Free Position Description (Structural Engineer) Template

Purpose of the Free Position Description (Structural Engineer) Template

A well-drafted position description is the foundation for attracting, hiring, and managing qualified professionals. This free Position Description (Structural Engineer) template provides a structured starting point for Australian businesses in the construction, engineering, and design sectors.

It helps you clearly articulate the scope of the role, key responsibilities, required qualifications, and essential performance indicators. By defining these elements upfront, you can streamline your recruitment process, set clear expectations from day one, and ensure the candidate understands their critical role within your organisation's safety framework.

Defining roles and responsibilities is a cornerstone of effective safety management. This document helps integrate the structural engineer’s duties into your broader WHS management systems, ensuring that safety considerations, particularly the duties of a designer under WHS law, are formally recognised and assigned.

Key Components of the Position Description

Our template is organised into logical sections to ensure comprehensive coverage of the role. These include:

• Position Summary: A high-level overview of the role's purpose and its contribution to the organisation.
• Key Responsibilities: Detailed duties including structural analysis, design and documentation, project management, site inspections, and client liaison.
• WHS Responsibilities: A dedicated section outlining the engineer’s specific duties to ensure designs are safe and without risk, so far as is reasonably practicable, and to contribute to a positive safety culture. For expert help defining safety-critical roles, consider our WHS consulting services.
• Qualifications and Experience: Specifies necessary academic degrees, professional accreditations (like CPEng), software proficiency, and years of relevant experience.
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Measurable goals to assess performance, such as design accuracy, project deadlines, and budget adherence.

How to use the Free Position Description (Structural Engineer) Template

This resource is available in both DOCX and PDF formats. We recommend downloading the DOCX version to easily edit and adapt the content to your specific business needs.

Review each section and modify the text to reflect your company's structure, culture, project types, and specific legislative requirements in your state or territory.

Important: This document is a template and is not a substitute for legal or professional advice. We have designed it to be a helpful starting point, but it must be customised to your specific workplace requirements, project needs, and organisational structure.

It is your responsibility to ensure the final document is fit for purpose and aligns with all applicable laws and standards. Engaging in regular WHS compliance auditing can help verify that your role definitions and safety procedures meet legal obligations.

When to use it

A formal position description for a structural engineer should be used in several key situations. The most common is during the recruitment and hiring process to attract suitable candidates and provide clarity during interviews.

It should also be used for onboarding new employees, forming the basis for their induction and training. Furthermore, it serves as an essential tool for performance reviews, helping to establish clear, measurable objectives.

Establishing clear roles and responsibilities is also a fundamental requirement for companies seeking certification against international standards, a process we can support with our ISO 45001 consulting services.

Who should use it

This template is designed for a range of personnel involved in recruitment, project management, and operational oversight within the built environment sector. This includes:

• HR Managers and Recruiters: To create accurate and appealing job advertisements.
• Hiring Managers and Team Leaders: To clearly define the role they are looking to fill and assess candidates against set criteria.
• Directors and Business Owners: To ensure governance and clarity across all roles within the organisation.
• Project Managers: To understand the specific accountabilities of the structural engineers on their team.

By using a standardised and thorough document, you can promote consistency and professionalism across your organisation. For more templates and checklists, feel free to browse our complete free WHS resources library.