Associate Director

Step into a pivotal engineering leadership role with genuine influence across people, projects and performance. Decobu is an established Australian building services engineering consultancy delivering Mechanical, Electrical, Hydraulic and Fire Protection Engineering services across the building and construction industry. We are seeking an experienced and commercially astute Associate Director - Engineering Operations to lead the day-to-day performance of our multidisciplinary engineering teams. Reporting directly to the Director - Head of Engineering, you will act as the operational second-in-command, translating business priorities into practical action and ensuring our people, projects and resources perform effectively. This is a hands-on leadership role with genuine influence across project delivery, team development, engineering quality, commercial performance and continuous improvement.

What You’ll Do

• Engineering Leadership & People Management: Provide day-to-day leadership across our multidisciplinary engineering teams, acting as operational second-in-command to the Director - Head of Engineering. Coach and develop team members while building a culture of accountability, collaboration and high performance.
• Project Delivery & Technical Oversight: Oversee the successful delivery of multidisciplinary projects, ensuring appropriate resourcing, coordination, technical quality and compliance. Identify project risks early and lead practical recovery actions where required. Maintain oversight of project budgets, fee performance, forecasts, variations, work in progress, invoicing and profitability. Strengthen commercial awareness and accountability across project teams.
• Client Relationships & Business Development: Build trusted relationships with clients, consultants, contractors and other project stakeholders while supporting proposals, tenders, presentations and business development opportunities.
• Operational Management & Continuous Improvement: Coordinate day-to-day engineering operations, team capacity and resource allocation. Lead practical improvements to systems, processes, productivity and interdisciplinary coordination.
• Management Reporting & Performance Accountability: Provide clear and timely reporting on resources, project delivery, financial performance and operational risks. Establish clear expectations, monitor performance and ensure agreed actions are followed through.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this role means building a high-performing and accountable engineering team that consistently delivers quality projects and strong commercial outcomes. You will be successful when:

• Projects are appropriately planned, resourced and delivered to agreed scope, programme, budget and quality expectations.
• Project leaders confidently manage their teams, projects and commercial responsibilities.
• Multidisciplinary coordination, technical oversight and project risk management are consistent and effective.
• Financial performance is clearly understood, actively managed and accurately reported.
• Clients receive coordinated, responsive and dependable service, supported by practical improvements to workflows and operational performance.

Through clear reporting, practical leadership and continuous improvement, you will enable the Director - Head of Engineering to focus on strategic priorities while maintaining confidence in the day-to-day performance of the engineering function.

About You

You are an experienced building services engineering leader who combines technical credibility with commercial judgement and a practical, people-focused leadership style. You understand that successful engineering leadership is not only about producing technically sound designs. It is also about developing capable people, coordinating resources, delivering projects efficiently and maintaining strong commercial discipline. You will bring:

• A relevant tertiary qualification in Mechanical, Electrical, Hydraulic, Fire Protection or a related engineering discipline.
• More than 10 years of post-graduate experience in building services engineering consultancy.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Strong knowledge of building services design, project delivery, coordination, compliance and Australian regulatory requirements.
• Proven experience managing multiple projects, resources, budgets, fees, forecasts and project profitability.
• Strong business acumen and experience in client relationship management, fee proposals and business development.
• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, organisational and problem-solving skills.
• The ability to balance strategic priorities with the practical demands of day-to-day operations.

Professional registration or chartered status will be highly regarded. Previous experience as an Associate Director, Engineering Manager, Discipline Manager, Operations Manager or in a comparable senior engineering leadership role would be advantageous.

Culture Matters

At Decobu, the quality of our people, the strength of our relationships and the way we work together are fundamental to our success. We are looking for a leader who demonstrates humility, integrity, sound judgement and personal accountability. You will be approachable, solutions-focused and committed to developing people, improving performance and building a collaborative workplace. You will lead rather than simply supervise, coach rather than command, and take responsibility rather than pass problems upwards.

What We Offer

A high-impact senior leadership role with genuine influence across the business. The opportunity to work closely with our Director - Head of Engineering as operational second-in-command. Exposure to diverse, multidisciplinary building services projects. The ability to shape project delivery, engineering systems, team capability and commercial outcomes. A collaborative workplace focused on accountability, professional excellence and continuous improvement. Competitive remuneration package and the opportunity to develop the next generation of engineering leaders.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced engineering professional ready to take greater ownership, lead multidisciplinary teams and contribute meaningfully to the continued growth and development of an Australian engineering consultancy. All applications will be treated in strict confidence. For further information about Decobu, visit https://www.decobu.com.au/careers.