Water Engineer
A water engineer designs, develops, and oversees water supply, wastewater, and drainage systems for municipalities, industries, and infrastructure projects across Australia. They apply hydraulic and civil engineering principles to manage water resources, treat contamination, and ensure compliance with Australian water quality standards and environmental regulations.
What this job is
A water engineer designs, develops, and oversees water supply, wastewater, and drainage systems for municipalities, industries, and infrastructure projects across Australia. They apply hydraulic and civil engineering principles to manage water resources, treat contamination, and ensure compliance with Australian water quality standards and environmental regulations. Their work spans feasibility studies, detailed design, construction supervision, and operational optimisation of water infrastructure.
Are employers advertising this role?
Steady, down 4.7% over 5 years
Counted across a group of similar roles. These are three-month rolling averages of online job advertisements, not filled positions.
Source: Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index.
Day-to-day
Design water supply pipelines and distribution networks using hydraulic modelling software and CAD tools to meet demand forecasts and pressure requirements. Conduct hydrological assessments and flood risk modelling to inform stormwater management and drainage system design. Prepare detailed specifications and design drawings for water treatment plants, recycled water facilities, and wastewater systems in accordance with AS/NZS standards. Review and ensure compliance with state and territory water regulations, including the National Water Initiative and local water service licensing requirements. Supervise construction and installation of water infrastructure, including pipe laying, treatment equipment installation, and system commissioning. Conduct water quality testing and analysis to verify treatment efficacy and compliance with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines. Perform hydraulic and structural calculations for dams, weirs, channels, and pressure pipelines using engineering analysis software. Liaise with water authorities, local councils, and environmental regulators to obtain approvals and manage stakeholder requirements.
Who does this now
About 2,000 people worked in this occupation across Australia at the 2021 Census.
What this role asks for
Bachelor degree or higher (ABS skill level 1)
Registration or licensing may be required.
Can employers fill these jobs
Employers hiring for this occupation had trouble finding suitable applicants in 2025. This measures how hard employers found it to fill jobs. It is not a count of jobs, and it does not say whether the occupation is growing.
Requirements
The standard entry pathway requires a bachelor degree or higher (ABS Skill Level 1). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.
The honest hard part
You may need professional engineer registration or accreditation (such as CPEng), which takes years of supervised experience after your degree. Projects move slowly through approvals and construction. Wastewater work means dealing with sewage systems and occasional site visits to treatment plants.
Where the jobs are
State water corporations are major employers. Some roles in mining and industrial areas. Remote work is limited; you'll attend site meetings and construction supervision regularly.
Pay
Published for ANZSCO unit group 2332, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.
This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.
Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
Skills
- Adjust engineering designscore
- Attention to Detailcore
- CAD softwarecore
- Civil engineeringcore
- Goal Setting and Planningcore
- Microsoft Office Suite Proficiencycore
- Negotiationcore
- Problem Solvingcore
- Process Improvement Identificationcore
- Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
- Report Writingcore
- Research and Analysiscore
- Risk Identificationcore
- Stakeholder Communicationcore
- Team Collaborationcore
- Verbal Communicationcore
- Written Communicationcore
- Continuous Learning and Upskilling
- Data Entry and Accuracy
- Policy Interpretation
- Process Documentation
- Project management
- Reporting and Analytics
- Time Management and Prioritisation
Which of these do you have?
Tick the ones you haveCommon questions
Sources
- ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
- ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
- ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.
Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.
What Water Engineer workers move into, from ten years of tax records.
Last updated: 30 October 2026
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