Careers
At Fraser Thomas we strive to achieve excellence on every project we are involved in, and pride ourselves on our team of highly skilled professionals that make this a reality.
WORKING WITH US
Fraser Thomas is excited to be growing, and are always on the lookout for new staff.
No two days are ever the same with Fraser Thomas as all our work is project based. You will get the opportunity to work on projects of varying scale, across multiple sectors and face a new set of exciting challenges with each project. You will not only be the engineer on the project you will essentially be the project manager; responsible for the entire project through design, consenting, construction observation and certification. Working across the residential, commercial, industrial, community, recreational, health and education sectors; Fraser Thomas are able to complete a large variety of work scopes – see our projects page for more detail and examples.
Fraser Thomas is involved with many international projects supporting socio-economic development in countries including Vietnam, Lao PDR and the Pacific. We encourage all staff to be involved on these projects.
Current Vacancies
About the Role
We are seeking a Civil or Structural Engineer with 4 to 15 years’ experience to join our established Nelson office and service projects across the top-of-the south. This role will suit an intermediate or senior engineer who is not afraid to step onto site and is looking to step into a varied, hands-on position while enjoying an outstanding lifestyle and genuine work-life balance, in a relaxed office environment.
In this role you will have the opportunity to work on a wide and exciting range of projects, in some of the country’s most beautiful locations; our projects will provide constant and enjoyable challenges for you. You will be involved in a wide variety of work including high end residential, development, commercial and industrial projects, from project conception through to completion.
Key aspects of the role:
- Leading projects from enquiry to successful completion
- Great mix of design and construction monitoring work
- Undertake site inspections and provide practical advice for a range of projects
- Opportunity to contribute to and support business development efforts.
The role involves working closely with the wider Civil, Geotechnical, and Structural Engineering team, as well as collaborating on projects with all other technical staff including Environmental Engineers and Licensed Surveyors. You will be liaising with clients and contractors, and will need to be confident when it comes to building strong working relationships.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate will have the following:
- Bachelor of Engineering (NZ)
- Between 4 and 15 years of New Zealand experience
- Good understanding of NZ design codes
- Strong English communication skills, verbal and written
- Proficiency with design software
- Experienced with construction monitoring and contractor supervision
- Team player, but able to work independently and remotely
- Self-motivation, a willingness to learn, adapt and excel
- Keen to get outdoors and undertake civil, structural and/or geotechnical inspections.
Why Work for Fraser Thomas:
- Excellent remuneration packages
- Strong project workload and opportunities
- Variety of exciting projects in great locations
- Mentoring programme and professional development partner of Engineering NZ
- Support for professional registration and ongoing professional development
- A relaxed work environment
- Focus on a healthy work-life balance with flexible hours and time in lieu
- CPD, training and professional memberships supported
- Opportunity to grow new technical and project skills.
You must be a NZ Citizen or Resident to apply for this position.
Applications to: [email protected]
About the Role
This is a full-time position based in our Christchurch office in Riccarton.
At Fraser Thomas, you will be involved across the full project lifecycle, from feasibility and due diligence through to design and delivery, working directly on civil infrastructure projects with experienced engineers and project teams.
This role is suited to a Civil Engineer with solid consultancy experience who is looking to further develop their technical capability across a diverse range of land development and infrastructure projects, while leveraging their existing skills in a practical, project-focused environment. The successful candidate will be confident in delivering core civil design tasks with minimal guidance, producing practical and buildable engineering solutions across a range of civil infrastructure projects.
You will be responsible for delivering civil engineering design work from concept through to construction within a collaborative team environment. This includes the design and documentation of stormwater, wastewater, water supply, roading, and earthworks infrastructure.
You will work closely with experienced engineers, clients, contractors, and councils to develop practical engineering solutions and progress project delivery across all stages.
Key responsibilities will include:
- Deliver civil engineering design work across all project stages from concept through to construction
- Prepare engineering calculations, drawings, specifications, and other technical documentation
- Design stormwater, wastewater, water supply, earthworks, roading, and associated civil infrastructure
- Carry out construction observation and provide contract administration support
- Collaborate with clients, contractors, councils, and internal project teams
- Support project programming, technical reviews, and coordination of engineering deliverables
About you:
Qualifications and experience required:
- Bachelor of Engineering (Civil or related discipline)
- Approximately 5–8 years’ experience in civil engineering consultancy within New Zealand
- Proficiency in Autodesk AutoCAD and Civil 3D (essential)
- Practical understanding of civil construction methodologies and relevant New Zealand engineering standards
- Proven ability to interpret and analyse technical information, including client requirements, plans, and designs
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Full New Zealand driver’s licence
- New Zealand residency or citizenship
Personal attributes:
- Adaptable and able to respond effectively to changing project priorities and workloads
- Collaborative team player with a positive and proactive approach
- Practical mindset with a strong willingness to learn and further develop technical capability
- Focused on delivering work to time, budget, and required quality standards
Preferred candidates may be asked to complete a technical assessment as part of the selection process.
Why Join Fraser Thomas
- Real project involvement – You’ll be involved in project decisions, not just delivery
- Structured mentoring – Direct support from senior engineers invested in your development
- Flexible career pathway – Develop your role around your strengths and interests
- Multi-disciplinary exposure – Work alongside surveyors and engineers from multiple disciplines across multiple offices
- Strong pipeline of work – A varied range of projects across urban development and infrastructure sectors
- Flexibility in working arrangements – Subject to project and team requirements
Applications to: [email protected]
Professional Development
Fraser Thomas is a member of ACENZ and has been a Professional Development Partner (PDP) of Engineering New Zealand since 2009. We have an effective, proven mentoring programme in place that encourages and supports Engineers to reach their professional development goals. This programme includes the following:
- Monthly in-house seminars
- Providing staff with opportunities to take part in external seminars, conferences and training courses
- Encouraging staff to undertake post-graduate study, including the provision of financial support
- Regular team and project related meetings
- Junior and intermediate staff (“mentees”) being linked to senior staff (mentors), who meet regularly to chart and discuss progress towards the mentee’s professional development goals
- Mock interviews to mimic professional interviews.
Scholarship
Fraser Thomas runs a ‘First Look’ scholarship programme that provides financial support to university students studying engineering at Auckland University or surveying at Otago University. This includes offering scholars practical work experience during university holidays at one of our offices, with a view to future full-time employment. The ‘First Look’ Scholarship programme has been in place since 2002.
For information on applying for this scholarship, refer to the University of Auckland Website http://www.auckland.ac.nz/uoa/cs-scholarships-and-awards
Fraser Thomas’ contribution to engineering education at the University of Auckland was formally recognised in 2014 through becoming a member of The Sir Douglas Robb Society, which recognises donors that have given a total of between $100,000 and $1 million to the University.
