Roads & Highways Designer - NZ Transport Projects

SMEC (an SJ Group company); Auckland; On-site; NZD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

SMEC, a SJ Group company, is seeking a motivated Designer – Roads & Highways to join our New Zealand team and support transport infrastructure delivery across NZ.

You will be a key member of our Roads & Highways team, delivering high-quality design outputs, collaborating with multidisciplinary colleagues, and contributing to technically rigorous, coordinated outcomes while expanding your own capability and expertise.

Qualifications

• 8+ years’ experience in roads and highways design within a consulting or infrastructure environment.
• Strong proficiency in 12d as the primary design software, with familiarity in other design packages such as Civil 3D or OpenRoads considered beneficial.
• Experience preparing design drawings in AutoCAD, along with design models and supporting technical documentation.
• Working knowledge of relevant New Zealand transport and road design standards.
• Experience across concept, reference, and detailed design project phases.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively across multidisciplinary teams.
• A proactive, solutions-focused mindset with a commitment to quality and continuous improvement.
• The ability to support or guide other designers within project teams will be viewed favourably.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality roads and highways design outputs in line with technical standards, client requirements, and SMEC quality expectations.
• Prepare drawings, models, and technical documentation using appropriate design and drafting tools and methodologies, with 12d and AutoCAD as the primary design and drafting platforms.
• Provide inputs to design reports and contribute to technical documentation and peer reviews; ensure compliance with NZ standards and client specifications.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to ensure coordinated, timely, and accurate project delivery.
• Support engineers and senior designers in developing practical, compliant, and cost-effective solutions.
• Communicate effectively with internal teams and stakeholders to maintain alignment across deliverables.
• Work to project deadlines and budgets, ensuring accuracy and minimising rework.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across design processes, tools, and delivery outcomes.

Skills

Roads design

Highways design

Collaboration

Communication

Tools

12d

Civil 3D

OpenRoads

AutoCAD

Job description

SMEC, a SJ Group company, is seeking a motivated Designer – Roads & Highways to join our New Zealand team and support transport infrastructure delivery across NZ.

You will be a key member of our Roads & Highways team, delivering high-quality design outputs, collaborating with multidisciplinary colleagues, and contributing to technically rigorous, coordinated outcomes while expanding your own capability and expertise.