Designer - Electrical

Smith + Andersen is a trusted, Canadian engineering firm, recognized for its multi-disciplinary expertise. With more than seven hundred employees across eleven offices in five provinces, the firm delivers comprehensive solutions nationwide.

At Smith + Andersen our employees contribute to some of the most sustainable building design projects in Canada. The work we do has meaningful impact on the community by contributing to landmark projects such as hospitals, transit stations, parks, federal and provincial government buildings and post-secondary institutions.

Our values drive and define everything we do, demonstrating a deep commitment to sustainability, mentorship and quality work that spans six decades in business. In addition, we are proud to have been certified as a Great Place to Work™ and selected as one of Canada’s Best Workplaces™ for the highly collaborative culture we’ve built and for empowering employees to do great work!

This Opportunity

If you want to contribute to building systems that shape how people experience the spaces where they live, work, and learn, join Smith + Andersen as a Designer at our Ottawa office. You will gain hands‑on experience across system design, technical analysis, and multidisciplinary coordination, supported by a team that values mentorship, collaboration, and knowledge‑sharing. With a focus on technical growth and continuous learning, you will gain increasing independence in your work while you continue to build your expertise within a firm committed to engineering excellence.

Why choose Smith + Andersen?

In addition to an exciting career filled with meaningful work, we offer:

• Flexible hours and half day Fridays (all year round)
• Comprehensive Group Health Benefits Program, including a Health Spending Account
• Group Retirement Savings Plan (Employer and Employee Contributions)
• Employee Share Ownership Program (ESOP)
• Purchase Time off Program
• Transit Subsidy Program
• Wide variety of community and social events
• Great Place to Work-Certified™
• Best Workplace ™ in Ontario
• Best Workplaces for Inclusion™
• Best Workplaces for Professional Services ™
• Best Workplaces for Mental Wellness™

What You’ll Do:

• Design building systems in accordance with office standards, the requirements of municipal or provincial building codes, and other applicable standards.
• Check layouts and services for continuity; developing various electrical systems layouts in co-ordination with the structural, architectural, and mechanical components of a building.
• Develop lighting layouts and coordinate with other disciplines.
• Develop power distribution layouts and sizing, as well as layouts of electrical/switch/transformer rooms.
• Perform electrical load calculations for base building projects.
• Respond to both internal and external communication regarding project or design status; report to the principal and/or project manager regarding the design status.
• Liaise with all project consultants; coordinate design requirements with all disciplines and supervise drawings between other disciplines; check layouts of electrical services for interferences with other components of the building such as structure, ceilings, millwork, etc.
• Familiar with structural, architectural, and mechanical models to appreciate space limitations and interferences.
• Design electrical building systems directly in Revit/CAD; adhering to company BIM/CAD standards.
• Work with clash/coordination reports, assisting with model audits and overall health of the model.
• Liaise with suppliers and/or manufacturers for design support, equipment and component selection.
• Assist with the distribution of work between the internal design team and attend project/technical meetings; where required.
• Assist in construction administration by reviewing equipment shop drawings and conducting site visits, site reviews and preparing change notices, site instructions, etc.
• Any other tasks assigned by Principals or Project Managers required to assist in the completion of projects.

Who You Are:

• Minimum of three years of direct industry experience in the field of electrical building services.
• Diploma/Degree from an electrical building services/engineering program.
• A C.E.T. with equivalent experience and abilities will be considered.
• Demonstrate a strong desire for advancement and professional development.
• Demonstrate the ability to work in complex environment often driven by project deadlines.
• Knowledge and experience working with Autodesk Revit 2017 or newer is required, with exposure to electrical layouts and systems.
• Working knowledge of Autodesk AutoCAD, AutoCAD MEP, Navisworks Manage, and Dynamo software.
• Knowledge of all Microsoft Office suites, specifically Word and Excel.
• Familiarity with systems such as electrical distribution, fire alarm, lighting, security, communication and/or audio-visual systems are preferred assets.
• Familiarity with lighting calculations and able to perform such calculations.
• Outstanding organizational and time management skills.
• Highly innovative and motivated with an attention to detail.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; able to communicate effectively with both internal and external clients.
• Able to work independently, as well as contribute to the team.

About Smith + Andersen

Founded in 1965, Smith + Andersen has organically grown from an established reputation as a trusted engineering consulting firm, reaching new levels of engineering and design excellence in the mechanical, electrical, communications, security and audiovisual fields, and providing enhanced services such as lighting, building automation systems, and intelligent integrated systems design. Thanks to our client-focused approach, we are able to apply efficient, sustainable, and reliable design and engineering solutions on the some of the most exciting projects across Canada.

For more information about Smith + Andersen, please visit our website at

Accommodation

Appropriate accommodations will be provided to candidates upon request throughout the recruitment and hiring process. Successful applicants will be advised of Smith + Andersen’s accommodation policies at the time the employment offer is extended. Only qualified candidates will be contacted.

Diversity

Smith + Andersen is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion and welcomes applications from all qualified candidates of any age, culture, subculture, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, nationality, race, ethnicity, family status, religion, mental or physical status or veteran status.

Recruitment Agencies

Smith + Andersen welcomes interest by individual applicants. For resumes or applications submitted by agencies or recruiters with which Smith + Andersen does not have an agreement in place, Smith + Andersen will not pay any referral fee. Unsolicited resumes or applications from agencies or recruiters will be deemed to have been referred without fee or other charges.

Smith + Andersen does not use artificial intelligence (AI) to screen, assess or select applicants.

Smith + Andersen is an equal opportunity employer.