Head of Design Systems Engineering

Babcock International; Ottawa; On-site; CAD 127,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A global engineering firm in Victoria, BC, is seeking a Head of Department - Design and Systems Engineering. The successful candidate will lead multi-disciplinary teams, ensure compliance with engineering practices, and drive strategic initiatives. A degree in engineering and over 12 years of experience in a high-integrity environment are essential. Competitive salary from $127,930 to $159,913, along with comprehensive health benefits and a supportive work-life balance.

Benefits

Wellness days

Flexible work schedule

Comprehensive health and dental benefits

Relocation assistance

Professional development support

Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in a high-integrity engineering environment.
• 5+ years managing technical teams.
• Licensed to practice in Canada as a Professional Engineer.

Responsibilities

• Lead multi-disciplinary engineering teams.
• Advance organization’s systems engineering competencies.
• Drive risk management and mitigation strategies.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Communication

Technical acumen

Risk management

Quality assurance

Education

Degree in Engineering

Master’s degree in Engineering

Job description

Head of Department - Design and Systems Engineering (Permanent)

Victoria, BC

Expected Salary: $127,930 to $159,913

In determining the final salary, Babcock will consider a variety of factors including the successful Candidate’s skills and experience and internal equity. The final base salary offer will be at the Company’s sole discretion and be presented as part of a competitive total compensation package.

Underpinned by a deep understanding of technology integration, asset management, and specialist training, Babcock International works with customers around the world to improve the capability, reliability and availability of their most critical assets within the key market sectors of Marine, Land, Aviation, and Nuclear.

In Canada, Babcock works in the Marine sector, where our teams provide critical and complex support to Canada’s submarine fleet. Our Canadian team is proud to be trusted to deliver key naval in-service support for the Royal Canadian Navy. We also operate in the Aviation sector, where Babcock ensures that the aircrew trainees of our partner nations receive the world’s best flying training. We deliver vital aerial emergency services and are proud to have been selected by the Government of Manitoba to deliver their wildfire suppression services, as well as key components of their critical air ambulance services.

Whether it is providing technical training instruction, developing training materials or maintaining critical training assets, Babcock is trusted by its customers to deliver world-class training solutions.

Babcock’s Purpose is to create a safe and secure world, together. Our Principles create the foundation for how we will do this. They keep us on the right course, unify the way we work and guide us towards success. By thinking, connecting, and acting in line with these Principles, we’ll deliver better outcomes for our Culture, Customers and Communities. Collectively at Babcock, our employees embody the Principles that help make us great at what we do:

• Challenge the status quo, Be Curious , and ask, ‘how might we?’
• Whenever measuring success, Think: Outcomes and positive impacts.
• Be Kind to ourselves, each other, and our planet.
• Babcock employees Collaborate – we are greater than the sum of our parts,
• Be Courageous – be brave, ambitious, and determined.
• Everyone has a part to play - Own and Deliver to be successful.

Babcock is grateful to work on the traditional territories of many Nations across Canada. Babcock respects the special relationship that the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis have with the land and recognizes that we are privileged to use and share this land. Babcock is committed to being a good neighbour, ensuring that we are positively contributing to society’s progress and building meaningful and mutually beneficial relations with Indigenous peoples, businesses, and communities.

We encourage you to explore our Babcock Canada website to learn more about us at www.babcockcanada.com .

In this role, you will:

• Provide leadership, management and technical oversight to multi-disciplinary engineering teams engaged in the design, integration, and life-cycle management of complex military systems.
• Provide leadership to advance complex change initiatives to evolve the organization’s systems engineering competencies, practices and culture in alignment with emerging technologies, market opportunities and operational needs in both the defence and civil sectors.
• Maintain Babcock Canada’s compliance with legal requirements in respect of the practice of Professional Engineering.
• Bring your experience to enhance a delivery focused culture through targeted support, coaching, mentorship, and development of departmental staff.
• Collaborate with program management, operational users, and external stakeholders (including industry partners and government clients) to define capability needs and translate them into actionable system requirements.
• Drive risk management and mitigation strategies across technical domains, ensuring that engineering decisions support product safety, mission readiness, survivability, and operational effectiveness.
• Serve as the senior technical authority on systems engineering processes, ensuring alignment with company objectives, applicable standards, stakeholder needs, and regulatory requirements.
• Contribute to corporate strategy and business development by identifying, assessing and supporting new opportunities, shaping proposals, and participating in client engagements related to defense systems engineering.
• Establish metrics and key indicators to monitor and control Design and Systems Engineering Department operations.
• Lead technical reviews as warranted and directed.
• Be responsible for the Health and Safety of all employees in your organization.

The ideal candidate brings:

• A degree from a recognized post secondary institution or completed an apprenticeship in an engineering discipline or equivalent experience.
• A Master’s degree in engineering from a recognized institution is desirable.
• Licensed to practice in Canada as a Professional Engineer or able to complete such registration within 12 months.
• Strategic Thinker: Ability to align engineering activities with organizational strategy, operational requirements, and long-term sustainment goals.
• Exceptional Communicator: Able to convey complex technical concepts to senior decision-makers, clients, and non-technical stakeholders.
• Extensive experience (12+ years) in a high-integrity engineering environment.
• Proven leadership skills and experience (5+ years) managing technical teams is highly desirable.
• Strong Technical Acumen: Solid grounding in systems architecture, integration, and design trade-offs, with the ability to evaluate and make high-level technical decisions.
• Lifecycle Management Experience: Familiarity with the introduction and ongoing support of systems in-service, including upgrade strategies, obsolescence management, and configuration control.
• Risk and Quality Management Mindset: Experience implementing robust risk assessment processes and quality assurance in engineering decision-making.
• Defense and Military Domain Experience: Significant experience (5+years) in the design, development, and in-service support of complex systems used in military or defense applications. Experience specific to submarine engineering, sustainment or construction would be an asset but not mandatory.
• You are eligible for a Canadian Secret Security and ITAR Clearance

Babcock Canada supports the safety and wellbeing of our employees through the following programs:

• Contributions towards an employee’s physical and mental health
• Wellness days
• Supportive work life balance: flexible work schedule and competitive annual vacation time off
• Comprehensive health and dental benefits
• Pregnancy and Parental Leave top-up available
• Employer matching of employee retirement contribution
• Employee recognition and bonus programs
• Support of professional development and reimbursement of membership dues
• Relocation assistance for individuals and families

Babcock is committed to promoting a workforce without boundaries. One that welcomes everyone to contribute to our success regardless of race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics, or disability, and conviction for an offence for which a pardon has been granted or in respect of which a record suspension has been ordered. If you require accommodation during any stage of our recruitment process, please let us know how we can assist you.

Applicants, please apply online at https://www.babcockinternational.com/careers/