Principal Civil Hydraulic Engineer

Title:

Principal Civil Hydraulic Engineer

Lead the future of water, shape resilient communities.

At KBR, we don’t just deliver infrastructure—we help shape the environments where communities thrive. As we continue to secure some of the most complex and impactful projects across Australia, we’re looking for a Principal Civil Hydraulics Engineer to join KBR Adelaide Team to provide technical leadership and drive excellence across major water and infrastructure programs.

This is a career-defining opportunity to step into a strategic leadership role, influence major project outcomes, and work alongside some of the industry’s most respected technical specialists.

Position Overview:

As a Principal Civil Hydraulics Engineer, you will provide strategic technical leadership across major infrastructure and water projects, shaping innovative, sustainable, and resilient hydraulic solutions.

You’ll play a critical role in driving technical excellence, influencing key stakeholders, and supporting business growth—while integrating hydraulic design across the full project lifecycle, from planning through to construction.

Key Responsibilities:

Technical Leadership

• Lead the planning, design, and delivery of complex hydraulic engineering solutions
• Provide specialist expertise in flood modelling, stormwater management, and integrated catchment design
• Act as Technical Authority/Reviewer for designs, models, and reports
• Drive innovation in modelling, digital workflows, and design optimisation
• Ensure compliance with relevant standards and regulatory frameworks

Project Delivery

• Oversee scope, budgets, schedules, and resourcing across major projects
• Manage technical risk and ensure high-quality, compliant deliverables
• Lead delivery across the full lifecycle – planning through to construction support
• Build and maintain strong client relationships as a trusted advisor
• Identify opportunities for repeat work and strategic growth

Stakeholder & Client Engagement:

• Influence outcomes through engagement with clients, regulators, and industry stakeholders
• Represent KBR in technical forums, client meetings, and industry events
• Support bids, tenders, and broader business development initiatives

People Leadership & Collaboration:

• Mentor and develop engineers across modelling, design, and reporting
• Build team capability and support future technical leaders
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture
• Work closely with multidisciplinary teams across transport, civil, environment, and planning

Innovation & Continuous Improvement:

• Lead integration of hydraulic design across varied infrastructure sectors
• Communicate complex modelling outcomes to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Contribute to continuous improvement and national knowledge sharing

Skills & Experience Required:

You are a recognised technical leader with deep expertise in hydraulic engineering and a passion for delivering high-quality, impactful solutions.

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (or equivalent)
• Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) or equivalent
• Extensive experience in hydraulic engineering, flood modelling, and drainage design
• Strong proficiency with tools such as TUFLOW, HEC-RAS, MUSIC, DRAINS, WaterGEMS
• Proven ability to lead large, complex, multidisciplinary projects
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills

About KBR:

At KBR, you’ll be part of a global organisation with a strong local footprint—delivering projects that matter.

• Work on landmark, city-shaping projects across transport, water, and urban development
• Be empowered to lead technically, with the autonomy to influence design and client decisions
• Collaborate with industry-leading experts in a genuinely multidisciplinary environment
• Flexible, supportive culture that values wellbeing, inclusion, and career longevity
• Strong pipeline of work with opportunities to grow teams, capability, and market presence

KBR is renowned for working in partnership with our clients and construction partners to deliver exceptional outcomes, underpinned by our collaborative approach and “One Team” philosophy.

KBR values:

Our KBR Values - We Value Our People, We Deliver, We Are People of Integrity, We Empower, We Are a Team of Teams - embody our people centric organisation.

Our culture, and our genuine focus on our people is a major factor in our success and we want you to be part of our journey. 

Curious about the exciting projects and what life is like at KBR Adelaide?

Check out our videos and see for yourself:

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Shape tomorrow by applying today!

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