Senior Transportation Planner

Overview

McElhanney, based in Western Canada for over 110 years, offers engineering, surveying, mapping, planning, landscape architecture, and environmental services. We are a 100% employee-owned and operated firm with over 1,400 staff in 31 locations. We value teamwork, varied projects, autonomy, career development, strong compensation and benefits, and collaboration with a team of professionals.

We are seeking a Senior Transportation Planner for our growing Alberta team, based in Calgary (or nearby). You will lead complex, multidisciplinary projects, build strong client relationships, and mentor the next generation of transportation planners. Your work will influence how people move through our communities.

Join us to shape Western Canada’s transportation future through leadership in transportation planning.

Senior Transportation Planner — Calgary, Alberta. Lead and contribute to transportation planning projects, foster client relationships, and contribute to business development within a collaborative firm.

• You’re ready to step into a senior role with confidence, curiosity, and a desire to lead. Whether you’re already at that level or seeking growth, you’re eager to take the next step.
• You build strong client relationships and contribute to business development—from proposals to identifying opportunities and growing trusted partnerships.
• You thrive in collaborative, multidisciplinary environments and deliver community-focused transportation planning solutions.

• Land-manage transportation planning projects of varying scale and complexity, including multi-disciplinary teams, ensuring high-quality deliverables, clear communication, and on-time, on-budget delivery.
• Act as a key client liaison, able to communicate technically while building trust with public and private sector partners.
• Communicate clearly in writing and verbally; write technical reports, prepare and deliver presentations, and manage client-facing communications.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships leveraging existing connections with the City of Calgary and other Alberta municipalities to support project success and future opportunities.
• Mentor and support junior staff, providing technical guidance and career development support.
• Contribute to thought leadership through involvement in industry events, presentations, publications, and knowledge-sharing opportunities that raise the team’s profile.
• Support business development by contributing to proposals and pursuing strategic growth while maintaining technical excellence and project delivery.

• Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) designation in good standing in Alberta (or eligible for registration).
• 10–15 years of progressive experience in transportation planning, with a strong mix of consulting and municipal project work.
• Experience with City of Calgary transportation projects and familiarity with local planning frameworks, technical standards, and stakeholder expectations.
• Knowledge of transportation planning in surrounding communities such as Airdrie, Cochrane, and Okotoks is an asset.
• Proven ability to lead and deliver:
  Transportation Master Plans, corridor studies and network-level planning, active transportation and multimodal integration, transit planning, and road safety/ Vision Zero initiatives.
• Strong public and stakeholder engagement skills, including facilitating open houses, workshops, and presentations to councils and senior leadership.
• Experience leading proposal development and contributing to business development activities.
• Proficiency with transportation planning and modelling tools (SIDRA, Synchro, Sim Traffic) and working knowledge of GIS. You will guide technical staff rather than operate the tools daily.

The salary range for this position is $120,000 - $175,000 per year. In addition to base salary, our total compensation package includes annual performance-based bonuses, competitive benefit plans, generous vacation, and potential shareholder opportunities through our employee-owned structure. McElhanney’s culture, compensation, career development…