in a boardroom overseas.

The projects we undertake come in all sizes across a range of sectors including age care, health, education, land development, commercial, industrial and residential.

What You Bring

Essential

• Demonstrated experience preparing civil design drawings for land development and built form projects in QLD.
• Proficient in industry‑standard drafting software such as AutoCAD, Civil 3D and Civil 12D.
• Knowledge of and ability to apply Australian standards (eg. AS/NZS 1170 series, AS 2159, AS 1742) and local council guidelines.
• Experience interpreting survey data, engineering plans, and geotechnical reports to produce accurate documentation.
• Understands design principles for stormwater, sewer, water, roads, and earthworks in civil infrastructure projects.
• Holds a relevant tertiary qualification in Civil Design.
• Experience with sewerage and water reticulation design and a good understanding of the SEQ Water Authorities standards.
• Excellent communication skills - able to speak and write clearly, concisely, and compellingly in managing external consultants
• Communicate effectively with all members of the project team, both internally and externally
• Creative problem‑solving skills to continually finds ways to overcome challenges and obstacles
• Strong team ethic to work collaboratively across functional group

What’s In It For You

• Industry‑benchmarked salary with annual reviews, we pay properly and revisit it every year.
• Genuine flexibility: hybrid working, flexible hours, alternative public holidays, we’ll have a real conversation about what works for you
• Paid parental leave for primary carers, maternity, and partners
• Salary income protection insurance
• Monthly one‑on‑one career development conversations, mentoring programs, and investment in both internal and external training
• Free EAP and wellbeing support.
• A positive and enjoyable workplace with a supportive team, a relaxed culture, and regular opportunities to connect through social activities and company events throughout the year.
• A diverse range of projects and opportunities, from small residential developments to major hospitals, race tracks, airports, and everything in between. With such a broad variety of work, there's always something new to keep your role interesting and rewarding.

Northrop is an equal opportunity employer. We actively welcome applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, people of all genders, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, and people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. If you need any adjustments to participate in our recruitment process, let us know — we’ll make it work.