Senior Project Manager, Real Property Acquisitions

At Alto, we are actively contributing to the transformation of Canada’s future with our high‑speed train project connecting Quebec City and Toronto. With the support of the Government of Canada, this innovative project aims to improve the quality of life of our citizens, strengthen ties between communities and stimulate economic growth.

Would you like to take on a stimulating, high‑impact challenge? We are looking for a Senior Project Manager, Real Property Acquisitions. The candidate may be based in one of our three offices: Montreal, Toronto or Ottawa.

Role

Reporting to the Senior Director, Project Management Office, the Senior Project Manager leads the development of detailed integrated plans, delivery frameworks, and processes to ensure Alto’s readiness for land acquisition, access, and expropriation across properties, parcels, and segments. The role supports and helps drive the execution of approved land acquisition strategies established by Alto’s real property leadership team by translating them into actionable workplans, coordinated activities, integrated schedule inputs, budget and risk visibility, and executive‑level reporting.

Working closely with the broader project controls team, real property team and internal partners (Engineering, Construction, Finance, Legal, Commercial); the Senior Project Manager helps ensure land acquisition and expropriation activities are well coordinated, risk‑informed, and fully integrated with project schedules, milestones, dependencies, budgets, and governance requirements.

Responsibilities

• Lead integrated planning and implementation of real property activities, ensuring alignment with the overall project schedule, key milestones, interfaces, and readiness requirements.
• Define goals, work breakdown structure (WBS) and deliverables in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders while maintaining alignment to Alto’s real property and land acquisition objectives and commitments.
• Lead the development of detailed plans for real property teams, including but not limited to permission to entry (PTE), landowners’ engagement, provision of works (POW), right of first refusal (ROFR), framework agreements, negotiation, acquisition and expropriation, and translate these activities into schedule logic, delivery sequencing, and dependency management.
• Act as the primary integration point with digital (GIS and tools), communication, environmental, engineering, finance, and project controls teams, and identify interfaces, constraints, and impacts affecting real property delivery.
• Monitor and report on progress, milestone achievement, schedule impacts, risks, issues, dependencies, and budget performance.
• Work closely with the PMO team and Scheduling Director to ensure proper alignment, integration of real property activities into Alto’s internal schedule, and active management and reporting of interdependencies.
• Maintain and support real property activities for interaction with Via Rail, Transport Canada, and legislation teams.
• Act as a point of contact and collaborate with the private development partner (PDP) for all related activities. Coordinate and support the review of PDP reports and co‑development plans (CDP).
• Participate in engagement with municipalities, developers, Indigenous partners, and external authorities by ensuring the production of relevant materials by the team, coordinating meetings, and documenting outcomes.
• Support the development of resource planning and workforce management.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of acquisition processes, tools, and PMO integration by identifying gaps, documenting lessons learned, and supporting process enhancements.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in real estate, urban planning, engineering, law, business, project management, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and experience may also be considered. A master’s degree is an asset.
• Minimum 12 years of progressively senior professional experience in project management, real estate acquisition, land development, transit or other major infrastructure delivery, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience with complex land acquisition programs, including negotiated transactions, access rights, and expropriation, ideally in a public‑sector or major infrastructure context.
• Strong understanding of the legal, procedural, commercial, and stakeholder implications of expropriation and property rights acquisition.
• Professional Project Management certification (PMP, PGMP, Prince).
• Very good knowledge of project management tools (MS Project, Primavera P6).
• Knowledge of Power BI and reporting tools including and not limited to Active Risk Manager (ARM), SAP and similar platforms.
• Experience leading or integrating complex land transactions, due diligence, negotiations, regulatory approvals, and associated delivery reporting.
• Experience in public transit or large‑scale infrastructure projects is a strong asset; exposure to transit‑oriented development (TOD) may be considered an asset where relevant.
• Demonstrated experience working in multi‑stakeholder and public‑private environments.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment, including responsibilities that may evolve beyond the initial scope of the role.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; bilingualism is an asset.
• Willingness to travel within Ontario and Quebec as required.

Competencies

• Analytical & Advisory Skills: Ability to synthesize complex information, assess risks and trade‑offs, and provide clear, practical advice to Directors and senior stakeholders.
• Integration & Execution: Effectively integrates multiple workstreams, stakeholders, and inputs to support timely, well‑governed decision‑making and delivery readiness.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Builds effective working relationships with internal teams and external partners to facilitate alignment and issue resolution.
• Communication: Prepares clear, concise briefing materials, analyses, and reports tailored to senior audiences.
• Judgement & Accountability: Exercises sound judgement within delegated authority; identifies schedule, delivery, and stakeholder risks early, and escalates issues and decisions appropriately.

Benefits

• Basic paid group insurance for you and your family: medical, dental, life, disability, etc.
• Access to wellness and health accounts to support your lifestyle.
• Flex‑Alto account of $500 to encourage a healthier approach and a more sustainable mode of transportation.
• A retirement plan and savings options (RRSP and TFSA).
• Vacations based on experience, available upon hiring.
• An incentive compensation program.
• Flexible hybrid work mode.
• A work environment that encourages initiative, innovation, and forward‑thinking solutions.
• A unique opportunity to shape the future of transportation in Canada.

Diversity Statement

At Alto, we believe in the power of diverse teams. We aspire to provide an inclusive and equitable work environment where everyone can develop and flourish. Alto offers equal employment opportunities to all and invites qualified individuals, regardless of their identity, origin or situation, to apply.

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