Area Manager, Highway Engineering

Fonction publique de l'Ontario; St. Catharines; On-site; CAD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Ontario Public Service is seeking an Area Manager, Highway Engineering in the Central Region Project Delivery Office. This leadership role guides engineering consultants and staff to plan and deliver major transportation projects, advancing multimodal solutions for Ontario communities.

Lead a diverse team, influence policy, manage budgets and resources, and promote inclusion while delivering safe and accessible highway infrastructure across the province.

Qualifications

• Licensed Professional Engineer (PEO) or eligible to obtain PEO licence as condition of employment.
• Willingness to travel to field locations and remote sites as required.

Responsibilities

• Strategically oversee the Highway Engineering Area within the Project Delivery Section, ensuring alignment with broader organizational goals.
• Represent the Region and Ministry on high-level committees and influence policy and technical decisions in highway engineering.
• Evaluate and authorize consultant assignments to ensure resource optimization and project success.
• Provide visionary engineering guidance to a technical team, fostering innovation and excellence in project delivery.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Public sector experience

Policy influence

Education

Professional Engineer (PEO) licence

Job description

Apply By: Wednesday, September 9, 2026 11:59 pm EDT

Transportation Infrastructure Management Division / Design and Engineering Branch

City:

St Catharines, Toronto

Position(s) language:

Job term:

2 Permanent, 1 Temporary - 12 months with possible extension

Attention Professional Engineers!

Are you a strategic and collaborative leader who inspires teams to deliver results in a dynamic and evolving environment? If so, consider this exciting opportunity.

The Ministry of Transportation's Central Region Project Delivery Office is seeking experienced professionals to lead engineering consultants and technical staff responsible for the planning, design, and delivery of major transportation infrastructure projects as the Area Manager(s), Highway Engineering.

In this key leadership role, you will help advance integrated, multimodal transportation solutions that enhance safety, accessibility, and mobility for communities across Ontario.

The Ontario Public Service: Strengthening Ontario, together.

A career in the Ontario Public Service is driven by a passion for creating a stronger Ontario. If you share this ambition, we are fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive workplace where employees have the tools and opportunities, they need to be fulfilled and inspired to move Ontario forward. Our leaders enjoy:

• Purpose-driven culture: Be part of a dynamic leadership team dedicated to serving 15 million Ontarians. Your leadership will drive long-term impact and contribute to public service excellence.
  
• Empowering work environment: Thrive in an inclusive and diverse workplace that reflects the population we serve. Enjoy a culture of holistic well-being, flexibility, and safety, with tailored work arrangements to suit your life stage. Our modern, friendly, and accessible workplaces support you in bringing your authentic self to work and exploring your full potential.
  
• Expansive leadership opportunities: Benefit from endless growth opportunities, mentorship, and the chance to lead across various sectors. In the Ontario Public Service, your leadership journey can span multiple ministries and functions.
  
• Recognition and Rewards: Your efforts will be recognized both formally and informally, ensuring you feel valued and supported. We offer competitive salaries with performance-based pay, a defined-benefit pension plan, and comprehensive benefits that support your holistic wellness. Enjoy a range of vacation and leave options, along with access to employee and family assistance programs and inclusive counselling services.

About the job

We believe great leadership starts with high standards and strong support. In the OPS, that means showing up with authenticity, acting with integrity, and having the courage to do what's right, even when it's hard.

As a leader, you'll shape a team culture that sparks innovation, supports collaboration, and champions inclusion. You'll help build a workplace that is diverse, anti-racist, and accessible, where everyone feels safe, respected, and able to thrive.

You won't be doing it alone. We invest in our leaders through mentorship, learning opportunities, and cross-ministry networks that help you grow your impact and connect with peers across the organization.

Leadership is about impact, and in this role, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful one. You will:

• Strategically oversee the Highway Engineering Area within the Project Delivery Section, ensuring alignment with broader organizational goals and objectives.
  
• Represent the Region and Ministry on high-level committees, task forces, and proceedings, influencing policy and technical decisions in highway engineering.
  
• Evaluate and authorize consultant assignments, ensuring optimal resource allocation and project success.
  
• Provide visionary engineering guidance to a technical team, fostering innovation and excellence in project delivery.

Please note:

• One permanent position is available in St.Catharines. One permanent and one temporary position (up to 12 months, with possible extension) are available in Toronto.
  
• This recruitment may be used to fill current and future vacancies across the regions and division.

About the Team

The Central Region Project Delivery Office is responsible for developing preliminary designs and conducting assessments for existing and future highway systems. The team also oversees and manages consultants engaged in detailed design work for highway construction contracts, ensuring high-quality and timely deliverables while working closely with a wide range of multi-disciplinary offices. It also coordinates activities to ensure all design packages comply with the requirements of the Environmental Assessment Act. In addition, Project Delivery ensures that public and private developments are compatible with current highway infrastructure and align with planned future improvements.

What you bring to the team

Mandatory Requirements:

• You are licensed with Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) or are currently registered as a Professional Engineer in another Canadian province or territory and are eligible to obtain a PEO licence as a condition of employment.
  
• You have the ability and willingness to attend field meetings and travel to remote locations not accessible by public transportation.

Leadership Experience:

• Proven ability to provide strategic direction and coaching, fostering high performance and continuous improvement.
  
• Skilled in engaging team members positively, promoting innovation and creativity.
  
• Expertise in developing practical solutions to complex issues.
  
• Demonstrated skills in managing budgets and human resources, including labour relations.

Project Management:

• Ability to develop objectives and assess projects, policies, and recommendations.
  
• Skilled in establishing long-range highway planning priorities.
  
• Capable of recommending and negotiating regional priorities.

Technical Expertise:

• Advanced knowledge of Civil Engineering theories, principles, and practices, with an emphasis on highway engineering and related fields.
  
• Working knowledge of ministry's engineering policies, procedures, standard specifications, design and construction standards, and automated engineering systems.
  
• Initiative, problem-solving skills, and sound judgment to assess and resolve complex engineering problems.

Communication and Relationship Management:

• Ability to integrate opposing interests and professional opinions on complex issues.
  
• Excellent relationship-building skills to promote effective stakeholder engagement.
  
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including presentation skills, to exchange information and represent the ministry.
  
• Political acuity and conflict resolution skills to effectively manage difficult stakeholders in confrontational situations.

Don't meet every qualification?

If you are excited about this position and meet most, but not all, of the listed qualifications, please still consider applying. We recognize that no one person might have every qualification in this job ad, and you just might be the right candidate!

Think this role could be right for you?

We're here to support you every step of the way. These short videos can help you feel confident and prepared:

• Navigating Our Hiring Process (2 min) – Get a clear overview of each stage in our structured hiring process so you know what to expect and how to prepare.
• Application Preparation Tips (4 min) – Learn how to showcase your leadership experience in ways that align with how we evaluate applications during the screening stage.

Take a few minutes to explore these resources. They're designed to set you up for success.

How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility

We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.

Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please contact us.

Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace:

• diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives
• accessibility
• Anti-Racism Policy

• 1 English Permanent, 159 Sir William Hearst Ave, Toronto, Toronto Region
• 1 English Permanent, St Catharines, West Region
• 1 English Temporary, duration up to 12 months, 159 Sir William Hearst Ave, Toronto, Toronto Region

Language requirements and assessment:All external Ontario Public Service (OPS) job ads are posted in English and French. Check the "position(s) language" section at the top of each job ad for the language requirements. For all roles, candidates are assessed in English, the business language of the OPS. If the position is bilingual (English/French), you'll also need to pass a French-language proficiency test.