Team Leader, Drafting – Rail & Metro

About the job

• Join a global consultancy delivering iconic infrastructure projects
• Work alongside industry-leading specialists in a collaborative, flexible environment
• Shape your career with genuine professional growth opportunities

About SMEC

SMEC is a global engineering consultancy renowned for delivering complex, sustainable infrastructure solutions across transport, water, energy, and urban development markets. Our teams are empowered to innovate, solve technical challenges, and contribute to projects that positively shape communities across Australia and worldwide.

We are committed to building a diverse, inclusive and gender‑equitable workforce and encourages applications from people of all backgrounds across engineering and technical disciplines. SMEC provides a supportive and flexible working environment that recognises individual contribution, supports career progression, and enables our people to balance work and life at all stages of their career.

As a family‑friendly employer, we offer flexible working arrangements and benefits including 18 weeks of universal paid parental leave. We are proud to foster an inclusive culture that supports gender equity, LGBTI+ inclusion and First Nations representation, with access to strong professional networks, role models, and mentoring and sponsorship programs.

Infrastructure

At SMEC, we understand that our continued success within the infrastructure market is the result of building long-term client relationships. We listen and understand the specific needs of our clients and deliver a complete value chain of services to provide sustainable solutions across major infrastructure projects worldwide.

The Role

SMEC is seeking an accomplished and people-focused Team Leader, Drafting – Rail & Metro to lead our drafting capability within the Melbourne Rail & Metro team. Working alongside industry-leading engineers, designers and project managers, you will provide leadership and direction to our drafting team while supporting the successful delivery of major rail and transport infrastructure projects.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing Rail & Metro business with a strong pipeline of work across Victoria. You will play an important role in building team capability, developing our people and ensuring we have the right drafting resources, systems and technical standards in place to consistently deliver high-quality project outcomes.

Based in our Melbourne office, you will lead and support a team of drafters across a diverse portfolio of projects, balancing people leadership with technical oversight and project delivery. You will work closely with project and discipline leaders to coordinate resources, manage workloads, maintain quality and drive consistency in our drafting and digital delivery practices.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Lead, mentor and develop the Rail & Metro drafting team, supporting individual development, engagement and career progression.
• Coordinate drafting resources and workloads across multiple projects, working closely with project managers and technical leaders.
• Provide technical leadership and oversight of drafting deliverables, ensuring quality, consistency and compliance with relevant standards.
• Support project teams in the delivery of detailed design and construction documentation across complex rail and transport infrastructure projects.
• Establish and promote consistent drafting standards, workflows, templates and quality assurance processes across the team.
• Drive continuous improvement in drafting and digital engineering practices, systems and ways of working.
• Support workforce and capability planning, identifying skills gaps and future resourcing requirements across the project pipeline.
• Foster a collaborative, supportive and high-performing team culture.
• Build strong working relationships across Rail & Metro and the broader business to support multidisciplinary project delivery.
• Provide hands-on technical support and guidance where required on complex or high-priority project deliverables.

About You

You are an experienced rail or transport infrastructure drafting professional who has progressed into people and technical leadership. You combine strong drafting expertise with the ability to lead teams, coordinate competing project demands and create an environment where people can develop and perform at their best.

You are a collaborative and approachable leader who can maintain high technical standards while balancing the broader needs of the team and project portfolio.

You will bring:

• 8+ years' experience delivering drafting and digital engineering outcomes across Rail & Metro or major transport infrastructure projects.
• Demonstrated experience leading, mentoring and developing drafting teams within multidisciplinary environments.
• Strong capability in workforce planning, resource coordination and balancing priorities across multiple concurrent projects.
• Advanced proficiency with relevant industry software including MicroStation, OpenRail, AutoCAD, Revit or similar platforms.
• Extensive experience preparing, coordinating and reviewing detailed design and construction documentation.
• Strong knowledge of drafting standards, quality assurance processes and digital delivery practices.
• The ability to establish and maintain consistent technical standards and ways of working across a team.
• Strong stakeholder management skills and the ability to work effectively with project managers, engineers, designers and other technical disciplines.
• A genuine interest in coaching and developing people and building long-term team capability.
• A proactive, solutions-focused approach with a commitment to continuous improvement, innovation and technical excellence.

Don't meet every requirement? We still encourage you to apply. We recognise that talent comes from many different experiences and backgrounds, and we're committed to creating an inclusive culture for people from all walks of life.  

How To Apply

All applications must be submitted online. To apply, click on the "Apply Now" link below and follow the prompts.

For a confidential discussion regarding this opportunity, please contact Laura Pierce – laura.pierce@sjgroup.com

To find out more about SMEC, please visit our careers page at www.smec.com/careers

All recruitment activities go through our Resourcing function and currently, this role doesn’t require agency input. Please do not forward resumes directly to SMEC employees/managers; we do not accept unsolicited resumes and are not responsible for any associated fees.

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