Project Designer / Project Engineer

Role: Project Designer / Project Engineer Location: Ottawa, Ontario Salary Range: $85,000 - $125,000 Who We Are Smith + Andersen is a trusted, Canadian engineering firm, recognized for its multi-disciplinary expertise. With more than seven hundred and fifty employees across eleven offices in five provinces, the firm delivers comprehensive solutions nationwide. At Smith + Andersen our employees contribute to some of the most sustainable building design projects in Canada. The work we do has meaningful impact on the community by contributing to landmark projects such as hospitals, transit stations, community centres, federal and provincial government buildings and post secondary institutions. Our values drive and define everything we do, demonstrating a deep commitment to sustainability, mentorship and quality work that spans nearly six decades in business. In addition, we are proud to have been certified as a Great Place to Work™ and selected as one of Canada’s Best Workplaces™ for the highly collaborative culture we’ve built and for empowering employees to do great work!
This Opportunity The Project Designer II / Project Engineer II plays a key role in delivering high‑quality, discipline‑specific design for small to moderately complex projects, applying strong technical judgement from concept through construction. In this role, you will lead discipline design efforts, collaborate closely with interdisciplinary teams, and contribute to construction administration to ensure coordinated, compliant, and buildable solutions. You will take increasing ownership of technical and project decisions, support junior staff through mentoring and review, and help manage scope, budget, and risk with guidance from senior leadership. This role is well suited to motivated professionals who are keen to deepen their technical expertise and take increasing ownership of project work while contributing to the successful delivery of thoughtful, well‑executed projects. This posting is for an existing vacancy within our organization. Why choose Smith + Andersen? In addition to an exciting career filled with meaningful work, we offer:

• Competitive salary
• Flexible hours and half day Fridays (all year round)
• Comprehensive Group Health Benefits Program, including a Health Spending Account
• Group Retirement Savings Plan (Employer and Employee Contributions)
• Employee Share Ownership Program (ESOP)
• Purchase Time off Program
• Transit Subsidy Program
• Wide variety of community and social events
• Great Place to Work-Certified™
• Best Workplaces™ in Canada
• Best Workplace ™ in Ontario
• Best Workplaces for Inclusion™
• Best Workplaces for Professional Services ™
• Best Workplaces for Mental Wellness TM

What You’ll Do Technical Design

• Develop and implement system design concepts, calculations, equipment selections and layouts for small to moderately complex projects.
• Lead discipline design production, ensuring coordination across disciplines and compliance with codes, standards and firm technical and quality requirements.
• Review constructability and technical feasibility and ensure deliverables are complete, accurate, and coordinated.
• Review, verify, and approve calculations and technical work completed by junior staff.
• Prepare, review, and edit specifications, schematics and technical documentation appropriate to project complexity.

Construction Administration and Site Activities

• Execute and support construction administration activities including site reviews, submittal and shop drawing reviews, RFIs, change documentation and participation in project meetings.
• Coordinate with the CA team and project leadership to resolve construction phase technical issues and provide timely responses.

Interdisciplinary Coordination

• Identify and resolve scope gaps and interface issues between disciplines.
• Communicate discipline specific requirements to internal teams, consultants, contractors and Authorities Having Jurisdictions (AHJ) to support cohesive project delivery.

Project & Financial Management

• Manage small to moderately complex projects or defined portions of larger projects under senior guidance.
• Track time of oneself and other team members, monitor scope to support budget control and identify potential scope creep or additional services.
• Lead meetings, document decisions, communicate progress and escalate risks as required.

People Management and Team Collaboration

• Delegate tasks to junior staff, provide mentoring and technical guidance and support team development.
• Collaborate effectively within project teams and contribute to a positive working environment.

Client and External Relationships

• Act as a client facing representative for assigned projects, communicating technical information clearly and professionally to nontechnical audiences, managing expectations and providing guidance and recommendations to support informed decision making and maintain client confidence.
• Coordinate with architects, designers, consultants, manufacturers and vendors to support integrated design and delivery.
• Present solutions, support client decision making, maintain client confidence and identify opportunities to promote firm services.

Who You Are:

• Advanced understanding of the project lifecycle, applicable codes and standards, TQM principles, and internal coordination processes.
• Demonstrated technical judgment and problem solving skills with the ability to manage moderately complex work.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including client facing communication and presentations.
• Working knowledge of project scope and budgets, with the ability to identify and communicate potential scope creep.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to perform effectively in deadline driven environment.

About Smith + Andersen Founded in 1965, Smith + Andersen has organically grown from an established reputation as a trusted engineering consulting firm, reaching new levels of engineering and design excellence in the mechanical, electrical, communications, security and audiovisual fields, and providing enhanced services such as lighting, building automation systems, and intelligent integrated systems design. Thanks to our client-focused approach, we are able to apply efficient, sustainable, and reliable design and engineering solutions on the some of the most exciting projects across Canada.