The Opportunity:McElhanney's Terrace operations are a cornerstone of our Northern & Interior BC (NIBC) region, supporting clients and communities throughout Terrace, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Smithers, and surrounding areas. Our multidisciplinary team delivers engineering, geomatics, environmental, and community infrastructure services across municipal, transportation, development, resource, energy, and Indigenous community projects.
As part of a planned leadership succession resulting from an upcoming retirement, we are seeking a business-minded and people-focused leader to guide the next chapter of growth and success for our Terrace branch. The successful candidate will bring experience leading diverse, multidisciplinary teams, a strong understanding of the broader Northern BC market, and the ability to build trusted relationships with clients, employees, and communities. As leader of the Terrace Branch you will be working closely with the Prince Rupert Operations leader collaborating across teams, clients and communities.
This is a unique opportunity to build on an established and successful operation, lead a talented team, strengthen our client partnerships, and continue expanding McElhanney's presence and impact throughout Northwest British Columbia.
Working closely with regional and sub-regional leadership, you will help shape and execute the branch's growth strategy while benefiting from the resources, expertise, and collaboration of a larger employee-owned organization.
As Operations Leader, you will be accountable for the overall leadership and performance of the Terrace branch, executing strategic objectives and delivering results across McElhanney's four cornerstones: People & Communities, Clients & Partners, Processes & Technology, and Financial.
Success in this role will require a balanced focus on people leadership, business development, operational excellence, financial performance, community engagement, and building a collaborative, safe, and accountable workplace culture.
The successful candidate is based in Terrace, BC, or willing to relocate to Terrace to provide strong, visible leadership for the branch and actively engage with clients, employees, and the local community. What You'll Be Doing: Directly reporting to the Regional Vice President, Northern & Interior BC (NIBC) region, and working closely with the regional leadership team, you will lead our Terrace branch, strengthen our existing business, and identify opportunities to expand McElhanney's presence across Northwest British Columbia.
- Business & Strategic Leadership
- In alignment with Strategy 2030, regional priorities, and sub-regional opportunities co-lead the strategic direction for the north west sub-region alongside the Operations Leader of our Prince Rupert branch.
- Build on the branch's strong reputation and long-standing legacy of serving communities throughout Northwest BC.
- Identify and pursue strategic growth opportunities across existing and emerging markets.
- Expand cross-selling and collaboration across McElhanney's service lines to bring the full capabilities of the firm to our clients.
- Identify opportunities to improve branch operations, service delivery, and overall business performance.
- Clients, Markets & Community
- Strengthen relationships with municipal, Indigenous, provincial, industrial, resource, and private-sector clients.
- Develop new business opportunities throughout Terrace, Kitimat, Prince Rupert, Smithers, and surrounding communities.
- Maintain a strong understanding of regional market conditions, client priorities, and emerging opportunities.
- Represent McElhanney through active participation in industry associations, community initiatives, client engagement, and business development activities.
- Build strong partnerships across McElhanney to support integrated service delivery and regional growth.
- People Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and develop a multidisciplinary team of consulting professionals.
- Establish effective workforce plans that support current business needs and future growth, including recruitment, succession planning, and leadership development.
- Create meaningful development opportunities for employees and strengthen the branch's future leadership pipeline.
- Foster an engaged workplace culture built on collaboration, accountability, inclusion, safety, and employee growth.
- Set clear expectations and effectively manage individual and team performance.
- Operational & Financial Leadership
- Take accountability for branch financial performance, including annual budgets, forecasting, utilization, invoicing, collections, and key performance indicators.
- Lead workload management and resource planning to support effective project delivery and sustainable team performance.
- Maintain strong operational discipline across safety, quality, risk, and business processes.
- Monitor branch performance and proactively identify opportunities to improve efficiency, profitability, and service delivery.
What You'll Bring: - Professional accreditation in a technical field applicable to McElhanney's business.
- 15+ years of progressive experience in consulting engineering, geomatics, environmental consulting, or a related professional services environment.
- 5+ years of leadership experience with responsibility for people, financial outcomes, and operational performance.
- Demonstrated success leading and developing multidisciplinary teams and building future leaders.
- Proven ability to attract, develop, engage, and retain high-performing employees.
- A strong track record of business development, market growth, and building long-term client relationships.
- Strong understanding of Northern BC markets, including municipal, transportation, development, industrial, energy, natural resource, and Indigenous sectors.
- Experience working with clients and communities throughout Northwest British Columbia is considered a strong asset.
- Experience managing business or operational performance within a consulting or professional services environment.
- A demonstrated commitment to community involvement and building meaningful relationships within regional markets.
Skills & Attributes for success: - Strong people leadership, coaching, and team development capabilities.
- Business-minded approach with an understanding of how consulting organizations generate revenue, manage performance, and achieve sustainable growth.
- Strong financial and commercial acumen.
- Exceptional communication, relationship-building, and interpersonal skills.
- Sound judgment with strong problem-solving and decision-making capabilities.
- Proactive, entrepreneurial mindset with the drive to identify and pursue opportunities.
- Ability to lead through change and adapt to evolving client, market, and business needs.
- Demonstrated ability to grow client relationships, expand services, enter new markets, and identify strategic opportunities.
- Collaborative leadership style with the ability to build partnerships across regions, disciplines, and service lines.
- Ability to balance strategic leadership with the day-to-day operational needs of the branch.
- Strong commitment to safety, quality, accountability, and McElhanney's employee-owned culture.
What We Offer:The salary range for this position is $170,000 to $200,000 per annum along with the opportunity to participate in our generous Performance Bonus Plan and to become a shareholder in our proud employee-owned company. McElhanney offers fair compensation that is commensurate with the individual's education, experience, skills, and professional qualifications. The posted base salary/wage range is representative of the required level of qualifications and experience for the position as noted in the job posting. The salary offered will be based on the experience and qualifications of the successful candidate.
In addition to a competitive salary, we also offer:
- Flexible work hours to accommodate your lifestyle
- Great benefits, including extended health and dental coverage, healthcare spending account, and RRSP matching.
- Relocation assistance if applicable
- Maternity leave top-up and parental leave top-up
- Employee and Family assistance program, which offers 24/7 support for all employees and their families either online or over the phone
- Continuous support for your professional development and growth
Application Instructions: Please include the following in your application:
- An updated resume relevant to the position.
- A cover letter outlining:
- Your motivation for applying and what specifically attracts you to this role.
- How your unique combination of experience, leadership capabilities, and regional business knowledge would enable you to make a meaningful impact at McElhanney.
- Your perspective on the opportunities you see for the Terrace branch and Northwest BC market over the next several years.
This role is designated as a safety sensitive position.
Tentative Hiring Timeline - Application Deadline: September 11, 2026
- Shortlisting for Interviews: September 14 - September 25, 2026
- Panel Interviews: September 28 - October 9, 2026
- Start Date: End of October or early November (depending on candidate transition)
Note to Candidates: This timeline is tentative, only includes a few key milestones, and is subject to change. We will provide reasonable flexibility to accommodate the availability of shortlisted candidates and the hiring committee.
Application Deadline: September 11, 2026, 11:59pm PT (the date and time indicated above are same in Eastern Time)
