Principal Civil Designer

Purpose

As a Principal Civil Designer, you will serve as a senior technical authority and design leader for civil design activities across complex, large‑scale, and high‑value projects. You will be accountable for the overall technical quality, constructability, and consistency of civil design deliverables, while providing expert‑level guidance to designers, engineers, and project teams.

The Principal Civil Designer is a trusted technical advisor to project leadership and clients, and a key contributor to the development of best practices, standards, and continuous improvement within the civil design discipline. The position plays a critical role in delivering safe, constructible, and cost‑effective civil solutions across multidisciplinary engineering projects in the energy, chemicals, mining, and infrastructure sectors.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Authority & Design Leadership

• Act as the principal technical authority for civil design on large and complex projects, providing expert guidance on layout, constructability, and integration with structural, mechanical, piping, electrical, and process disciplines.
• Lead the development and oversight of complex civil design deliverables, including:
  • Site grading, drainage, and earthworks plans
  • Roadways, access roads, and heavy haul routes
  • Underground services, buried piping, and utility corridors
  • Stormwater management systems, culverts, and ditches
  • Site development, plot plans, and overall civil layouts
• Establish and uphold civil design philosophies, standards, and best practices across projects and portfolios.
• Provide advanced technical input into design challenges related to constructability, access, maintainability, modularization, transportation, and site logistics.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex civil design issues and project‑critical technical decisions.

Quality Assurance & Governance

• Ensure civil design deliverables meet required quality standards, project specifications, and applicable codes, standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Perform senior‑level technical reviews and assurance checks on critical civil design deliverables and 3D models.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of civil design procedures, workflows, templates, and technical guidelines.
• Champion digital design excellence, model governance, and consistency in the application of design tools, data standards, and drawing practices.

Project & Stakeholder Leadership

• Provide technical leadership and strategic input to project management teams during project planning, execution, and delivery.
• Act as a senior civil design interface with clients, supporting technical alignment, design reviews, and resolution of high‑level design issues.
• Collaborate closely with Civil Engineers, Structural Engineers, and other discipline leads to ensure integrated, coordinated, and constructible design solutions.
• Support constructability reviews and interface with construction, geotechnical, survey, procurement, and commissioning teams as required.

Mentorship, Capability Building & Continuous Improvement

• Mentor and coach Lead and Senior Civil Designers, providing technical guidance and supporting professional development.
• Contribute to discipline capability development, succession planning, and technical competency frameworks within the civil design team.
• Support the implementation of lessons learned and continuous improvement initiatives across projects and portfolios.
• Promote a strong safety culture in design, including consideration of safe access, excavation safety, traffic management, and construction sequencing.

Qualifications & Experience

Education & Training

• Diploma or degree in Civil Engineering Technology, Engineering Design Technology, or a related discipline.

Experience

• Extensive, progressive experience in civil design within engineering, EPC/EPCM, or industrial project environments.
• Demonstrated experience providing technical leadership on large‑scale, multidisciplinary industrial projects.
• Recognized subject matter expertise in civil site development and infrastructure design for industrial facilities in sectors such as oil & gas, chemicals, mining, power, or infrastructure.

Technical Skills

• Advanced proficiency in industry‑standard civil design and drafting platforms (AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD, MicroStation, OpenRoads, AVEVA E3D, or equivalent).
• Expert‑level understanding of site development, grading, drainage, underground services, and constructability for industrial facilities.
• Strong knowledge of applicable civil codes, standards, and regulatory requirements (municipal standards, provincial regulations, transportation and drainage standards, client specifications).
• High‑level ability to interpret and apply engineering drawings, geotechnical reports, survey data, vendor information, and construction methodologies.

Leadership & Professional Attributes

• Recognized technical leader with the ability to influence, mentor, and guide design teams and project stakeholders.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to provide clear technical direction to multidisciplinary teams and clients.
• Highly organized, proactive, and capable of managing multiple priorities across complex project environments.
• Trusted advisor mindset, with a commitment to technical excellence, safety, and continuous improvement.

EEO Statement

We’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive and respectful workplace where everyone feels they belong, can bring themselves, and are heard. We provide equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to age, race, creed, color, religion, sex, national origin, ancestry, disability status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, citizenship status or any other basis as protected by law.

Additional Information

We want our people to be energized and empowered to drive sustainable impact. So, our focus is on a values‑inspired culture that unlocks brilliance through belonging, connection and innovation.

And we’re not just talking about it; we’re doing it. We’re reskilling our people, leveraging transferable skills, and supporting the transition of our workforce to become experts in today’s low‑carbon energy infrastructure and technology.

Whatever your ambition, there’s a path for you here. And there’s no barrier to your potential career success. Join us to broaden your horizons, explore diverse opportunities, and be part of delivering sustainable change.