Engineering - Employer Enquiries

Engineering Recruitment for Australian Employers

Build the Engineering Capability Your Business Needs

Engineering vacancies are rarely interchangeable.

A Civil Engineer who has delivered subdivision projects may not suit major transport infrastructure. A Mechanical Engineer from manufacturing may have very different experience from one working with a mining plant. An Electrical Engineer focused on building services is different again from someone specialising in high-voltage power systems.

Engineering Personnel helps Australian employers recruit engineering and technical professionals according to the work, project environment and level of responsibility involved.

We support employers requiring individual engineers, technical specialists and complete additions to project or operational teams.

Submit Your Engineering Enquiry

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Start With the Engineering Requirement

Before searching for candidates, we want to understand what capability is missing.

Is the person being recruited to:

• design;

• analyse;

• manage projects;

• supervise construction;

• improve plant reliability;

• support manufacturing;

• commission equipment;

• manage maintenance;

• deliver infrastructure;

• lead technical teams;

• prepare drawings;

• provide specialist calculations; or

• solve a particular engineering problem?

The answer determines which candidate market we should target.

Our focus is not simply finding someone with the correct engineering title.

It is finding an engineer whose experience is relevant to the environment in which they will actually work.

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Civil & Structural Engineering Recruitment

Civil engineering covers a broad range of project types and technical specialisations.

We can assist employers recruiting professionals across areas such as:

• Civil Engineering

• Structural Engineering

• Geotechnical Engineering

• Transport Engineering

• Roads and Highways

• Drainage and Stormwater

• Land Development

• Water Infrastructure

• Utilities

• Civil Construction

• Infrastructure Projects

• Site Engineering

• Project Engineering

Potential positions include:

• Civil Engineers

• Structural Engineers

• Geotechnical Engineers

• Project Engineers

• Site Engineers

• Design Engineers

• Senior Engineers

• Civil Draftspersons

• Engineering Technicians

When briefing the role, tell us about the project type, design responsibility, construction exposure, standards, software and level of client interaction required.

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Mechanical Engineering Recruitment

Mechanical engineering requirements can vary significantly between industries.

Engineering Personnel can recruit Mechanical Engineers and related professionals for environments including:

• mining;

• resources;

• manufacturing;

• industrial plant;

• food production;

• materials handling;

• heavy equipment;

• maintenance;

• utilities;

• energy;

• processing; and

• engineering services.

Positions may include:

• Mechanical Engineers

• Project Engineers

• Maintenance Engineers

• Reliability Engineers

• Plant Engineers

• Design Engineers

• Commissioning Engineers

• Technical Engineers

• Mechanical Draftspersons

For mechanical vacancies, useful candidate criteria can include:

• equipment type;

• fixed or mobile plant;

• rotating equipment;

• hydraulics;

• pneumatics;

• materials handling;

• maintenance strategy;

• design responsibility;

• project delivery; and

• commissioning experience.

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Electrical & Electronics Engineering Recruitment

Electrical engineering can span very different technical environments.

Recruitment may cover:

• power systems;

• high voltage;

• industrial electrical;

• controls;

• automation;

• instrumentation;

• building services;

• telecommunications;

• renewables;

• utilities;

• manufacturing; and

• infrastructure.

Roles can include:

• Electrical Engineers

• Electronics Engineers

• Control Systems Engineers

• Instrumentation Engineers

• Power Systems Engineers

• Project Engineers

• Commissioning Engineers

• Electrical Design Engineers

• Telecommunications Engineers

• Electrical Engineering Technicians

A strong recruitment brief should identify voltage level, system type, project environment, design requirements and relevant software or standards.

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Mining, Resources & Heavy Industry Engineering

Resource businesses often need engineers who understand both technical engineering and the realities of site-based operations.

Engineering Personnel can support recruitment across:

• mining;

• mineral processing;

• oil and gas;

• materials handling;

• fixed plant;

• heavy industry;

• maintenance;

• reliability;

• project delivery; and

• operational improvement.

Relevant professionals may include:

• Mining Engineers

• Mechanical Engineers

• Electrical Engineers

• Reliability Engineers

• Maintenance Engineers

• Project Engineers

• Planning Engineers

• Production Engineers

• Technical Services professionals

Candidate fit can depend heavily on:

• commodity;

• mine or plant environment;

• site exposure;

• roster;

• project scale;

• operational versus consulting background; and

• experience working with the relevant equipment or process.

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Manufacturing & Production Engineering

Manufacturing employers often need engineering professionals who understand how technical decisions affect output, quality, maintenance and cost.

We can recruit roles including:

• Manufacturing Engineers

• Production Engineers

• Industrial Engineers

• Process Engineers

• Maintenance Engineers

• Reliability Engineers

• Continuous Improvement Engineers

• Project Engineers

• Engineering Managers

Depending on the operation, employers may require experience with:

• production lines;

• automation;

• lean manufacturing;

• process optimisation;

• capital equipment;

• maintenance systems;

• quality;

• plant layout;

• commissioning; and

• continuous improvement.

The best candidate is often someone who understands both engineering theory and the realities of production.

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Engineering Design & Drafting

Not every engineering vacancy requires a Professional Engineer.

Projects may also depend heavily on experience:

• Engineering Draftspersons

• CAD Designers

• Mechanical Draftspersons

• Civil Draftspersons

• Electrical Draftspersons

• BIM professionals

• Engineering Technicians

• Design Technicians

For these positions, candidate suitability may depend on:

• software;

• drawing standards;

• project type;

• design office experience;

• document control;

• interdisciplinary coordination; and

• ability to interpret engineering specifications.

Tell us what the person will actually produce and which systems they need to use.

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Recruit for the Project Lifecycle

Different Project Stages Need Different Engineers

The engineer required during concept development may not be the person needed during commissioning.

Engineering Personnel can be recruited according to the stage of the project.

Concept & Feasibility

Candidates may require:

• technical studies;

• options analysis;

• preliminary design;

• estimating;

• risk identification; and

• feasibility assessment.

Design

Relevant experience may include:

• detailed engineering;

• calculations;

• modelling;

• drawings;

• specifications;

• design reviews; and

• interdisciplinary coordination.

Delivery & Construction

Employers may require:

• Project Engineers;

• Site Engineers;

• contract administration;

• contractor management;

• QA;

• technical problem-solving; and

• construction supervision.

Commissioning

Candidates may need:

• equipment testing;

• systems integration;

• start-up;

• defect resolution;

• handover; and

• operational readiness.

Operations & Maintenance

The emphasis may shift towards:

• plant availability;

• reliability;

• asset management;

• maintenance strategy;

• failure analysis; and

• continuous improvement.

Defining the project stage helps us search for relevant engineering experience rather than relying on generic titles.

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Project Team Recruitment

Need More Than One Engineer?

Engineering Personnel can support employers scaling projects or operational teams.

A requirement may involve a combination of:

• Project Engineers

• Civil Engineers

• Mechanical Engineers

• Electrical Engineers

• Design Engineers

• Draftspersons

• Engineering Technicians

• Maintenance Engineers

• Reliability Engineers

• Project Managers

• technical support personnel.

For team-based recruitment, we first identify:

• required disciplines;

• seniority mix;

• project duration;

• mobilisation dates;

• locations;

• technical dependencies; and

• which skills need to be present internally versus supplied externally.

This allows the workforce requirement to be considered as a whole rather than filling positions independently.

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Permanent Engineering Recruitment

Permanent appointments are particularly important where the employee will retain:

• project knowledge;

• client relationships;

• asset knowledge;

• design authority;

• technical standards;

• team capability; or

• long-term operational responsibility.

For permanent recruitment, we consider both immediate technical suitability and the candidate's likely contribution over time.

This may include:

• career direction;

• location;

• leadership potential;

• industry interest;

• long-term project pipeline; and

• reasons for considering a move.

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Contract & Project Engineering Recruitment

Some engineering requirements are driven by a defined project or workload peak.

Contract- or project-based recruitment may be appropriate for:

• major infrastructure delivery;

• design programmes;

• shutdowns;

• plant upgrades;

• commissioning;

• temporary project peaks;

• engineering studies;

• specialist technical assignments; and

• project recovery.

For these requirements, candidate availability and mobilisation timing can be just as important as long-term career fit.

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Engineering Software & Systems

Software proficiency can matter, but it should be considered in context.

Depending on the discipline, employers may require experience with systems such as:

• AutoCAD

• Revit

• Civil 3D

• SolidWorks

• Inventor

• Navisworks

• BIM platforms

• engineering analysis software

• project management systems

• maintenance and asset systems

• industry-specific design packages.

We recommend separating software that is genuinely essential from systems that a capable engineer could learn relatively quickly.

Otherwise, employers can unnecessarily restrict the candidate market.

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Industry Experience vs Transferrable Engineering Skills

One of the most important recruitment decisions is whether exact industry experience is mandatory.

Sometimes it is.

For example, a highly specialised technical role may require deep knowledge of a particular process, standard or operating environment.

In other cases, the underlying engineering capability may transfer effectively from an adjacent industry.

We help employers distinguish between:

Industry-specific knowledge that cannot easily be taught

and

engineering capability that can transfer across sectors.

This can significantly expand the available candidate pool.

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Regional & Remote Engineering Recruitment

Engineering projects do not only occur in capital cities.

Engineering Personnel recruits for employers across metropolitan, regional and remote Australia.

For regional or site-based positions, candidate attraction can depend on:

• roster;

• relocation;

• accommodation;

• project duration;

• site conditions;

• family considerations;

• salary;

• allowances;

• travel;

• flexibility; and

• longer-term career opportunities.

These factors should be defined before the search begins.

A technically suitable engineer who is unlikely to remain in the location is not necessarily the right recruitment outcome.

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Technical Candidate Assessment

Engineering candidate screening should go beyond qualifications and job titles.

Depending on the position, we may examine:

Project Scale

What size and complexity of projects has the candidate actually worked on?

Personal Responsibility

Did they design, approve, supervise or simply support the work?

Technical Depth

Which engineering problems were they personally responsible for solving?

Industry Environment

Was the work performed in consulting, construction, manufacturing, mining, operations or another environment?

Standards & Regulation

Which technical standards or regulatory frameworks have they worked under?

Software

Which systems have they used and at what level?

Stakeholder Exposure

Did they work with clients, contractors, operators, regulators or multidisciplinary teams?

Outcomes

What did the candidate actually deliver?

This provides a more meaningful comparison between candidates with superficially similar CVs.

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When the Candidate Specification Is Too Narrow

Engineering vacancies sometimes become difficult because the employer is searching for an exact replica of the previous employee.

A brief may require:

• exact industry;

• exact software;

• exact equipment;

• exact project type;

• exact qualification; and

• an unusually narrow experience range.

We recommend separating requirements into:

Essential

Capability required to perform the role safely and effectively.

Preferred

Experience that would reduce training or onboarding.

Transferrable

Comparable engineering experience from another environment.

Trainable

Systems or processes that can reasonably be learned after joining.

This can improve candidate availability without compromising engineering quality.

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Engineering Recruitment vs Executive Search

Engineering Personnel is designed for broad engineering and technical workforce recruitment.

Where the requirement involves a highly confidential, executive or particularly senior appointment requiring dedicated market mapping and headhunting, the assignment may be better suited to Kingscroft.

This distinction means employers can use the Konnecting recruitment capability most appropriate to the assignment.

Engineering Personnel focuses on engineering workforce capability.

Kingscroft focuses on senior and specialist search.

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International Candidates

Where an appropriate engineering candidate cannot readily be sourced in Australia, the search may be expanded internationally.

However, international recruitment is not the primary purpose of this Employer Enquiries page.

Our first objective is to define the engineering requirement and identify the right candidate market.

Where an overseas candidate ultimately requires employer sponsorship, Konnecting's migration team can separately assess the relevant pathway.

Detailed Skills in Demand visa information is available on our dedicated Engineering SID Visa Recruitment page.

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What We Need From Your Engineering Recruitment Brief

Tell us:

Discipline

• Civil

• Structural

• Mechanical

• Electrical

• Mining

• Industrial

• Manufacturing

• Telecommunications

• another engineering specialisation.

Project or Operating Environment

What will the engineer be working on?

Responsibility

Will they design, deliver, supervise, maintain, analyse or lead?

Technical Requirements

What experience, software, equipment or standards are genuinely essential?

Seniority

Graduate, intermediate, senior, lead or management?

Location

Metropolitan, regional, site-based or remote?

Employment Type

Permanent, contract or project-based?

Timing

When does the engineer need to commence, and what happens if the vacancy remains open?

This information allows us to build a more accurate candidate profile from the beginning.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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Tell Us What Engineering Capability You Need

You do not need to start with a perfect position description.

Tell us:

• what your business or project is delivering;

• which engineering discipline is required

• what the person needs to accomplish;

• project or operational environment;

• technical requirements;

• location;

• salary;

• employment type;

• number of vacancies; and

• required commencement date.

From there, we can help define the candidate market.

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Engineering Personnel Employer Enquiry

For Australian employers seeking engineering, design and technical professionals across projects, operations and industry.

Submit Your Vacancy

Call 1300 131 131.

Jobseekers should use the Engineering Personnel jobs or Submit Resume pages.