Director, Arctic Engineering

Director, Arctic Engineering

Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

Brampton or Ottawa, ON

Edmonton or Calgary, AB

At EXP, we’re driven to provide innovative solutions for the world’s built and natural environments. As a team of engineers, architects, designers, scientists, creators, and a community of professionals, we bring diverse and talented people together to solve the world’s most complex challenges. Here, you join a team that leverages differences, harnesses their entrepreneurial spirit in an employee-owned company, believes diversity is what gives us strength, seeks sustainable results, and shares ambitions for each other, our clients, and the communities we are part of and serve. To be a part of EXP means to have your own experience while staying connected to a global network of professionals, who believe we are a part of something bigger. Together, we are EXP.  
Are you ready to design your future?

Be our next Director, Arctic Engineering!

Your Work Environment at EXP

We are seeking a senior engineering leader to guide the growth and delivery of complex infrastructure projects across Canada’s northern and Arctic regions. This role requires sound technical judgment, strategic thinking, cultural awareness, strong commercial acumen and the ability to build lasting relationships.

The successful candidate will provide regional and practice leadership, lead business development, guide multidisciplinary teams and establish technical and project delivery direction. The Director will work closely with Indigenous organizations and communities, northern and territorial governments, regulators, clients, contractors and technical professionals to deliver practical, resilient and community-informed solutions in remote and challenging environments.

What a day at EXP has in store for you 

Director Responsibilities

Strategic Regional Leadership, Business Development and Client Relationship

• Develop and implement a growth strategy for Arctic and Northern engineering services that aligns with EXP’s broader infrastructure priorities.
• Act as a visible senior leader and trusted advisor, collaborate across EXP offices and disciplines to assemble the best available expertise for northern assignments.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with Indigenous organizations and communities, government, municipalities, regional development organizations, utilities and private-sector clients.
• Lead and support proposals, including scope development, pricing, resourcing, risk review, interviews and contract negotiations. Develop strategic partnerships and teaming arrangements that strengthen local participation, capacity building and successful project delivery.

Project and Commercial Oversight

• Lead complex, multidisciplinary assignments. Provide oversight of scope, schedule, budget, quality, risk, staffing and client satisfaction.
• Ensure projects are appropriately governed, resourced and reviewed, with timely escalation and resolution of significant issues.
• Support staff in design, contract administration, claims avoidance, procurement, construction-phase decision-making and closeout.

Technical Leadership and Quality

• Establish technical direction and promote resilient, constructible and life-cycle-focused solutions suited to permafrost, climate, logistics and remote operating conditions.
• Provide technical review of studies, designs, specifications, cost estimates, reports, drawings and contract documents.
• Ensure appropriate quality management, independent review, design verification and document control processes are followed.
• Participate in recruitment, onboarding, performance development, succession planning and retention of key talent.
• Demonstrate visible leadership in health, safety and environmental performance and ensure applicable policies and project requirements are followed.
• Identify and manage technical, commercial, contractual, reputational and delivery risks, with clear documentation and escalation.
• Approach engagement with respect, cultural awareness and a commitment to meaningful, long-term relationships.
• Facilitate senior-level discussions with Indigenous governments, organizations, rights holders, community representatives, regulators and funding agencies.
• Support permitting, approvals, consultation and environmental assessment processes, in coordination with appropriate specialists.
   

What your experience looks like

• Bachelor’s degree in civil, environmental or a related engineering discipline; a graduate degree is considered an asset.
• Licensed Professional Engineer with NAPEG, or eligible for registration in the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Additional Canadian registrations are considered an asset.
• Approximately 10 to 15 years or more of progressively responsible experience in Arctic, northern, remote or cold-regions engineering, including senior project and team leadership.
• Demonstrated experience working with Indigenous communities or organizations, northern or territorial governments, municipalities, regulators or regional development organizations.
• Experience leading infrastructure planning, design and construction in Arctic or remote environments.
• Strong knowledge in one or more relevant areas such as water, wastewater, sewage lagoons, linear municipal infrastructure, transportation, buildings, site development, solid waste, geotechnical engineering or climate-resilient infrastructure.
• Demonstrated business development capability, including client relationship management, proposal leadership and securing new work.
• Strong project management and commercial skills, including scope, schedule, budget, risk, quality and contract management.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications. Familiarity with relevant civil, hydraulic or stormwater modelling tools is an asset, depending on the candidate’s discipline.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel to northern and remote locations, including occasional field assignments.

The salary range for this role is between $169,703k - $224,956K. The actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to skill set, depth of experience, certifications, and specific work location. 

With a mission to understand, innovate, partner and deliver, EXP provides engineering, architecture, design and consulting services to the world’s built and natural environments.

Our heritage dates back to 1906, when the earliest of EXP’s predecessor companies started its engineering infrastructure practice. Today, thousands of creative professionals across EXP work together to deliver extraordinary experiences year after year.

What makes us different

The passion, enthusiasm, diversity and industry-leading capabilities of our employees make us who we are. We’re committed to providing a challenging work environment that cultivates career growth, encourages creativity and rewards excellence.