Associate Project Director - Ports and Marine Structures

Associate Project Director – Ports and Marine Structures

Permanent, Full-time.

Hybrid.

Do you want the opportunity to co-create with our experts on some of the most prestigious infrastructure projects in North America? Can you navigate the evolving landscape of the market by adapting strategies swiftly, capitalizing on emerging opportunities, and mitigating risks? And are you motivated to accelerate growth, promote innovation, and deliver impactful solutions? Then, this could be your next career move.

Create the solutions that will enable a better tomorrow

In this role, you will be challenged to work every day on some of the most advanced ports and marine projects. You will be exposed to projects in North America working with colleagues across the globe who are highly skilled and deliver innovative solutions. You will provide senior leadership across project delivery, client relationships, and business development, while contributing to the growth of our presence in the Canadian market.

We are looking for an Associate Project Director specialized in structural design of complex ports and marine structures to join our highly skilled team of specialists that provides detailed engineering and project management on infrastructure projects. Your primary tasks will be to develop and implement strategic initiatives to improve the company’s engineering and local business development practices and provide high‑level, senior technical expertise for projects.

The Associate Project Director is a major seller‑doer for the company, positioning COWI as a technical expert and leader in the industry. The position is part of the Canada Leadership Team, participating in periodic strategic meetings and contributing to development and delivery of the COWI Group’s strategic objectives in Canada.

• Oversee and deliver complex projects in the ports and marine infrastructure sector, acting as a subject matter expert.
• Identify new business opportunities with the business development team, including managing the preparation of technical and commercial proposals from opportunity to award.
• Establish and maintain strategic relationships with engineers, owners, and specialty contractors to support growth. Build long‑term relationships that generate repeated and negotiated work.
• Carry out project management duties and guide technical deliverables for multidisciplinary teams including, but not limited to project scheduling, resource management, project budget controls, and client sub‑consultant management and interfacing.
• Perform Engineer of Record duties as required.
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary groups within COWI to develop and deliver integrated projects.
• Represent COWI in external settings, such as technical committees, conferences, seminars, professional bodies, and business groups, as they pertain to ports and marine infrastructure projects.
• Mentor and develop staff while contributing to local office growth, including team building, hiring decisions, and expanding COWI’s presence in this sector.

• ABachelor’s degree in Civil, Structural, or Coastal Engineering, a related discipline from an accredited university.
• A professional Engineering License (P.Eng.) in British Columbia or ability to obtain; PE is an asset.
• A minimum of 15 years of experience related to engineering, project management, and business development with an emphasis on design, construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation of marine, waterfront, and/or heavy civil infrastructure.
• Demonstrated experience in business development, sales and project management in heavy civil structures.
• Familiarity with construction methods and industry standards.
• Awareness of Canadian market trends, competitors, and opportunities within the heavy civil sector.
• Demonstrated experience leading complex, multidisciplinary projects with full accountability for scope, schedule, budget, and commercial performance, including managing margins and securing follow‑on work.
• Demonstrated success in senior client relationship management, including contract negotiations, risk management, and delivering high client satisfaction.
• Background in business development…