The Land Transport Authority (LTA) is seeking a Senior Computational Design Technologist for a 1-year temporary contract to join the Infrastructure Design & Engineering Division. This role focuses on AI digitalisation, specifically computational parameter design and AI generative digitalisation projects for LTA Station Design Criteria. Responsibilities include software development, user interface design, and back-end documentation. Key tasks include creating architecture and parametric geometry engines, developing user interfaces with WOG integration, conducting trials and testing, documenting back-end relationship settings, and creating user manuals and troubleshooting guides. Candidates must possess knowledge in Architecture, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related discipline, with at least two years of relevant experience, including one product taken through to production use. Technical requirements include professional-standard proficiency in Rhino, Grasshopper, and Rhino.Compute, including RhinoCommon/C# or GHPython, and the ability to debug headless Grasshopper services. Strong full-stack development skills are required, specifically in JavaScript/TypeScript, along with one back-end language, API design, and state management in complex single-screen applications. The role also involves participating in team discussions, coordinating workshops, and consolidating research findings.
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A focused preparation guide, built around this job’s responsibilities and requirements.
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01
Understand the role
What matters most
Development of Parametric Geometry Engines
The core technical requirement is to build architecture and parametric geometry engines using Rhino, Grasshopper, and Rhino.Compute. You must demonstrate proficiency in RhinoCommon/C# or GHPython to create robust, production-ready computational design tools that automate LTA Station Design Criteria.
Full-Stack Application Integration
You are expected to deliver a complete user experience by building interfaces with WOG (Whole-of-Government) system integration. This requires high-level proficiency in JavaScript/TypeScript, back-end development, API design, and managing complex state in single-screen applications.
Production-Grade Documentation and Support
Beyond coding, you must ensure the longevity of your tools by documenting back-end relationship settings, creating user manuals, and developing troubleshooting guides. This ensures that the computational tools remain maintainable and usable by non-technical staff.
Likely challenges to think through
Debugging Headless Grasshopper Services
Operating Grasshopper in a headless environment removes the visual feedback loop typical of standard design workflows. Prepare by discussing your experience with server-side execution, logging strategies, and how you isolate logic errors when the visual canvas is not available.
Navigating WOG System Constraints
Integrating custom tools with WOG systems often involves strict security and interoperability standards. You may face difficulties aligning your custom geometry engines with existing government infrastructure; prepare by highlighting your experience with API security and adhering to enterprise-level technical standards.
Balancing Technical Complexity with User Usability
Designing a complex, single-screen application that handles heavy parametric computation while remaining intuitive for end-users is a significant trade-off. Be ready to explain your approach to state management and UI design that keeps the application responsive without overwhelming the user.
03
Practice your answers
Technical practice
Debugging Headless Grasshopper Services
What to coverExplain your approach to identifying and resolving errors in a headless Rhino.Compute environment. Focus on logging strategies, handling asynchronous calls, and isolating geometry calculation failures when no UI is available.
RhinoCommon and GHPython Integration
What to coverDescribe how you leverage RhinoCommon or GHPython to extend Grasshopper functionality. Provide an example of how you have used these tools to automate complex parametric geometry tasks beyond standard component capabilities.
State Management in Single-Screen Applications
What to coverDiscuss your strategy for managing application state in a complex, single-screen web interface. Compare different patterns (e.g., Redux, Context API, or observable patterns) and explain how you ensure data consistency between the front-end and the back-end.
API Design for Parametric Engines
What to coverHow do you design robust APIs to bridge a web front-end with a parametric geometry engine? Address considerations such as request/response latency, payload structure for geometry data, and error handling for long-running computations.
Full-Stack Development Workflow
What to coverDescribe your process for integrating a TypeScript-based front-end with a back-end service. Focus on how you maintain type safety across the stack and ensure seamless communication between the user interface and the computational engine.
Production-Ready Computational Design
What to coverReflecting on a product you have taken to production, what were the key challenges in transitioning from a prototype to a stable, usable tool? Discuss your approach to documentation, user manual creation, and troubleshooting support.
Behavioural practice
Coordinating Technical Workshops
What to coverDescribe a time you had to coordinate a workshop to gather requirements or present research findings to stakeholders. How did you ensure the technical complexity was communicated effectively to non-technical participants?
Handling Complex Project Documentation
What to coverShare an example of how you documented a complex back-end system or parametric logic for other users. What steps did you take to ensure the documentation was actionable for troubleshooting and long-term maintenance?
Collaborating in Multi-Disciplinary Teams
What to coverProvide an example of working with professionals from different disciplines (e.g., architecture or engineering) to solve a design problem. How did you align your technical output with their domain-specific requirements?
Adapting to Project Constraints
What to coverDescribe a situation where you had to adjust your technical approach due to project constraints or changing requirements. How did you manage the transition while maintaining the integrity of the generative design output?
02
Sharpen your knowledge
Topics to prepare
Headless Grasshopper Service Architecture
Understand the lifecycle and execution of Grasshopper definitions in a server-side environment. Exercise: Design a workflow to trigger a Grasshopper script via an API call, ensuring you can capture and log errors during the headless execution process. This is critical for the requirement to debug headless services.
State Management in Single-Screen Applications
Study patterns for managing complex application states in front-end frameworks (e.g., React or Vue). Exercise: Build a prototype that synchronizes a complex UI state with a back-end parametric geometry engine, ensuring the UI remains responsive while the engine processes data. This directly addresses the requirement for complex single-screen application development.
Skills to revise
RhinoCommon and C# Integration
Develop custom components or plugins using the RhinoCommon API. Exercise: Create a C# script that programmatically modifies geometry parameters in Rhino and exports the result to a JSON format. This is essential for the professional-standard proficiency required in Rhino.Compute.
Full-Stack API Design
Implement robust communication between a front-end interface and a computational back-end. Exercise: Develop a RESTful API using a back-end language (e.g., Node.js or Python) that accepts user input, passes it to a Grasshopper script, and returns the generated geometry data. This is necessary for the integration of user interfaces with parametric engines.
Technical Documentation for Troubleshooting
Practice creating clear, structured technical manuals for non-technical users. Exercise: Draft a troubleshooting guide for a hypothetical parametric tool, including a FAQ section and a step-by-step guide for resolving common geometry engine errors. This aligns with the requirement to document back-end relationships and create user manuals.
04
Your preparation checklist
Prepare a production-ready computational design case study
Select one project where you took a parametric geometry engine from concept to production. Prepare a concise walkthrough highlighting your use of Rhino, Grasshopper, and RhinoCommon/C# or GHPython, specifically focusing on how you handled headless service debugging.
Demonstrate full-stack proficiency for complex applications
Prepare a code sample or architectural diagram of a single-screen application you built using JavaScript/TypeScript. Ensure you can explain your approach to state management and how you designed the API to communicate with back-end services.
Develop a documentation and troubleshooting framework
Create a sample user manual or FAQ document for a technical tool you developed. This demonstrates your ability to fulfill the requirement of documenting back-end relationship settings and creating troubleshooting guides for end-users.
Formulate questions regarding WOG integration and infrastructure
Prepare thoughtful questions about the specific constraints and requirements of integrating computational tools with WOG (Whole-of-Government) systems, showing your awareness of the public sector environment.
Availability last checked: 19 Oct 2026. Status can change after a check; confirm on the employer’s website. Report an issue · Our checking policy
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