Associate Director – Building Structures

About Us

At HDR, we specialise in engineering, architecture, environmental and construction services. Our global team of more than 15,000 employees is united by our values and strengthened by our employee-owned culture. We collaborate across disciplines, leverage global expertise, and empower our people to create solutions that make a lasting impact.

 The opportunity

Join HDR as a senior leader in our Australian Building Structures practice, shaping the growth of our Melbourne team while leading complex, high-profile building and mission-critical projects.

Working in partnership with the National Building Structures Leader, you will set technical and delivery direction, strengthen trusted client relationships, lead major pursuits and build the capability required for sustainable national growth.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Lead complex structural and multidisciplinary building projects from pursuit through construction, acting as the senior technical advisor and client-facing leader.
• Set the structural delivery strategy, governance, design responsibilities and technical review framework for major projects and pursuits.
• Own technical quality and assurance across all project phases, ensuring safe, practical and buildable solutions that satisfy client, regulatory and commercial requirements.
• Lead the resolution of complex design and construction issues while protecting design intent, programme and project outcomes.
• Lead value engineering, constructability and whole-of-life reviews with clients and contractors to improve cost, programme, embodied carbon and operational performance.
• Champion digital engineering, BIM and data-led delivery, driving consistent workflows, automation and effective use of HDR’s global design resources.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with priority clients, contractors and industry partners,
• Partner with the National Building Structures Leader to shape practice strategy, capability investment and sustainable growth.
• Create an inclusive, accountable and high-performing team culture that promotes collaboration, technical excellence and career growth.
• Own project and portfolio-level commercial performance, including forecasting, fees, change control, risk, resourcing, cash flow and timely escalation of emerging issues.
• Set clear delivery expectations and maintain accountability for scope, programme, quality, coordination and client satisfaction.
• Drive continuous improvement in technical standards, delivery processes and operational performance across the structural practice.
   

What Makes This Role Different?

This is a genuine leadership opportunity with the scope to shape HDR’s Melbourne structural team, influence national standards and lead strategic accounts and major pursuits.

You will lead structural delivery for complex data centre and mission-critical projects while retaining the opportunity to support selected work across HDR’s broader buildings portfolio.

You will work directly with HDR’s global mission-critical and building design specialists, drawing on international expertise, delivery systems and lessons learned to solve demanding Australian project challenges.

The position combines technical authority, client influence, commercial ownership and people leadership, with the opportunity to help define the future leadership model of the Melbourne practice.

What You’ll Bring

You will bring evidence of senior leadership impact, including:

• A demonstrated ability to set technical direction and provide decisive leadership on complex or high-risk structural projects.
• A record of building and leading high-performing engineering teams through coaching, clear accountability and inclusive leadership.
• Success developing trusted client relationships and converting opportunities into repeat work and new commissions.
• Sound commercial judgement across fees, forecasting, change, risk, resourcing and project recovery.
• The ability to align multidisciplinary teams and communicate complex technical or commercial matters with clarity.
• A continuous-improvement mindset, with practical experience advancing quality, digital delivery and project outcomes.

Essential Experience

• A degree in Civil or Structural Engineering and Chartered Professional Engineer status, or an equivalent professional registration recognised in Australia.
• Typically, 15 or more years’ structural engineering experience within a multidisciplinary consulting environment, including leadership of major building projects.
• Demonstrated responsibility leading structural engineering teams, technical assurance, programme, fees, forecasting and risk.
• Strong working knowledge of the National Construction Code and relevant Australian Standards, including AS 1170, AS 3600, AS 4100, AS 3700 and AS 2870.
• Proven experience leading client engagement, business development and major bids or pursuits.

Why Join HDR?

• Employee ownership – contribute to the business as an owner and share in the long-term success you help create.
• Practice-shaping influence – help define the growth, capability and future leadership of Melbourne’s structural team.
• Complex project leadership – lead technically demanding data centre, mission-critical and selected major building projects.
• Global technical reach – collaborate directly with international specialists, delivery teams and technical leaders.
• Career and people impact – build team capability, develop future leaders and influence national practice direction.