Purpose:
We are currently recruiting for a Principal Civil Designer. Our team includes world class experts and dynamic go-getters. This is a full-time position based in Calgary, Alberta.
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 role requires a high level of civil design subject matter expertise. 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.
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.
What you will bring: Technical and Industry 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 (e.g., 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 (e.g., 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.
Education - Qualifications, Accreditation, Training: Required: - Diploma or degree in Civil Engineering Technology, Engineering Design Technology, or a related discipline.
