Senior Designer - Roads & Highways

SMEC; Cairns Regional; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

SMEC in Australia seeks a Senior Designer – Roads & Highways to join the team in Cairns or Townsville. You will deliver transport design outputs, mentor junior designers, and drive high-quality, constructible solutions across Queensland and Australia.

You will lead complex design work using 12d and AutoCAD, align with Austroads standards, and collaborate with engineers and multidisciplinary teams to ensure timely, cost-effective outcomes.

Qualifications

• 6–10 years’ experience in roads and highways design within a consulting or infrastructure environment.
• Strong proficiency in 12d as a primary design platform; familiarity with Civil 3D or OpenRoads is beneficial.
• Strong experience preparing and coordinating design drawings in AutoCAD, with complex design models and documentation.
• Knowledge of Austroads, TMR and state/local authority standards.
• Experience reviewing design outputs and contributing to QA processes.
• Ability to guide and develop junior designers.
• Strong communication and multidisciplinary collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead high-quality roads and highways design outputs in line with standards and client requirements.
• Develop complex design models and technical documentation using 12d and AutoCAD.
• Provide input into design reports, reviews and deliverables.
• Review outputs and support QA and peer review processes.
• Ensure designs comply with Austroads and client specs.
• Collaborate with engineers and multidisciplinary teams to create practical, compliant solutions.
• Mentor junior designers and communicate effectively with stakeholders.
• Manage design activities against project deadlines and budgets.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of design processes and tools.

Skills

Roads design

Highways design

Mentoring

Communication

Design quality

Project delivery

Tools

12d

AutoCAD

Civil 3D

OpenRoads

Job description

About the job

• Join a global consultancy delivering iconic infrastructure projects
• Work alongside industry-leading specialists in a collaborative, flexible environment
• Shape your career with genuine professional growth opportunities

About SMEC

SMEC is a global engineering consultancy renowned for delivering complex, sustainable infrastructure solutions across transport, water, energy, and urban development markets. Our teams are empowered to innovate, solve technical challenges, and contribute to projects that positively shape communities across Australia and worldwide.

We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and gender‑equitable workforce and encourages applications from people of all backgrounds across engineering and technical disciplines. SMEC provides a supportive and flexible working environment that recognises individual contribution, supports career progression, and enables our people to balance work and life at all stages of their career.

As a family‑friendly employer, we offer flexible working arrangements and benefits including 18 weeks of universal paid parental leave. We are proud to foster an inclusive culture that supports gender equity, LGBTI+ inclusion and First Nations representation, with access to strong professional networks, role models, and mentoring and sponsorship programs.

Infrastructure

At SMEC, we understand that our continued success within the infrastructure market is the result of building long-term client relationships. We listen and understand the specific needs of our clients and deliver a complete value chain of services to provide sustainable solutions across major infrastructure projects worldwide.

The Role

We’re seeking a Senior Designer – Roads & Highways to join our team in either Cairns or Townsville, supporting the delivery of transport infrastructure projects across Queensland and Australia.

This is an opportunity for a Senior Designer who enjoys solving complex design challenges, collaborating across disciplines, and taking greater ownership of design outcomes. You’ll bring strong technical capability while supporting the development of others and contributing to consistently high-quality project delivery.

As a senior member of our Roads & Highways team, you’ll play a key role in the delivery of complex projects, with a focus on design quality, technical rigour and coordinated outcomes. You’ll work closely with engineers, designers and multidisciplinary project teams, providing technical guidance and helping drive practical, efficient and constructable solutions.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and deliver high-quality roads and highways design outputs in line with technical standards, client requirements and SMEC quality expectations
• Develop complex design models, drawings and technical documentation using appropriate design and drafting tools and methodologies, with 12d and AutoCAD as the primary platforms
• Provide technical input into design reports, documentation, reviews and project deliverables
• Review design outputs and support quality assurance and peer review processes
• Ensure designs comply with Austroads, client specifications and relevant HSEQ requirements
• Collaborate closely with engineers and multidisciplinary teams to develop practical, compliant and cost-effective design solutions
• Provide technical guidance and mentoring to designers and junior team members
• Communicate effectively with internal teams, clients and project stakeholders to maintain alignment across deliverables
• Manage design activities against project deadlines and budgets, maintaining accuracy and minimising rework
• Contribute to continuous improvement across design processes, digital tools and project delivery

About You

You’re an experienced and technically capable Designer with a strong background in roads and highways design. You’re comfortable taking ownership of complex design packages, working collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams and providing guidance to less experienced designers, while maintaining a strong focus on quality and practical project outcomes.

You will bring:

• 6–10 years’ experience in roads and highways design within a consulting or infrastructure environment
• Strong proficiency in 12d as a primary design platform, with experience in other packages such as Civil 3D or OpenRoads considered beneficial
• Strong experience preparing and coordinating design drawings in AutoCAD, along with complex design models and supporting technical documentation
• Sound working knowledge of Austroads, TMR and relevant state and local authority standards
• Experience reviewing design outputs and contributing to technical and quality assurance processes
• The ability to provide technical guidance and support the development of junior designers
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with engineers, designers and multidisciplinary project teams
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach with a strong commitment to design quality and continuous improvement
• The ability to manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work within agreed project timeframes and budgets

Don’t meet every requirement? We still encourage you to apply. We recognise that talent comes from many different experiences and backgrounds, and we’re committed to creating an inclusive culture for people from all walks of life.

For a confidential discussion regarding this opportunity, please contact Carl Thiedeke – [e-mail]

To find out more about SMEC, please visit our careers page at www.smec.com/careers