Permits, Licences and Authorizations (PLA) Coordinator – Alto project / Cadence

Systra; Montreal; Hybrid; CAD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

SYSTRA Canada is seeking a Permits, Licences and Authorizations (PLA) Specialist to support regulatory planning and coordination for the Alto high-speed rail project. The role focuses on identifying required approvals and developing permitting strategies.

You will work with environmental, engineering, design and project teams, coordinate applications, monitor deadlines, and ensure document traceability. Fluency in French and English is required, with strong organizational skills and autonomy.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in environmental studies, engineering, or related discipline.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in permitting management.
• Strong understanding of regulatory processes for major projects.
• Ability to manage multiple files and meet tight deadlines.
• Fluent oral and written communication in French and English.

Responsibilities

• Regulatory planning and strategy: identify permits, licences, certificates, and authorizations for project phases.
• Application coordination: prepare, review, and submit authorization applications with required information.
• Interdisciplinary coordination: liaise with environmental, engineering, design, construction, and project management teams; communicate with authorities.
• Monitoring, compliance, and documentation: track deadlines, regulatory risks, and maintain traceability of documents.

Skills

Bilingual FR/EN

Attention to detail

Organizational skills

Autonomy

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree (environmental studies or engineering)

Job description

SYSTRA Canada is part of the SYSTRA group, an international consulting and engineering group, a world leader in the design of transport infrastructures. SYSTRA Canada is an engineering and consulting firm whose primary focus is to offer transportation solutions, whether for passengers or goods: feasibility studies of building a new railway line, increasing the capacity of the existing infrastructure, privatization of a railway.

Context

As part of the Alto high-speed rail project, SYSTRA, within the Cadence consortium, is seeking a Permits, Licences and Authorizations (PLA) Specialist to support the planning, co-ordination, and monitoring of the regulatory and administrative requirements necessary to advance the project.

The incumbent will play a central role in identifying required approvals, developing permitting strategies, and co-ordinating the related processes with the relevant authorities.

Missions/Main Duties

Regulatory planning and strategy: Identify the permits, licences, certificates, and authorizations required for the various phases of the project. Develop and maintain a register of regulatory requirements, deadlines, and status updates. Define and monitor the authorization strategy based on project phasing and key milestones. Integrate regulatory constraints into project schedules and priorities.

Application co-ordination: Co-ordinate the preparation, review, and submission of authorization applications. Gather and validate the required technical, environmental, and administrative information. Ensure the quality, consistency, and completeness of submitted documents.

Interdisciplinary co-ordination and relations with authorities: Collaborate with the environmental, engineering, design, construction, and project management teams. Serve as the liaison with technical specialists to integrate required inputs into applications. Support communications with the relevant authorities and co-ordinate responses to requests for information.

Monitoring, compliance, and document management: Monitor the progress of applications, deadlines, and authorization conditions. Identify regulatory risks and propose mitigation measures. Ensure traceability of documents, correspondence, and regulatory commitments. Contribute to monitoring the project’s regulatory compliance.

Profile/Skills

Education: Bachelor's degree in environmental studies, engineering, or a related discipline.

Years of experience: Minimum of 5 years of experience in permitting management.

Technical skills:

• Good understanding of authorization processes and regulatory frameworks applicable to major projects.
• Ability to manage multiple files simultaneously and work under tight deadlines.
• Excellent organizational, analytical, and document management skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills in French and English.

* Reasons for requiring bilingualism:You will have the opportunity to work with a varied clientele, including both French- and English-speaking companies. Bilingualism is therefore fundamental to building strong relationships with our customers, understanding their specific needs, communicating effectively in their preferred language and facilitating strategic meetings.

Personal qualities:

• Attention to detail and strong organizational skills.
• Autonomy and proactivity.
• Collaborative mindset.

SYSTRA Canada is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer that values applications from all and offers employment equity based on the merits and abilities of candidates and personnel.

We use AI-enabled tools in our recruitment platform (iCIMS) for tasks like resume parsing and candidate matching. These tools do not make hiring decisions; all applications are reviewed by a human recruiter, and final decisions are made by our hiring team.For questions about our hiring process or AI tools, please contact [e-mail].

Note: In this description, the masculine gender is used for easy reading purposes and includes the feminine.

Workplace Type

Hybrid