Before starting his academic position at La Trobe University as a lecturer in civil engineering, Haider had the opportunity to work as a chartered professional structural engineer with one of the leading firms in Australia. He was engaged in structurally designing several large and prestigious projects in Melbourne including the new Royal Children's Hospital. In Bendigo, he was involved in engineering two recently developed buildings by La Trobe University, the new Health and Science building and the Clinical Teaching building. His professional engineering experiences equipped him with broad design skills which showed direct relevance to both teaching and research.

Haider's research track is oriented towards establishing industrial links which resulted in undertaking research investigations with attracting funds from the Department of State Development, Business and Innovation.