Mechanical Engineer - Water
AECOMAECOM, a global infrastructure adviser, is seeking a Mechanical Engineer to join its Water team in Christchurch, New Zealand. This full-time, onsite role sits with a group of water and dam specialists, focused on delivering essential three-waters and dam projects for communities across NZ and Australia. If you’re early in your engineering career or looking to take the next step, you’ll have room to grow technically while contributing to projects with real, lasting impact.
As part of the Christchurch office, you’ll work on pump stations, pipelines and hydraulic systems as well as dam infrastructure, gaining hands-on experience and tapping into a broad technical network. You’ll collaborate with civil, structural, electrical and process engineers to solve real-world challenges and learn from experienced professionals who support your development every step of the way.
The day-to-day work
You’ll deliver mechanical design solutions across a range of water and dam projects, working in multidisciplinary project teams to bring ideas from concept to drawings. In practice, that means helping design pump stations, pipelines and valves, and preparing the calculations, technical reports and specifications that guide project delivery.
Expect to run hydraulic assessments to support performance, reliability and resilience, identify engineering challenges and contribute creative, practical solutions. You’ll take part in design reviews and QA processes to catch discrepancies early, and you’ll collaborate closely with civil, structural, electrical and process engineers to ensure integrated outcomes. You’ll also mentor graduate and early-career engineers while juggling project budgets and timelines, and you’ll participate in site visits and client interactions to broaden your practical understanding of how designs translate to real-world execution.
Must-have requirements, then nice-to-haves
To be considered, the team is looking for a baseline of formal education and hands-on experience, plus a clear interest in water and infrastructure:
- A Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering or a related discipline
- At least two years of mechanical engineering experience, ideally in water, wastewater, industrial or infrastructure settings
- Experience or exposure to areas such as pump station design, process piping design, pipe stress analysis, mechanical equipment specification and selection, steady-state hydraulic modelling and pump selection, transient analysis of pipelines (surge), finite element analysis (FEA) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD)
- Experience using design and modelling tools like Inventor, HAMMER, AutoCAD, Revit, AutoPIPE or similar software
- Strong communication and collaboration skills for working with multidisciplinary teams
- Critical thinking abilities to identify issues, explore solutions and contribute to technical problem-solving
- A genuine interest in building a career in the water and infrastructure sector
- Aspiring to Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) status
Nice-to-haves that could help you hit the ground running include:
- Experience mentoring graduate or junior engineers
- History of collaborating on integrated projects with civil, structural, electrical or process engineers
- Exposure to projects in New Zealand or Australia
Pay, benefits and practical details
This is a full-time, onsite role based in Christchurch, New Zealand. While the exact salary isn’t disclosed here, AECOM backs a broad benefits package and opportunities to grow within a global network of specialists.
AECOM describes a comprehensive benefits offering that may include medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D, disability benefits, paid time off, leaves of absence, voluntary benefits, perks, flexible work options, well-being resources, an employee assistance program, business travel insurance, service recognition awards, a retirement savings plan and an employee stock purchase plan. The company is an Equal Opportunity Employer, and new hires are supported by local expertise while connected to its global network of specialists. You’ll also be told that all new employees attend in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment.
In Christchurch you’ll be joining a team that supports your growth and provides access to the resources of a Fortune 500 firm. The aim is to help you build the skills that could lead you toward more senior and principal engineering roles over time, while you contribute to projects that benefit communities today.
Advice for applicants
Lead your resume with water-focused mechanical engineering work from the past couple of years, and place that experience at the top so it’s easy to see your fit for three-waters and dam projects.
When you describe your must-have skills, give concrete examples: name a pump station or pipe design you worked on, mention specific hydraulic modelling or surge analysis tasks, and note the software you used to model and document your work.
Be ready to talk through how you’ve collaborated with civil, structural, electrical or process engineers on integrated designs, and share a moment when you identified a technical issue and proposed a practical fix.
Ask a targeted question that shows you’re thinking about how you’ll grow within AECOM’s Water team, for example: how does the Christchurch group collaborate with the global network on large dam projects, and what opportunities exist to pursue the CPEng pathway here?