Principal Transportation Engineer

84 Recruitment Limited; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

84 Recruitment Limited seeks a Principal Transportation Engineer to lead the transport capability within an established multidisciplinary consultancy in the South Island. You will own the service line, develop best-practice systems and build a team.

You'll report to the General Manager of Planning and work with planning, civil, and surveying teams to deliver transport assessments, safety, and infrastructure design across diverse projects.

Qualifications

• Degree in Civil/Transportation Engineering.
• NZ consultancy experience on transport assessments and subdivision design.
• Road Safety Audits experience; NZTA guidance familiarity.
• Knowledge of NZ RMA and district plan provisions.
• Commercial awareness to scope work and prepare proposals.
• Ability to work independently and mentor others.
• Chartered status advantageous; NZ driver’s licence required.

Responsibilities

• Lead technical delivery of transport projects.
• Influence project outcomes and client relationships.
• Drive safety and technical quality across assignments.
• Provide expert transport advisory to clients and teams.
• Build and grow the transport function within the business.

Skills

Civil Engineering

Transportation Engineering

Road Safety Audits

Client relationships

Independent leadership

Education

Bachelors in Civil/Transportation Eng

NZ consultancy experience

Tools

Austroads standards

NZ guidance knowledge

Job description

Principal Transportation Engineer
Location:

South Island

Build a transport function from the ground up | Technical leadership | Multidisciplinary consultancy

The opportunity:

Are you an experienced Transportation Engineer ready to take ownership of a growing service line and make your mark across the South Island? This is an opportunity to join an established multidisciplinary consultancy and lead the development of its transportation capability, working alongside experienced planning, civil engineering and surveying teams. With an established client base and a strong pipeline of forward work, you'll have the platform to deliver interesting projects, build trusted client relationships and shape how transportation services are delivered across the business. Reporting to the General Manager of Planning, you'll become the technical lead for transport, with genuine autonomy to develop the function, establish best practice systems and build a team around you.

What you'll be doing:

• Lead technical delivery
• Influence project outcomes
• Drive safety and technical quality
• Provide expert advice
• Build the transport function

What you'll bring:

You’ll be a technically credible transport professional who enjoys combining project delivery with leadership, relationship building and practice development.

Ideally, you’ll have:

• A degree in Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering, Transport Planning or a related discipline.
• Substantial New Zealand consultancy experience across transport assessments, plan changes, resource consents and subdivision design.
• Experience with Road Safety Audits and an understanding of Waka Kotahi/NZTA guidance, Austroads standards and relevant council engineering requirements.
• An understanding of the New Zealand resource management and land development consenting environment, including RMA processes and district plan transport provisions.
• The commercial awareness to scope work, prepare fee proposals and manage chargeable project delivery.
• The initiative and interpersonal skills to work independently, develop client relationships and mentor others
• Chartered status (CPEng, CMEngNZ or equivalent professional recognition) and Road Safety Audit accreditation are advantageous. A current New Zealand driver's licence is required.

Why consider this role?

Genuine ownership: Take the lead in establishing and growing the transportation service line, with the opportunity to shape its direction from day one.

A platform to build: Work with an established client base and a strong pipeline of projects, supported by an existing multidisciplinary team.

Varied technical work: Contribute across transport planning, land development, consenting, safety and infrastructure design.

Leadership and progression: Establish the systems, standards and relationships that underpin the function, while building and mentoring a team as demand grows.

Collaborative environment: Work closely with experienced planners, engineers and surveyors, providing integrated advice that helps clients move projects forward.