Summer Internships – Undergraduate Civil & Structural Engineers (Nov 2023)

At GHD, we don’t just believe in the power of commitment, we live and breathe it every day. 

That’s why we pledge to empower all our people to make a positive impact. Together with our clients and partners, we're applying inspiration and a powerful spirit of connection to respond to some of the most complex challenges facing our world.  

If you want to start a career with impact, from solving everyday problems through to tackling some of the great challenges our clients and communities face, you’ll find that here at GHD.

To help facilitate transitions into our Graduate program, our internship experience is designed for students in their penultimate, or second-to-last year of studies, however, is open to students from earlier years as well.

What’s in it for you?

During your internship, you'll have the opportunity to connect with our recent graduates and our broader Young Professionals and Women in GHD networks, learning from their experiences to help decide whether GHD is the right place to start your graduate career.  

An internship isn’t just about networking though.  As an undergraduate in GHD, you will be provided with practical, on the job experience within a technical field aligned to your studies and where possible, to your aspirational career path.   

Towards the end of your internship, you’ll participate in our performance & experience review process and if you’re heading into your final year of studies, conversations about an offer to join our graduate program for the following year.

Who are we looking for?

We are looking for Civil and Structural Engineering students to join our program in November 2023.   

Whether you are a penultimate year student, or someone still with a couple of years to go on your course (including those of you who intent to study a Masters degree next year, in Perth we have opportunities for you across the following business groups.

To help you select some preferences for your summer internship, we asked our Business Group Leads (the people who run each of these teams) to tell you exactly what they do in their day to day, with the hope that you might select their team for your application.

Scott – Business Group Lead - WA Bridges

We have one of the only dedicated Bridge groups in Australia. An opportunity to work on the full life cycle of bridges and civil structures through concept select, detailed design, construction support, asset management; including inspection, load rating, repairs, life extension and strengthening and back to the start with replacement structures. You will work with and learn from best-in-class engineers, designers, modellers and inspectors on bridges and structures which literally connect people, communities and resources.  

David – Business Group Lead - WA Dams & Tailings

Dams and tailings engineering requires understanding and control of the enormous forces and potential energy of water and slurry. From foundation and seismic assessments through to geotechnical, hydrological, hydraulic, mechanical, and structural design GHD has been involved in dams since the company's birth more than 90 years ago. With more than 100 technical people, we have the largest dedicated dams engineering team in the nation.

Alison – Business Group Lead - WA Geotechnical

Geotechnical engineering inputs into any project where a structure is built on (or with) either soil or rock.  As a geotechnical engineer you will have the opportunity to carry out site work (including drilling, test pitting and mapping) and applying your findings to the design of foundations and the identification of building materials for bridges, buildings, dams, roads, mine infrastructure and renewables projects such as solar farms, wind turbines and pumped hydro-electric schemes.  You will have the opportunity to interact with engineers from every other discipline as well as geotechnical engineers and engineering geologists in one of the largest geotechnics firms in Australia. 

Sharyn – Business Group Lead - WA Resources & Materials Engineering

The GHD Resources and Materials group is a large multidiscipline team which will see you collaborating with industry leading technical authorities in the Resources (mining and energy) sector. As a technical leader in the mining and energy sectors, we work on industry shaping projects due to the diversity of GHD and our panel contracts with Tier 1 client organisations. Our projects include process and NPI within many commodities such as iron ore, gold, lithium and bauxite, as well as future energy and renewables projects, i.e. wind, solar, hydrogen and power transmission.

Nick – Business Group Lead - WA Transport

Transport in WA covers three separate markets; Rail Engineering, Transport Planning & Traffic Engineering as well as a dedicated Aviation team.  To help break down some of the tasks that sit across each, here’s an overview of what we do.

• Rail – track and overhead line, digital delivery, systems engineering and safety assurance
• Transport planning and traffic engineering, road safety audits, modelling
• Aviation – civilian, resource sector and defence airfield infrastructure planning and design including runways, taxiways, aprons.

Paul – Business Group Lead - WA Water

GHD’s Water team Water team leads the WA industry in the planning and design of water and wastewater infrastructure, hydrology and surface water management through to hydrogeology expertise in groundwater investigation and management.  We pride ourselves showing up for our clients as a partner who is prepared to listen and develop create solutions, helping them prepare for now and what may occur in the future. 

The health of our planet is inextricably linked to how well we manage our water resources. From extreme water scarcity to rising sea levels, from crippling drought to flooding rains, all have an increasing impact on people and places in every part of the world. Our clients and communities are under increasing pressure and the path ahead isn’t always clear.

If you have a preference for one or more of these areas, you’ll be able to highlight this in your application. Specifically, we have a free text field after selecting your industry preference where you can add some of this information in.  You can also do this in your cover letter. 

All our summer internship position commence in late November / early December (depending on your exam timetable) and will run across the summer break in a full time capacity until late February. 

What happens after you apply?

Once we receive your application, it will be reviewed by one of our Talent Acquisition team members who manage each of our regions. If your application is shortlisted, we will get in touch with you for a Video Interview, where you’ll get the chance to introduce yourself and make another positive impression on both our TA team and hiring managers.

How do you apply? 

1. Select the "Apply" button
2. Please allow up to 10 minutes to complete the questions.
3. Upload a copy of your updated cover letter, CV and academic transcript/s.

Interested? Apply now.

GHD is an equal-opportunity employer, and we want everyone to be able to fully participate in our recruitment process. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and people of all identities.

GHD embraces hybrid work arrangements to create a work environment focused on well-being, flexibility and productivity where GHD people can thrive, this supports the diverse needs of our workforce while balancing the benefits of remote working with the value of face-to-face collaboration in the office.