Public Health/Wet Services Engineer

Zutari; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,000,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Zutari, a leading engineering practice in South Africa, seeks a Public Health/Wet Services Engineer in Cape Town to lead design, coordination, and delivery of water, drainage, and related systems across projects. You will guide teams, ensure compliance, and drive innovation in digital design and BIM across the lifecycle.

The role requires a BSc/BEng in Mechanical Engineering (Pr.Eng preferred) and proven leadership of complex, multi‑disciplinary projects within the public health/wet services

Qualifications

• BSc/BEng in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent qualification.
• Professional Engineer (Pr.Eng) with ECSA or international equivalent.
• Experience leading Public Health/Wet Services projects.
• Ability to coordinate multi-disciplinary teams and drive delivery excellence.

Responsibilities

• Lead design, coordination, and technical delivery of Public Health/Wet Services systems across project stages.
• Provide guidance to project teams to ensure safe, compliant, and sustainable solutions.
• Prepare and review calculations, hydraulic analyses, drainage designs, and technical documentation.
• Ensure compliance with legislation, regulations, and client standards.
• Drive digital design, BIM integration, and innovation across the discipline.
• Lead client engagement and provide technical advisory throughout delivery.

Skills

Leadership

Mentoring

Coaching

Project coordination

Team management

Education

BSc/BEng in Mechanical Engineering

Pr.Eng with ECSA

Tools

BIM software

Job description

Public Health/Wet Services Engineer - (ENG-L6.194)

Requisition #

ENG-L6.194

Job title

Public Health/Wet Services Engineer

Category

Contract type

Permanent (Employee)

Full Time

Cape Town - Century City, WC ZA (Primary)

Description

Engineering is more than design and delivery at Zutari; it is the craft of shaping possibility.

As a leading buildings, infrastructure engineering, and advisory practice with over 90 years of heritage across Africa and the Middle East, we work across the full infrastructure lifecycle to deliver innovative, digitally enabled solutions. From bridges and dams to energy systems and smart infrastructure, our work connects communities and unlocks long-term value.

We are looking for technical minds who see beyond constraints and are driven to engineer solutions that matter, today and for generations to come.

Role responsibilities

1. Technical Leadership & Engineering Integrity

• Lead the design, coordination, and technical delivery of Public Health/ Wet Services Engineering systems across all project stages, including potable water, hot, hot water return and cold-water services, drainage, sewerage, stormwater management, rainwater harvesting, recycled water systems, specialist water systems, and associated infrastructure.
• Provide technical leadership and guidance to project teams, ensuring engineering solutions are safe, compliant, sustainable, maintainable, operationally efficient, and aligned with client and project requirements.
• Prepare, review, and approve public health/ Wet Services engineering calculations, hydraulic assessments, water demand analyses, drainage designs, reports, specifications, schedules, drawings, and technical documentation.
• Ensure compliance with applicable legislation, regulations, authority requirements, client standards, sustainability objectives, and engineering best practices.
• Drive continuous improvement in engineering methodologies, technical standards, quality assurance processes, digital design delivery, BIM integration, and innovation across the discipline.
• Apply sound engineering judgement and risk-based decision-making throughout the project lifecycle.

2. Delivery Performance & Multi-Disciplinary Integration

• Lead the execution and delivery of Public Health/ Wet Services Engineering design packages, ensuring quality, completeness, and compliance with project scope, programme, and budget requirements.
• Coordinate effectively with mechanical, electrical, structural, civil, fire, architectural, sustainability, and specialist disciplines to achieve fully integrated design solutions.
• Plan and manage discipline deliverables, resource allocation, design reviews, stage-gate submissions, and project milestones.
• Identify, manage, and mitigate technical, programme, commercial, authority approval, and interface risks, implementing corrective actions where required.
• Support project managers and project directors in achieving successful project outcomes and delivery objectives.
• Provide construction-phase support including technical reviews, responses to RFIs, shop drawing assessments, site inspections, commissioning support, and verification that installations meet design intent and operational requirements.

3. Commercial Discipline, Financial Performance & Scope Control

• Deliver Public Health/ Wet Services Engineering services in accordance with approved scope, fee budgets, programme requirements, and commercial objectives.
• Monitor discipline resource utilisation, project performance, and delivery efficiency to support profitable project execution.
• Assist in managing scope changes, variations, design development impacts, and commercial risks throughout the project lifecycle.
• Support the preparation of fee proposals, technical scopes, bid submissions, and variation claims where required.
• Ensure engineering decisions balance technical excellence, project objectives, sustainability requirements, and commercial viability.

4. Client Leadership, Technical Advisory & Relationship Management

• Act as a key Public Health/ Wet Services Engineering contact for clients, project stakeholders, and multidisciplinary teams throughout project delivery.
• Lead technical discussions, workshops, presentations, and design reviews with clients and project stakeholders.
• Provide professional advice on water management strategies, drainage solutions, sustainability initiatives, resilience planning, compliance requirements, and engineering best practices.
• Build and maintain long‑term client relationships through proactive communication, reliable delivery, and trusted technical leadership.
• Represent Zutari professionally in external engagements, fostering client confidence and supporting future business opportunities.

5. Team Capability, Leadership & Technical Development

• Lead, mentor, and support engineers, technologists, technicians, graduates, and BIM professionals within the Public Health/ Wet Services Engineering team.
• Allocate work effectively based on project priorities, technical complexity, individual capability, and resource availability.
• Provide ongoing coaching, technical feedback, and professional development support to team members.
• Contribute to performance management, recruitment, onboarding, succession planning, and capability‑building initiatives.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, accountability, innovation, continuous improvement, and knowledge sharing.

6. Pipeline Contribution & Opportunity Support

• Support the identification and development of new opportunities through strong client engagement and market awareness.
• Contribute technical input to proposals, bids, fee estimates, project pursuits, and business development activities.
• Assist in developing innovative and sustainable engineering solutions that differentiate Zutari in the marketplace.
• Support the growth of the Public Health/ Wet Services Engineering practice by identifying emerging market trends, regulatory developments, water sustainability initiatives, and capability requirements.
• Contribute to building Zutari's reputation through high‑quality project delivery, technical excellence, and client satisfaction, helping to secure repeat business and new opportunities.
• BSc/BEng in Mechanical Engineering or an equivalent recognised engineering qualification.
• Registered as a Professional Engineer (Pr.Eng) with ECSA or an equivalent internationally recognised professional engineering institution.
• Recognised technical leader within Public Health/ Wet services Engineering.
• Leads project teams and provides technical direction across complex multidisciplinary projects.
• Mentors and develops engineering talent within the business.
• Drives client engagement, project delivery excellence, and contributes to business development and market growth initiatives.

We believe that a diverse workforce is key to our business success. We seek the best people for our jobs based on their skills, qualifications, and experience. We embrace the principle of equal opportunity in employment, and we work towards eliminating all forms of unlawfuldiscrimination in our employment practices. In support of diversity and the equal opportunity principle, preference will be given to individuals from designated groups within South Africa.