Title:  Engineering Lead - Cost Planning

About John Holland

At John Holland, our purpose is simple – we transform lives with everything we do.

We’ve always known that infrastructure is about people — our customers, our employees, and the communities in which we work every day.

That’s our difference. Deep experience and capability with a genuine care about creating better lives for people along the way.

Be part of the team that’s up for the challenge of transforming lives for good.

About the Project

The Linewide Alliance, comprising John Holland, Alstom, RATP Dev, KBR and WSP, are excited to be delivering the transformative Suburban Rail Loop (SRL) East Linewide package.

When SRL opens, the new rail services for passengers will also be delivered by, a venture between RATP Dev and John Holland to operate and maintain the franchise for 15 years from 2035, to be known as TransitLinx.

The Alliance will deliver a world-class, service-proven driverless metro system that sets new benchmarks for comfort, safety, and reliability for Melbourne.

SRL is a transport and urban planning project that will deliver world-class public transport, reduce travel times, and support the delivery of more homes and housing.

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced Engineering Lead – Cost Planning to be the subject matter expert (SME) and assurance lead for cost planning across the design phases of the project, ensuring clear recording and reporting of cost movements against each design package.

Reporting to the Engineering and Design Manager, you will work closely with internal and external stakeholders to establish the baseline cost plan and identify any discrepancies for further review as design submissions progress.

Responsibilities

• Establish baseline cost plan from tender estimate
• Review design packages at each submission gate for any deviations from the baseline
• Report deviations to the relevant Engineering Manager and align on corrective actions
• Participate in review of change proposals to establish impacts on the baseline cost plan
• Lead cost plan reviews and provide clear recommendations to senior leadership team
• Drive continuous improvement by integrating lessons learned and delivery actuals into estimating process in collaboration with broader John Holland Cost Planning cohort
• Drive value-for-money outcomes through proactive cost analysis, and influence design and delivery decisions
• Deliver actionable insights on cost performance
• Maintaining auditable cost data
• Collaborate with internal project stakeholders to influence design decisions through cost impact analysis, scenario testing, and value-engineering reviews.
• Ensure alignment between design development, estimating, and delivery outturns to improve forecast accuracy and cost predictability
• Collaborate with Procurement to align cost planning outputs with budgeting, forecasting and risk management process
• Build strong relationships with design and delivery team to promote transparency, innovation, and shared understanding of cost drivers

About You

To be successful in this role, you will hold a degree qualification in Engineering, Construction, Building, Quantity Surveying or other associated discipline as well as extensive experience in construction cost planning, tendering, or project delivery.

You will have:

• Substantial experience in cost planning for infrastructure, rail, and building projects
• Multi-disciplinary estimating experience and quantity surveying
• Advanced financial management skills
• Advanced skills in estimating computer software packages

Your excellent communication skills and ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams and key stakeholders, will see you succeed in the role.

As part of the team, you can help us transform lives.

Your success is reflected in ours, so we’re committed to being an employer of choice. We pride ourselves on having a diverse and inclusive workplace, as we understand that different perspectives and ideas are critical to our long-term success.

We want you to be with us for the long term, so providing you with rich career experiences and ongoing development is our priority.

What’s in it for you

We’re about connecting your sense of purpose to ours. We understand that your career is one of the biggest ways to have an impact on the world. We also believe in supporting you as a whole person, not just an employee.

We reward and support our people in so many ways. This starts with being flexible about how different people like to work. From generous leave policies to wellbeing and relationship support, your needs sit at the heart of our employee benefits.

We offer:

Competitive remuneration with salary continuance, and salary sacrifice options.

Great leave benefits including 18 weeks paid parental leave with super and up to an extra 18 weeks of super paid on further periods of unpaid parental leave, multicultural leave exchange and two extra days to prioritise your wellbeing.

Career progression underpinned by our exciting pipeline of work means you’ll have the opportunity to work on iconic projects that are shaping cities and communities.

Learning and development opportunities where you’ll have access to emerging talent programs, building your career through clear career pathways, plus technical and leadership training and development opportunities.

Inclusion, diversity and equity is part of how we work. We want everyone at John Holland to feel that they belong – that’s why we’re working hard every day to foster a more inclusive culture, backed by a business-wide inclusion strategy to bring about meaningful change. We’ve also got active employee resource groups that support our commitments including those around gender equality and reconciliation.

Flexibility means different things to different people. Whether it’s flexi-hours, flexi-parenting, flexi-leave, flexi-shifts or flexi-work, we’re committed to helping our people work flexibly.