Director, Permits, Licenses & Approvals

Alto; Montreal (administrative region); Hybrid; CAD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Basic health insurance

Wellness accounts

Flex-Alto transportation allowance

RRSP/TFSA retirement plan

Vacation based on experience

Incentive compensation

Job summary

Alto is recruiting a Director of Permits, Licences & Approvals to lead regulatory strategy across infrastructure, construction, and development projects in Canada. You will oversee permitting authorities, drive digital PLA tracking, and collaborate with legal and other departments to secure timely authorizations.

The role requires navigating municipal, provincial, and federal processes with a focus on environmental compliance and efficient approvals.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Urban Planning, or Civil/Environmental Engineering.
• Master's degree in Construction Management is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Develop and direct the overarching permitting and licensing strategy.
• Oversee end-to-end processing of plans, permits, and licence applications.
• Provide enterprise-wide oversight of Permits, Licences, and Approvals (PLA).
• Identify bottlenecks, implement digital tracking systems for PLAs.
• Foster continuous improvement of internal processes for PLA decision-making.
• Collaborate with legal affairs and other departments to advance PLA.
• Maintain reports and permit status updates for executives and stakeholders.
• Resolve complex disputes and escalations related to PLAs.
• Ensure compliance with environmental regulations and bylaws.
• Ensure private developer partner compliance with contractual PLA obligations.

Skills

Communication

Bilingual (FR/EN)

Regulatory compliance

Stakeholder engagement

Project management

Auditing/document control

Education

Bachelor's degree in Public Administration, Urban Planning, or Civil/Environmental Engineering

Master's degree in Construction Management (asset)

Job description

At Alto, we are actively contributing to the transformation of Canada\'s future with our high-speed train project connecting Quebec City and Toronto. With the support of the Government of Canada, this innovative project aims to improve the quality of life of our citizens, strengthen ties between communities and stimulate economic growth.

Would you like to take on a stimulating, high-impact challenge? We are looking for a Director, Permits, Licences & Approvals.

The role

Reporting to the Vice President, Systems and Interfaces, the Director, Permits, Licences, and Approvals plays a key role for ensuring regulatory compliance and managing application procedures within Alto's infrastructure, construction, and development sectors. This includes overseeing interactions with permitting authorities, and securing legal authorizations, or agreements in lieu of authorizations, This role integrates strategic leadership with comprehensive cross-functional collaboration and stakeholder engagement.

The Responsibilities

• Develop and direct the overarching permitting and licensing strategy, ensuring departmental goals align with corporate objectives.
• Oversee end-to-end processing of plans, permits, and licence applications.
• Provide enterprise-wide oversight of Permits, Licences, and Approvals (PLA), ensuring effective coordination, integration, and management of interdependencies across all PLA activities, including those delivered by other departments.
• Identify bottlenecks, develop new policies, and implement digital tracking systems for PLAs to ensure expedited timelines.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement to refine internal processes, improving Alto's processing and decision-making processes.
• Collaborate with internal Alto departments, including the legal affairs team, to advance PLA.
• Maintain comprehensive reports and permit status updates and oversee compliance tracking for executive management and stakeholders.
• Resolve complex, high-profile, or sensitive application disputes and escalations.
• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, bylaws, and environmental standards.
• Ensure private developer partner compliance with contractual obligations in relation to PLAs.

The Requirements

• Bachelor\'s degree in Public Administration, Urban Planning, or Civil/Environmental Engineering.
• Master\'s degree in Construction Management (an asset).
• Minimum 15 years of experience in planning and construction related permitting, environmental regulation, and compliance monitoring.
• Exceptional communication, political acumen and conflict resolution skills.
• Bilingual in French and English, both spoken and written.
• Extensive experience and demonstrated ability to navigate intricate regulatory procedures at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels; engaging with government agencies, and overseeing permit deadlines.
• Excellent knowledge of the environmental legislative and regulatory framework.
• Demonstrated experience in auditing, document management, and relations with regulatory agencies.
• Knowledge of linear projects or infrastructure (an asset).

Why join our innovative team?

• Basic paid group insurance for you and your family: medical, dental, life, disability, etc.
• Access to wellness and health accounts to support your lifestyle.
• Flex-Alto account of $500 to encourage a healthier approach and a more sustainable mode of transportation.
• A retirement plan and savings options (RRSP and TFSA).
• Vacations based on experience, available upon hiring.
• An incentive compensation program.
• Flexible hybrid work mode.
• A work environment that encourages initiative, innovation, and forward-thinking solutions.
• A unique opportunity to shape the future of transportation in Canada.

We work to create high-performance, diversified teams

At Alto, we believe in the power of diverse teams. We aspire to provide an inclusive and equitable work environment where everyone can develop and flourish. Alto offers equal employment opportunities to all and invites qualified individuals, regardless of their identity, origin or situation, to apply.

Please let us know if you need any adjustments during the recruitment process. We will do our utmost to provide you with a fair and pleasant experience, while keeping any adjustments confidential.

Please note that we will communicate only with those candidates whose applications are selected for further consideration. To find out more about the entire project, visit Alto - Home.