Design engineer

Design engineers use their technical knowledge and design skills to create innovative solutions across various industries. They are involved in the concept, design, development, and management of projects in areas such as construction, software, machinery, and more.

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Solution Architect - IT Automation

Location: Brisbane

Branche: Information Technology

Expertise: IT & Shared Services

Experience: 0 years

As the IT Automation Solutions Architect, you will be responsible for designing, developing, and implementing the current and future state architecture blueprints for the IT Automation Chapter across the Rio Tinto portfolio. This role plays a pivotal part in shaping the automation strategy, ensuring alignment with Rio's Digital Strategy and governance frameworks, and driving the successful adoption of AI Ops, monitoring, and cross-platform automation initiatives. You will bridge the gap between business objectives and technical delivery translating complex requirements into scalable, secure, and cost-efficient solutions that enable operational excellence and digital transformation across IT and OT environments. The Role May Need To: Develop Current State and Future State Architecture Blueprints for the IT Automation Chapter, factoring in ten (10) work packages across the portfolio with supporting capability analysis and technical specifications. Design and document Monitoring Tool Architectures, including the introduction of new AI Ops MVP solutions and Event Management Monitoring Tools, detailing existing build states within the Rio Tinto environment. Develop and maintain Automation Pattern Designs to capture current-to-future state transitions, collaborating closely with the AMSR Team and key dependency groups. Create Cross-Platform Automation Design Patterns to align customer service lines with IT Automation delivery objectives and ensure architectural consistency. Develop Infrastructure Cost Models to support cost estimation for decommissioning or optimization scenarios (e.g., when VMs, servers, or networks are switched off). Proactively identify gaps in architecture processes within the Automation Chapter and propose practical solutions to improve governance, standardization, and efficiency. Chair Design Authority reviews for automation pattern publishing and provide technical leadership across design submissions, including CAB and ARB governance forums. Provide timely technical advice and tangible solutions to automation challenges across Cyber, IDM, and Network domains, ensuring dependencies are managed and delivery risks are mitigated. Maintain architecture documentation and design artefacts within the defined SharePoint structure, ensuring traceability and alignment with project work packages. Develop a 12-month Architecture Roadmap highlighting key automation and monitoring initiatives by priority and business impact. Actively participate in team syncs, workshops, and ADO Kanban ceremonies, collaborating effectively with global teams across multiple time zones.

Communications Engineer

Location: Perth

Branche: Information Technology

Expertise: IT & Shared Services

Experience: 3 years

As a Communications Engineer, you will: Collaborate with asset engineers, project managers, and internal stakeholders to meet operational communication requirements. Develop medium- and long-term sustainment strategies for communications systems, ensuring reliability and compliance. Work closely with technical specialists to ensure the right expertise is applied throughout project development and delivery. Oversee contractor performance and benchmark service providers against agreed SLAs and standards. Ensure compliance with relevant legislation and industry standards by engaging with regulators and professional bodies. Drive functional excellence through knowledge sharing, lessons learned, and continuous improvement initiatives. Contribute to commercial outcomes by optimising supplier relationships and demonstrating cost leadership. Manage health, safety, and environmental aspects of service delivery, maintaining high safety standards across all activities.

Project Engineer

Location: Scoresby

Branche: Life Sciences

Expertise: Research & Development

Experience: 4 years

Reporting into the Capital Engineering Manager, this role will suite someone with wealth of experience in food and beverage industry, preferably from confectionary background. They will be responsible for the planning, development, and execution of capital investment projects within the supply chain network. The Project Engineer will lead and manage technical feasibility, design, and implementation, ensuring all projects align with business strategy, quality, safety, and environmental standards. You will be working in a collaborative and high-performing engineering environment, delivering a variety of projects that support manufacturing excellence, automation, and sustainability goals. Project Development Phase: Lead the development of capital investment projects, ensuring strong business cases, technical feasibility, and alignment with strategic goals. Deliver accurate project scopes, budgets, and timelines. Ensure compliance with HSE, quality, procurement, and sanitary design standards. Engage stakeholders across functions to align on technical requirements and outcomes. Project Execution Phase: Manage project execution including installation, commissioning, and handover to operations. Oversee contractor management, resource planning, and compliance with work permits and site safety protocols. Drive project completion on time, to budget, and to required quality standards. Utilize structured project management methodologies (e.g., IIM framework) and tools. Lead and support cross-functional teams and mentor junior engineers. Recognize and promote team contributions and development.

Senior Subsea Valves Engineer

Location: Perth

Branche: Conventional Energy

Expertise: Validation

Experience: 4 years

Deliver technical input to subsea valve design, engineering, testing and qualification activities Support technical review of vendor proposals, bid evaluations and clarifications Coordinate interfaces between internal engineering, FEED contractor and vendors Ensure risks are captured, tracked and mitigated in line with project assurance processes Participate in and lead technical assurance reviews, design reviews and readiness assessments Support preparation of technical documentation, scopes of work and contracting packages for Execute phase Contribute to mentoring and knowledge-sharing within project and engineering teams

Studies & Feasibility Project Engineer

Location: Perth

Branche: Renewable Energy

Expertise: Research & Development

Experience: 4 years

Study Delivery: Lead the planning, coordination, and execution of feasibility and concept studies aligned with organisational sustainability goals. Governance & Reporting: Implement structured study governance, maintain quality and assurance standards, and prepare documentation to support investment decisions. Innovation & Technology Evaluation: Evaluate emerging technologies for technical and commercial potential, recommending suitable pilots and implementation pathways. Stakeholder Engagement: Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to define scope, review progress, and integrate study outcomes into broader business planning. Commercial Impact: Deliver studies that drive insights into capital efficiency, cost optimisation, performance improvement, and emissions reduction. Risk & Dependency Management: Identify and manage study risks and interdependencies, developing and tracking mitigation strategies. Modelling and Analysis: Lead financial and technical modelling to assess study costs, profitability, assumptions, and key performance metrics

Project Engineer

Location: Darwin

Branche: Infrastructure

Expertise: HR & Recruiting

Experience: 0 years

Join our clients civil construction team delivering road, drainage, earthworks, and infrastructure projects across Darwin. The Project Engineer supports project delivery from planning through to completion, ensuring quality, safety, and cost objectives are achieved. Key Responsibilities: Assist the Project Manager in planning, scheduling, and coordinating site works. Monitor construction progress, productivity, and subcontractor performance. Prepare and review project documentation including ITPs, QA records, and as-builts. Manage procurement of materials and services to meet program timelines. Ensure compliance with WHS, environmental, and quality standards. Conduct site inspections and maintain accurate progress reporting. Liaise with clients, consultants, and suppliers to resolve technical issues. Track costs, variations, and assist with forecasting and progress claims. Support continual improvement and mentor graduate engineers or site staff.

Planning Electrical Engineer

Location: Perth

Branche: Conventional Energy

Expertise: Validation

Experience: 5 years

Provide electrical engineering support for maintenance campaigns, MOCs, and technical workpacks Assist with capital project scopes, remediation, and turnaround readiness activities Optimise maintenance strategies and support root-cause investigations of significant electrical defects Deliver assurance on electrical integrity and Safety & Environmental Critical Elements Collaborate with site execution teams and provide backfill coverage when required Identify improvement opportunities based on operational feedback and data analysis Support Technical Authorities and participate in engineering governance and compliance reviews

Senior Project Engineer

Location: Perth

Branche: Mining

Expertise: Research & Development

Experience: 4 years

Provide input and guidance to the project design to align with the agreed scope and deliver the study or project's target objectives. Review engineering and design deliverables for compliance with agreed specifications, guidelines, standards and project criteria on a project. Develop overall project work packs including scope interfaces, packages, battery limits, schedule and costs. Develop vendor and contractor contract and tender packages including technical data, scopes of work, specifications and contract schedules. Contribute to the Safety in Design process and functional safety reviews for a project including HAZID, HAZOP, RAMCO, Constructability, technical design reviews and risk reviews. Track and manage progress and key milestones for the associated the processing scope through study and project phases including interfaces with other scopes and project groups.

Project Engineer - Mechanical

Location: Kwinana

Branche: Mining

Expertise: Production & Manufacturing

Experience: 3 years

Lead the planning, coordination, and delivery of brownfield sustaining projects in accordance with internal project governance. Apply a hybrid Agile/Scrum project methodology including sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and retrospectives. Collaborate with internal engineering, construction, and operations teams to ensure seamless project execution. Manage contractor interfaces and ensure alignment with project scope and standards. Oversee procurement of materials and services, and track cost and schedule performance. Ensure completed works are handed over smoothly to operational teams. Foster a high-performing, safety-focused project environment that aligns with company policies and procedures

Electrical Project Engineer

Location: Perth

Branche: Mining

Expertise: Validation

Experience: 4 years

Oversee the end-to-end delivery of major procurement packages from specification through to handover on site. Verify that all purchased equipment and materials meet required technical standards, specifications, and regulatory obligations. Monitor and manage procurement timelines to ensure alignment with overall project delivery schedules. Control procurement costs and ensure all purchasing remains within approved budget parameters. Review and endorse technical documentation to confirm compliance with project and design requirements. Collaborate with engineering and site teams to confirm that all procured equipment is fit for purpose. Work closely with design teams to integrate constructability and maintainability considerations into design outcomes. Coordinate and resolve technical queries and deviations with vendors and contractors in a timely manner. Provide technical guidance and support to construction teams during project execution. Lead engagement with contractors to ensure adherence to contractual obligations, performance expectations, and safety requirements. Track contractor performance, address emerging issues, and manage risks to maintain schedule and cost control. Promote strong communication and collaboration between internal teams, suppliers, and contractors to meet project milestones. Deliver regular progress updates and procurement reports to the project leadership team. Maintain detailed and accurate records for compliance, traceability, and audit purposes. Contribute to the identification, assessment, and mitigation of project risks across the procurement lifecycle.

Design engineer job role 

Design engineers are responsible for creating innovative solutions to problems by using their technical knowledge, mathematical expertise, and design skills. They design and test a range of consumer goods and products and use computer software to create designs and prototypes to ensure product functionality. Apart from conducting research and developing projects, engineers fulfil a range of responsibilities within the engineering department. These tasks encompass creating test prototypes, drafting precise blueprints, and supervising the manufacturing process.

 

Design engineer responsibilities 

As a design engineer, your responsibilities may include:

 

  • Conducting thorough research and create detailed blueprints, engineering plans, and visual graphics
  • Constructing test prototypes to evaluate the performance and functionality of new designs
  • Proposing innovative solutions to enhance production efficiency and optimise manufacturing processes.
  • Using advanced design software to generate precise models and drawings for new product development
  • Assessing the user-friendliness, cost-efficiency, and ecological impact of design solutions
  • Generating diverse design prototypes using computer-assisted design tools
  • Documenting the complete design journey and delivering progress updates to pertinent stakeholders
  • Identifying new systems and processes for quality and efficiency improvements

  • Collaborating with clients to understand their requirements

    Leading a team of engineers

  • Writing technical reports summarising findings
  • Planning and delivering projects on time and within budget

Types of design engineers 

Design engineers are a crucial asset to various industries, playing a key role in transforming creative concepts into tangible, useful products. There are several engineering disciplines in which professionals in the field can specialise. These disciplines include:

  • Civil engineering
  • Mechanical engineering
  • Electrical engineering 
  • Manufacturing engineering
  • Chemical engineering
  • Textile engineering
  • Aerospace engineering
  • Nuclear engineering
  • Structural engineering


In addition to the broad engineering disciplines, design engineers also have the option to specialise in a specific area of the field. Some of the popular specialisations in design engineering include:

  • Chemical engineering
  • Civil engineering
  • Electrical engineering
  • Electronic engineering
  • Mechanical engineering
  • Product/industrial design engineering
  • Software engineering

Design engineer skills 

To succeed as a design engineer, you will need a range of skills, including:

  • Strong computational and spatial ability
  • Proven experience in using CAD software
  • Good understanding of safety standards and the environmental imact of a design
  • Ability to confidently present in front of stakeholders and managers
  • Excellent oral and written communication
  • Attention to detail
  • Advanced design skills
  • Product-focused creative thinking
  • In-depth knowledge of industry design principles
  • Strong working knowledge of computer-aided design (CAD) or engineering software
  • Excellent problem-solving skills
  • Good project management skills
  • Effective time management and prioritisation skills
  • Leadership skills
  • Mathematical knowledge
  • Creativity
  • Technical skills
  • Analytical thinking
  • Communication
  • Teamwork
  • Commercial awareness of specialist area of engineering
  • Eye for detail and methodical work process
  • Numeracy skills
  • Flexibility and adaptability to change
  • Driven, self-motivated attitude and ability to use initiative