Department Manager, Water Facilities (Canada)

Jacobs; Ottawa; Hybrid; CAD 137,000 - 226,000; Full time

Job summary

Jacobs Canada is seeking a Department Manager, Facilities for the Canada Water Business. You will lead a team of Group Leaders and partner with senior operations leadership to deliver, develop talent, and optimize resource planning across Canada.

The role emphasizes staff development, mentorship, and performance management to ensure high‑quality project delivery and collaboration with stakeholders in a dynamic, hybrid work model.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 15 years of experience in design, construction, and project management of water and wastewater projects.
• P.Eng. registration or equivalent professional designation preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Group Leaders and oversee project workloads.
• Drive staff development, performance, and succession planning.
• Manage resources and budgets across Canada markets.
• Coordinate with Directors of Operations and market leaders to meet targets.
• Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging within the team.
• Ensure safe, high‑quality delivery and continuous improvement.

Skills

Leadership

People Development

Strategic Planning

Stakeholder Management

Mentoring

Communication

Education

Professional Engineering registration (P.Eng.)

Job description

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

We are excited to announce the Department Manager, Facilities role for our Canada Water Business. The Department Manager (DM), Facilities will report to the Director of Operations and provide leadership to approximately 10 Group Leaders (GLs).

This is a strategic leadership role focused on staff development, team performance, and workforce planning. The Department Manager is responsible for supporting and advancing employee career growth through mentorship, coaching, networking opportunities, succession planning, and performance management. The role also oversees the day-to-day management of proposal and project workloads to ensure efficient resource utilization and business delivery.

As the Department Manager, Facilities in Canada, you will lead a team of Group Leaders and work closely with key partners including the Director of Operations, Principal Engineer and their team, Managers of Projects (MOPs), Client Account Managers (CAMs), Client Sector Leaders (CSLs), Regional Market Solution Leaders (RMSLs), and peer Department Managers across the business.

This role can sit in any Jacobs office in the Canadian region.

Business Metrics and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

The Department Manager will be accountable for the following performance measures

• Drive portfolio growth by aligning staff capabilities with strategic Canadian market opportunities.
• Leverage Global Integrated Delivery (GID) resources in alignment with regional delivery strategies.
• Achieve annual net staff growth targets established by the geography.
• Ensure 100% completion of annual e3 performance reviews.
• Achieve return-offer targets for interns and co-op students, where applicable.
• Maintain strong Health, Safety & Environment (HS&E) performance across the team.

Roles And Responsibilities

Leadership and People Development

• Exemplify, promote, and lead Jacobs' values
• We Do Things Right
• We Challenge the Accepted
• We Aim Higher
• We Live Inclusion
• Coach and develop Group Leaders by strengthening leadership capabilities, business acumen, and professional growth opportunities.
• Mentor staff to achieve individual and collective success while fostering accountability, quality, and high performance.
• Lead career development activities including skill-building, growth opportunities, succession planning, and performance management through the e3 process.
• Build and sustain a high-performing team culture aligned with market and business objectives.
• Conduct regular team meetings and one-on-one discussions to maintain engagement and communication.
• Collect, share, and elevate employee feedback and concerns to leadership to ensure timely resolution.
• Drive a Canada wide approach that elevates a culture of disciplined design delivery across the portfolio of projects which continuously enhances Jacobs performance through the consistent delivery of high-quality, value-added solutions and services to our clients.

Resource Management and Operations

• Optimize staff utilization and resource allocation across markets, regions, and global delivery teams.
• Coordinate workload balancing to maximize business performance and provide meaningful career opportunities.
• Partner with Directors of Operations and business leaders to achieve operational goals, including billable hour targets and G&A budget performance. (add wording you feel is necessary)
• Coordinate with Group Leaders, Managers of Projects, and Market Leaders to maximize GID engagement and support portfolio delivery.
• Coordinate with GID leadership to support resourcing capacity and identified growth roles required to meet Canadian business targets.
• Cascade operational processes, procedures, and business updates while monitoring compliance and progress.

Recruitment and Talent Management

• Serve as Hiring Manager, when appropriate, supporting local recruitment and Global Design Center staffing initiatives.
• Collaborate with Human Resources and Talent Acquisition to recruit, retain, and develop top talent.
• Support Jacobs' TogetherBeyond objectives and actively promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.
• Ensure effective onboarding and integration of new employees.
• Achieve annual staff growth and retention targets established by the business.

Business Growth and Strategic Planning

• Partner with Market Solution Leaders, Market Growth Directors, CAMs, and project leadership teams to implement growth strategies.
• Support proposal development and identify the right technical staff for project opportunities.
• Facilitate staffing and succession planning with a rolling three-year outlook.
• Help develop differentiated client solutions while supporting employee growth and market expansion opportunities.

Safety and Well-Being

• Champion BeyondZero, quality, safety, well-being, and mental health initiatives.
• Promote an incident- and injury-free culture across the organization.

Here’s what you’ll need

• Minimum of 15 years of experience in the design, construction, project management of water and wastewater projects
• Professional Engineering registration (P.Eng.) or equivalent professional designation preferred
• Strong business acumen with a demonstrated history of delivering organizational and team success
• Proven leadership and project delivery experience within the water market.
• A strong understanding of the relationship between Operations, Group Leaders, Project Managers, CAMs, and Market Solutions leaders
• High emotional intelligence and inspirational leadership capabilities.
• Strong team building, coaching, and mentoring skills
• A proven track record of leadership and talent development
• Excellent interpersonal, relationship-building, and conflict-resolution abilities
• An innovative, solution-oriented mindset
• Ability to communicate a clear vision and strategic direction
• Strong networking and communication skills, both internally and externally
• Excellent planning, organizational, and prioritization skills
• The ability to lead through inclusion, inspiration, collaboration, and innovation

The closing date for this opportunity is Monday, November 16, 2026.

Posted Salary Range Minimum

136,600.00

Posted Salary Range Upper

225,925.00

The base salary range for this position is $136,600.00 to $225,925.00. This range reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position across Ontario, Canada locations. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. This job posting is for an existing vacancy.

At Jacobs, we use AI-driven recruitment to match top talent with opportunity—however, human connection and fairness remain at the heart of every hiring decision.

Jacobs welcomes and encourages applications from people with disabilities. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process. To request an accommodation, please select here.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.