Requisition ID: 100912

Job Category: Infrastructure

Location: Mississauga, ON, Canada

We are seeking a Freight Rail Lead to join our growing Rail Practice in Western Canada. Based in Mississauga, this senior leadership role will provide technical, operational, and project delivery leadership across a diverse portfolio of freight railway, port, terminal, logistics, and industrial infrastructure projects across Western Canada and, at times, throughout North America.

The successful candidate will serve as a trusted advisor to clients, lead multidisciplinary teams, drive project delivery excellence, and support the continued growth of Hatch's freight rail business. Working closely with regional and global rail leaders, this individual will play a key role in shaping strategy, developing client relationships, identifying new opportunities, and expanding Hatch's reputation as a leading provider of freight rail solutions.

This is an exciting opportunity for a collaborative and entrepreneurial leader who is passionate about solving complex rail challenges, mentoring and developing high-performing teams, and helping clients navigate the evolving needs of the freight transportation industry. The role offers the opportunity to influence major rail, terminal, and industrial development projects while helping shape the future of freight rail infrastructure across Canada and North America.

What You'll Do

As the Freight Rail Lead, you will provide technical, operational, and project delivery leadership across a diverse portfolio of freight railway, industrial development, port, terminal, and logistics infrastructure projects. Your work will span the full project lifecycle, from strategic planning and feasibility studies through engineering design, construction support, and commissioning.

Key responsibilities include:

Project Leadership & Delivery

• Lead the planning, organization, and delivery of freight rail projects, ensuring technical excellence, quality, safety, schedule, and budget objectives are achieved.
• Direct multidisciplinary teams and interfaces involving:
• Rail and terminal operations
• Signaling systems
• Rail communications
• Wayside monitoring systems
• Civil infrastructure
• Structures
• Drainage systems
• Roadway interfaces
• Rolling stock considerations
• Manage project execution from concept development through detailed design, procurement support, construction, and commissioning.

Technical Leadership

• Lead and oversee freight rail planning, advisory, and engineering studies, including:
• Rail network, corridor, and capacity assessments
• Rail operations, service planning, and operational modelling
• Yard, terminal, and industrial rail facility planning and design
• Freight rail master planning and rail access studies
• Rail corridor development and expansion projects
• Horizontal and vertical track alignment design
• Track infrastructure, grading, drainage, and corridor civil design
• Structures, retaining systems, and geotechnical interface coordination
• Railway signaling, train control, communications, and systems integration
• Grade crossing, roadway, utility, and third-party interface coordination
• Rail infrastructure condition assessments and rehabilitation strategies
• Constructability, staging, and operational continuity planning
• Quantity take-offs, cost estimating, and capital planning
• Engineering design reports, technical memoranda, and business case documentation
• Technical specifications, procurement support, and contract documentation
• Design reviews, interdisciplinary coordination, and quality assurance
• Provide technical guidance and quality reviews for complex rail engineering projects.
• Ensure compliance with applicable North American railway standards, regulatory requirements, client specifications, and industry best practices.
• Champion Hatch's Design for Safety philosophy, quality management processes, and technical excellence initiatives.

• Support innovation and continuous improvement in rail planning, design, and project delivery practices.

Client & Business Development

• Serve as a trusted advisor and primary point of contact for clients on project-specific matters.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships through exceptional project delivery and industry engagement.
• Support business development initiatives by:
• Identifying opportunities
• Developing client account strategies and pursuit plans
• Developing client relationships
• Leading technical proposals and pursuit teams
• Defining project scopes, execution strategies, and work plans
• Preparing effort estimates, schedules, and fee proposals
• Collaborate with regional and global leadership on growth strategies and market opportunities.

• Support key account management activities with major railway and industrial clients.
• Represent Hatch at industry conferences, client meetings, industry associations, and networking events to enhance Hatch's market presence and strengthen industry relationships.
• Contribute to annual business planning, revenue forecasting, and growth initiatives for the Freight Rail Practice.

Team Leadership & Mentorship

• Support the development, mentoring, and technical growth of engineers, designers, and emerging professionals.

• Provide leadership and oversight to multidisciplinary project teams, ensuring successful delivery of projects while maintaining Hatch's standards for quality, safety, schedule, and commercial performance.
• Foster a culture of safety, collaboration, technical excellence, innovation, and continuous learning.

• Foster collaboration across Hatch's Canadian and global rail teams.
• Contribute to internal and external training, knowledge sharing, and industry initiatives.

• Champion knowledge sharing through technical communities of practice, internal training programs, mentoring initiatives, and industry engagement.
• Contribute to the development of Hatch's rail engineering standards, best practices, tools, and delivery methodologies.
• Support recruitment, workforce planning, and talent development initiatives to meet the growing needs of the Freight Rail Practice.

What You Bring

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or a related engineering discipline from an accredited university.
• Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) designation in Canada, or eligibility for registration.
• Minimum 15+ years of progressive rail industry experience, including freight or heavy rail infrastructure projects.
• Demonstrated experience leading multidisciplinary rail engineering projects through planning, design, procurement, construction, and commissioning phases.
• Strong knowledge of North American railway design standards, codes, and industry best practices.
• Experience with project management, project engineering, and client-facing project delivery.

• Demonstrated ability to lead technical reviews and provide oversight of work completed by internal teams, external consultants, and specialty subcontractors.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary engineering interfaces, including track, civil, structural, geotechnical, signaling, communications, and operations disciplines.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including technical reports and proposal development.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and projects in a fast-paced consulting environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience working with Class I and Shortline railways, industrial rail facilities, ports, terminals, or rail logistics infrastructure.
• Experience leading teams within a consulting engineering environment.
• Knowledge of railway operations and maintenance practices.

• Strong understanding of rail operations, constructability considerations, and the integration of engineering solutions with operational requirements.

• Established industry network and client relationships within the Canadian rail market.

Why Join Hatch?

• Lead impactful rail infrastructure projects across Canada and North America.
• Collaborate with industry-leading experts in rail, transit, infrastructure, and transportation.
• Influence the growth strategy and technical direction of Hatch's heavy rail practice.
• Work in a flexible, inclusive, and collaborative environment that values innovation and continuous learning.
• Access exciting career growth opportunities through our global network of projects and professionals.

Join Hatch and help build the future of rail transportation.

Base salary range: $131,000 - $181,000

At Hatch, we are committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. In accordance with legislated pay transparency requirements, the expected salary range for this position is based on current market data and aligned with internal pay structures to ensure consistency and fairness.

Your individual compensation within this range will depend on factors such as skills, experience, qualifications and location. In addition to base pay, our total rewards package may include performance-based incentives, comprehensive benefits, and other programs designed to support your well-being and growth.

Why join us?

• Work with great people to make a difference
• Collaborate on exciting projects to develop innovative solutions
• Top employer

What we offer you?

• Flexible work environment
• Long term career development
• Think globally, work locally

Don't meet every single requirement? You don't need to. At Hatch, we are building a diverse, inclusive workplace that fosters innovation. If you're interested in this role, we encourage you to apply even if your past experiences don't perfectly align with the skills we've listed.