GHD Group

Senior Environmental Project Director (Upstream)

GHD Group$144K — $193K *
Energy & Utilities
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering, Geology, Environmental Science or related field
  • Registered Professional Engineer (PEng) or Professional Geoscientist (PGeo) preferred
  • Over 10 years of experience in upstream oil & gas environmental consulting
  • In-depth knowledge of California's regulatory landscape
  • OSHA 40-hour HAZWOPER certification is advantageous
  • Proven experience in high-volume program management utilizing standardization and automation
  • Familiarity with analytics dashboards for compliance monitoring.

Responsibilities

  • Approve and ensure execution plans are fit-for-purpose
  • Conduct monthly project health checks for compliance and performance
  • Maintain project documentation and audit trails for key deliverables
  • Establish communication and reporting plans during project initiation
  • Oversee vendor and subcontractor governance and compliance
  • Enforce quality verification requirements before external use of outputs
  • Coordinate escalations and decision-making with Program Manager
  • Promote a culture of safety and continuous improvement through embedded controls.

Benefits

  • Hybrid work model promoting in-office collaboration and flexibility
  • Opportunity to work with a high-performing and energetic team
  • Varied work exposure across complex environmental programs
  • Professional development opportunities within a supportive environment
  • Engagement with a diverse range of stakeholders and clients.
Full Job Description
Job Description

GHD is seeking an experienced Senior Environmental Project Director to provide delivery leadership, governance, and assurance across complex environmental programs supporting upstream oil and gas projects. This role is ideal for a senior professional who brings a strong track record of compliant, defensible, and repeatable project delivery for their clients. The role enforces a structured project delivery framework that embeds QA/QC, regulatory compliance, documentation, and verifiable output approval into day-to-day execution.

As a Senior Project Director, you are a trusted advisor to clients, comfortable operating at the intersection of technical delivery, regulatory compliance, and program governance. You bring deep familiarity with state and federal environmental regulations, consent orders, and cleanup criteria, and you know how to embed QA/QC, verification, and documentation controls into day-to-day execution, so compliance is achieved by design, not inspection.

Success in this role requires lateral thinking, decisiveness, and the ability to lead multi-disciplinary teams through ambiguity while maintaining schedule, quality, and regulatory certainty.

Hybrid work policy: Our workplace thrives on a hybrid model, combining in-office collaboration and flexibility. Join us in office, 3 days a week to contribute, connect and excel in our vibrant environment. This role can be based in any of our offices in Greater Toronto Area, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton or Halifax.

Working with an energetic and high performing team, this position offers a variety of work and will see you involved in:
  • Approve project planning and ensure fit-for-purpose execution plans (scope, schedule, resourcing, risk, and stakeholder communication).
  • Lead monthly project health checks to confirm regulatory status, schedule adherence, technical progress, risks, and subcontractor performance; assign corrective actions and document closeout.
  • Maintain documentation and traceability: ensure outputs are tracked, issued/received transmittals are recorded, and an audit trail is maintained for key deliverables (plans, analytical packages, reports, submittals, meeting notes, corrective actions).
  • Ensure communications, reporting plans, and deadline control are defined during initiation/planning and actively tracked to meet reporting obligations on time.
  • Oversee vendor and subcontractor governance, including use of prequalified vendors, review of work plans/procedures, and verification pathways consistent with deliverable requirements.
  • Enforce output verification and quality requirements prior to external use; ensure competent check/review and director approval are completed and evidenced in the project workspace.
  • Coordinate with the Program Manager on escalations, decision rights, and alignment to program-level governance and performance measures.
  • Drive a culture of safety, compliance, and continuous improvement-controls embedded in workflows, not added later.


What you will bring to the team:
  • Demonstrated leadership of complex or high-risk projects within regulated environments.
  • Strong grasp of project governance, assurance/verification, and documentation controls.
  • Experience managing multi-disciplinary teams, vendors, and subcontractors.
  • Strong planning, reporting, and stakeholder communication capabilities.
  • Experience using PMBOK-aligned tools such as communication/reporting plan templates, WBS-based planning, and structured health checks.
  • Experience with integrated data pipelines and dashboards that support compliance and performance visibility.


Qualifications:
  • Bachelor's degree in Environmental Engineering, Geology, Environmental Science or related field
  • PEng or PGeo will be highly regarded
  • 10+ upstream oil & gas environmental consulting experience including environmental remediation and site assessments, report writing, data management & interpretation, project coordination, and managing clients
  • Solid understanding and working knowledge of California's regulatory environment
  • OSHA 40-hour HAZWOPER certification a plus
  • Ability and willingness to travel client meetings is required
  • Experience with repeatable, high-volume programs where standardization and automation are used to improve efficiency.
  • Familiarity with analytics dashboards and data management practices that support compliance tracking and decision-making.

#LI-TP1

Please note:
  • The salary range for this position is $144,844 to $193,125. The posted salary range represents the expected hiring range for GHD locations in its major city centres. Ranges may vary for positions in other locations. At GHD, base salary is determined by your skills, experience, qualifications and work location. We are committed to offering competitive compensation and adhere to all relevant pay transparency legislation.
  • The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in recruiting is just getting started and may be used during the process to improve efficiency and fairness. Your application may be reviewed by both AI and our hiring team. While AI supports some steps through the process, all final hiring decisions are made by humans
  • This position is for an existing vacancy


About GHD Group

GHD Group is a global engineering, architecture, and environmental consulting firm that provides services to clients in the water, energy, environment, property and buildings, and transportation sectors. The company was founded in 1928 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. GHD has more than 10,000 employees in over 200 offices worldwide, and it operates in Asia, Australia, Europe, the Middle East, North America, and South America. The company's services include engineering design, project management, asset management, environmental consulting, and digital services. GHD's clients include governments, private companies, and non-profit organizations, and its projects range from small-scale local initiatives to large-scale international infrastructure projects.
Learn more about GHD Group
Size
10,000 employees
Industry

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