Engineering Recruitment Agencies Adelaide — Vetted Shortlist in 7 Days
Technically screened, referenced engineers on your shortlist within 7 days, with a 90-day guarantee on permanent hires.
Get a quote Call 0477 567 567Most engineering recruitment agencies Adelaide employers try can find a CV with the right degree. Finding an engineer who has delivered on a live motorway, a shipyard or a hospital build, and who can pass the checks your client needs, is harder. TQN Personnel recruits civil, structural, mechanical, electrical and naval engineers, plus drafters and project engineers, for consultancies, contractors and defence suppliers across Adelaide. Every candidate is technically interviewed and referenced. Here is how our engineering recruitment service works.
Trusted by teams across Australia
- RCSA Member
- Fully Insured & Workers-Comp Covered
- Defence & Shipbuilding
- Transport & Civil Infrastructure
- Building Services
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Energy & Utilities
From brief to shortlist
Brief us
Brief us on the discipline, project stage, design tools, registrations and any security requirement, plus the team the engineer will join.
Search & screen
We approach engineers with relevant project experience, run technical interviews and verify degrees, memberships, registrations and right to work.
Vetted shortlist in 7 days
You receive a short list of technically screened, referenced engineers within 7 days, with notes on projects delivered and notice periods.
90-day guarantee
If a permanent engineer leaves or underperforms within 90 days, we recruit a replacement at no cost.
Why TQN Personnel
Jobs and Skills Australia's 2025 Occupation Shortage List names engineering among the persistent shortages from 2021 to 2025, and in Adelaide the same people are wanted by transport, defence and health projects at once. We recruit with that competition in mind. Our consultants ask about the projects an engineer has actually delivered, the standards and tools they used and the registrations they hold, then confirm memberships and registrations on the public registers. For defence roles we check citizenship and history early, because clearances are sponsored by the employer and take time. For contract engineers, we supply under our South Australian labour hire licence.
Inside the Adelaide talent market
Adelaide has a population around 1,469,163 and a labour force near 648,379.
Health Care and Social Assistance
Education and Training
Professional, Scientific and Technical Services
Construction
Retail Trade
Edinburgh Defence Precinct
Lonsdale Industrial Precinct
Tonsley Innovation Precinct
Osborne Naval Shipyard
Technology Park Adelaide
Port Adelaide Enfield
Source: ABS
Engineering Roles We Place in Adelaide
- Civil and structural engineers
- Mechanical and electrical engineers
- Naval architects and marine engineers
- Project and site engineers
- Building services engineers (HVAC, hydraulics, fire)
- Systems, controls and electronics engineers
- Drafters and design technicians
- Engineering managers and project controls staff
Credentials & checks we verify for engineering
- Engineering degree verified, or an Engineers Australia skills assessment for overseas-qualified engineers
- Engineers Australia membership grade, Chartered (CPEng) status or National Engineering Register listing where claimed
- Interstate registrations where a project needs them, such as RPEQ in Queensland
- Citizenship and checkable work history for defence roles that need a security clearance
- White Card for site-based engineers
- Technical references from senior engineers or project managers
Engineering hiring demand across Adelaide
Adelaide has an unusual overlap of engineering-heavy work: a motorway section through the inner suburbs, the expansion of the Osborne shipyard for nuclear-powered submarines, and a major new hospital. Each needs civil, mechanical, electrical and systems engineers over many years, and each competes for the same experienced people.
River Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project
Motorway tunnels and lowered roads completing the North-South Corridor, needing civil, structural, geotechnical and systems engineers.
source ↗Osborne Submarine Construction Yard
Expansion of the Osborne naval shipyard for building SSN-AUKUS submarines, with enabling works started and long-term demand for naval, mechanical and electrical engineers.
source ↗New Women's and Children's Hospital
Major hospital build planned beside the Royal Adelaide Hospital, needing structural, building services and project engineers.
source ↗Recruitment licensing & compliance
Permanent engineering placements are not labour hire: the engineer joins your payroll and we charge a one-off fee. Contract engineers we employ and supply to your projects are labour hire. South Australia's labour hire licensing scheme, run by Consumer and Business Services, was widened to cover all industries from 29 January 2026, and newly covered providers had to be licensed by 29 July 2026 (SafeWork SA). Because the scheme now covers every industry, contract engineering supply is included. TQN Personnel holds a South Australian labour hire licence and provides the number on engagement.
FAQs
Do engineering recruitment agencies in Adelaide place contract engineers?
We do. Contract engineers are employed by us and supplied to your project at an hourly or daily rate, which is labour hire under South Australian law. We hold a South Australian labour hire licence, which every provider has needed since the scheme was widened to all industries.
Can you recruit engineers for defence projects in Adelaide?
Yes, including naval architects, systems engineers and mechanical and electrical engineers for shipbuilding and defence suppliers. Clearance processing takes time, so we confirm citizenship and checkable history before shortlisting to avoid delays after an offer.
Do engineers need to be registered to work on your projects?
It depends on where the work is done. Queensland requires RPEQ registration for professional engineering services, and other states have their own rules. We confirm which registrations your project needs and check them on the relevant public registers.
How do you assess an engineer's technical skills?
Through structured technical interviews about real projects: the design decisions, standards, tools and constraints involved. We then take references from the senior engineers or project managers who saw the work, not just HR contacts.
How quickly can you shortlist engineers in Adelaide?
Our standard is a vetted shortlist within 7 days of a clear brief. Senior or niche disciplines may take longer because the best candidates are usually employed, and we will tell you at the start if that applies.