Stantec

Sr Geotechnical Engineer

Stantec$100K — $130K *
Technical Services
11 - 15 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • M.S. in Civil Engineering (advanced degrees preferred)
  • 15+ years of experience in civil/geotechnical engineering with a focus on tailings and mine waste projects
  • Professional registration (P.E.) or ability to obtain within 3-6 months
  • Strong communication skills, including technical writing and oral presentations
  • Demonstrated experience with GISTM-aligned design and tailings risk management frameworks
  • Practical experience in TSF closure and post-closure strategies
  • Proven ability to mentor junior engineers and integrate multidisciplinary inputs

Responsibilities

  • Contribute to a collaborative team environment for mining and dam safety projects
  • Lead and review geotechnical projects across the full lifecycle
  • Perform advanced geotechnical analyses using industry-standard tools
  • Develop high-quality technical deliverables including reports and specifications
  • Serve as a technical lead in engagements with regulatory bodies and third-party reviewers
  • Support client relationships and business development activities
  • Mentor and supervise junior engineers to foster their technical growth
  • Promote safe work practices and ensure compliance with regulations

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision plans
  • Wellness program and health savings accounts
  • 401(k) plan and employee stock purchase program
  • Paid holidays and vacation accrual (10-20 days per year)
  • Tuition reimbursement and professional membership coverage
  • Short-term/long-term disability plans
  • Urgent travel benefits and paid family leave
Full Job Description
Job Description

Your Opportunity

We are seeking a Senior-Level Civil or Geotechnical Engineer to join our U.S. Energy and Resources Geotechnical Team and play a key role in some of the most important mining projects in the industry.

In this role, you will work across the full mining lifecycle, from early-stage concept development through operations and closure, with a primary focus on tailings storage facilities, heap leach facilities, and waste rock management systems. You will be trusted with technically challenging assignments where sound judgment, defensible engineering, and risk-informed decision-making are central. Beyond mining, you will also have opportunities to contribute to water dams, pumped storage, and hydropower projects, offering technical variety and long-term career flexibility.

You will join a highly collaborative national team of approximately 100 geotechnical professionals, working alongside recognized industry leaders and subject matter experts. The role is well-suited for an engineer who enjoys combining technical depth with leadership-developing client relationships, leading and reviewing complex geotechnical work from investigation through detailed design, preparing scopes, budgets, and schedules, and mentoring junior and intermediate engineers.

This position offers a clear pathway to serve as Deputy Engineer of Record (DEoR) or Engineer of Record (EoR) for active or inactive tailings facilities, with strong institutional support and alignment with best-practice governance frameworks. You will regularly engage with clients, regulators, and third-party review bodies, contributing to technically rigorous and defensible outcomes on high-profile projects.

Stantec actively supports professional growth. You will be encouraged to publish technical work, present at leading national and international conferences, and contribute to advancing industry practice, with backing from senior technical and business leadership. The ideal candidate brings strong communication skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams across planning, design, and construction phases. Domestic and international travel may be required for site inspections and oversight of field activities.

Your Key Responsibilities
  • Contribute to a highly collaborative, innovative team environment, supporting technically rigorous and defensible engineering solutions across complex mining and dam safety projects.
  • Lead and review geotechnical projects across the full project lifecycle-from site investigation and concept development through detailed design, construction support, operations, and closure-ensuring work is delivered on time and on budget.
  • Perform and review advanced geotechnical analyses, including numerical modeling using industry-standard tools such as GeoStudio, Rocscience, and FLAC, with a focus on tailings, mine waste, and water retention structures.
  • Lead the development of high-quality technical deliverables, including reports, memoranda, construction specifications, and design drawings, consistent with industry best practice and regulatory expectations.
  • Serve as a technical lead in engagements with Independent Tailings Review Boards (ITRBs), regulators, and external reviewers, including preparation and delivery of clear, defensible technical presentations.
  • Develop and maintain client relationships, supporting proposal development, scope definition, budgeting, and broader business development activities for mining and dam-related projects.
  • Mentor and supervise junior and intermediate engineers, supporting technical growth, quality control, and team development, and contributing to hiring and talent development initiatives.
  • Serve as Deputy Engineer of Record (DEoR) or Engineer of Record (EoR) for active or inactive tailings storage facilities, with a willingness to assume EoR responsibilities in the near future.
  • Promote and adhere to safe work practices, ensuring compliance with company, client, and regulatory requirements when planning and executing work, including field activities.


Qualifications

Qualifications

Your Capabilities and Credentials
  • Exceptional technical writing skills, organizational skills, technical leadership abilities, oral communication skills, and attention to detail.
  • Experience with water dam and/or mine waste/tailings management design or mine closure/reclamation designs.
  • Demonstrated experience applying GISTM-aligned design, performance monitoring, and risk-based decision-making frameworks throughout the TSF lifecycle (design, operations, and closure).
  • Strong understanding of tailings risk management, including failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA), trigger action response plans (TARPs), and integration of monitoring data into operational decision-making.
  • Experience supporting or interfacing with Independent Tailings Review Boards (ITRBs), regulators, and external stakeholders throughout permitting, design review, and operational phases.
  • Proven ability to integrate monitoring technologies (piezometers, inclinometers, remote sensing, survey, InSAR, data dashboards) into performance evaluation and dam safety stewardship programs.
  • Practical experience with closure and post-closure strategies for TSFs and mine waste facilities, including long-term performance objectives, landform design, and risk reduction measures.
  • Knowledge of filtered tailings, thickened tailings, and alternative tailings deposition technologies, including constructability considerations and operational risk trade-offs.
  • Experience working under Engineer of Record (EoR) / Deputy EoR frameworks, with a clear understanding of accountability, documentation, and ongoing stewardship responsibilities.
  • Ability to collaborate effectively within multidisciplinary and global teams, integrating geotechnical, hydrological, environmental, and operational inputs into defensible engineering outcomes.
  • Ability to lead and mentor younger professionals.

Education and Experience
  • Minimum of a M.S. in Civil Engineering with preference given to advanced degrees.
  • 15+ years of experience working on civil and/or geotechnical engineering projects, focusing on design, site investigation, reporting and business development on tailings and mine waste projects.
  • Existing professional registration (P.E.) or ability to obtain within 3-6 months of starting work.

This description is not a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that may be required of the employee and other duties, responsibilities and activities may be assigned or may be changed at any time with or without notice.

#INDE&R

About the Team

Pay Transparency: In compliance with pay transparency laws, pay ranges are provided for positions in locations where required. Please note, the final agreed upon compensation is based on individual education, qualifications, experience, and work location. At Stantec certain roles are bonus eligible. Actual compensation for part-time roles will be pro-rated based on the agreed number of working hours per week.

Benefits Summary: Regular full-time and part-time employees (working at least 20 hours per week) have access to medical, dental, and vision plans, a wellness program, health saving accounts, flexible spending accounts, 401(k) plan, employee stock purchase program, life and accidental death & dismemberment (AD&D) insurance, short-term/long-term disability plans, emergency travel benefits, tuition reimbursement, professional membership fee coverage and paid family leave. Regular full-time and part-time employees will receive ten paid holidays in each calendar year. In addition, employees will be eligible to accrue vacation between 10 and 20 days per year and eligible for paid sick leave (and if more generous, in accordance with state and local law).

Temporary/casual employees have access to 401(k) plans, employee stock purchase program, and paid leave, in accordance with state and local law.

The benefits information listed above may not apply to union positions because benefits for such positions are governed by applicable collective bargaining agreements

About Stantec

Stantec Inc. is a global engineering consulting firm headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The company provides professional consulting services in the areas of infrastructure, water, environment, buildings, and energy. Stantec has over 22,000 employees working in more than 400 locations across six continents. The company has a diverse client base that includes public and private sector clients. Stantec is committed to sustainability and has implemented green practices in its operations. The company has received numerous awards for its work, including the American Council of Engineering Companies' National Recognition Award for exemplary engineering achievement.
Learn more about Stantec
Size
25,000 employees
Market Cap
$5.1 billion
Industry
Founded
1954
5 Year Trend
+3.3%
NASDAQ

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