Lead Engineer, Highway Design

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

Job summary

Ontario Public Service in Kingston, London, North Bay, St Catharines, Thunder Bay, Toronto seeks a Lead Engineer, Highway Design to shape provincial standards and deliver safe, efficient highway solutions across the province. You will lead engineering programs and collaborate with stakeholders to advance climate resilience and digital modernization.

The role requires a PEO license or equivalent Canadian accreditation with a plan to obtain PEO licensure, plus a valid driver's license.

Qualifications

• Expertise in transportation engineering, highway planning and design.
• Ability to interpret ministry policies and standards.
• Strong stakeholder management with internal and external partners.

Responsibilities

• Administer and coordinate engineering and design activities for Highway Design Office.
• Evaluate and develop highway design policies, procedures, and standards.
• Provide training and expert advice to ministry staff, consultants and municipalities.
• Represent the ministry as an expert witness in negotiations with agencies and industry.

Skills

Transportation engineering

Highway design

Analytical skills

Relationship management

Job description

Apply By:Friday, September 11, 2026 11:59 pm EDT

Standards and Contracts Branch, Highway Design Office

City:

Kingston, London, North Bay, St Catharines, Thunder Bay, Toronto

Position(s) language:

Job term:

1 Temporary (12 months with possible extension)

If you are an experienced engineer with expertise in highway design, this is your opportunity to lead! As Lead Engineer, Highway Design, you'll shape provincial standards and deliver solutions that keep Ontario's highways safe and efficient—turning technical insight into results that serve communities across the province.

About Us

The Highway Design Office (HDO) is part of the Standards and Contracts Branch within the Ministry of Transportation. HDO is the ministry's technical authority for highway design standards, specifications, policies, and guidelines, and manages key provincial systems and services including the Ontario Provincial Standards Specifications (OPSS), Technical Consultation Portal (TCP), and Technical Publications (Tech Pubs).

As a member of HDO, you will have the opportunity to influence transportation infrastructure across the entire province, working at the intersection of engineering, policy, innovation, and public service. The office provides technical leadership in areas such as highway geometric design, drainage and hydrology, roadside safety, climate change adaptation, active transportation, landscape architecture, value engineering, standards development, and digital modernization. Staff collaborate with internal and external stakeholders, municipalities, consultants, industry experts, and other government agencies to develop and implement solutions that shape how Ontario's highways are planned, designed, and delivered.

This position offers exposure to high-impact provincial initiatives, opportunities to provide technical leadership and expert advice, and the chance to contribute to standards, policies, guidelines, research, innovation, and continuous improvement initiatives that support a safe, sustainable, and resilient transportation system for Ontarians.

About the job

• administer, organize and coordinate engineering and design development programs and activities of the Highway Design Office, with an emphasis and specialization in highway design
• evaluate and develop highway design policies, procedures, products and standards
• provide training and expert advice to ministry staff, consultants, municipalities and regions
• serve as an expert witness on highway design and policies, representing the ministry in various negotiations with government agencies and industry.

What you bring to the team

Mandatory requirements

• You are licensed with Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO) or You currently have accreditation as a Professional Engineer in a Canadian Province or Territory, and you will obtain a Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) license as a condition of accepting this position.
• You possess a valid driver's license or equivalent, as recognized by the province of Ontario.

Transportation Engineering and highway design:

• You know and can apply theory, principles and practices of transportation engineering, highway planning and design

Analytical skills:

• You can interpret and apply ministry and program policies, standards and administrative procedures

Relationship and stakeholder management skills:

• You have knowledge of management techniques as well as the ability to establish effective working relationships with colleagues, internal and external stakeholders, including provincial agencies or corporations

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 Temporary, duration up to 12 months, 301 St Paul St, St Catharines, West Region or 1355 John Counter Blvd, Kingston, East Region or 447 McKeown Ave, North Bay, North Region or 615 James St S, Thunder Bay, North Region or 777 Bay St, Toronto, Toronto Region or 159 Sir William Hearst Ave, Toronto, Toronto Region or 659 Exeter Rd, London, West Region

Professional Engineers, Government of Ontario

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.