Principal Environmental Planner - MTO

Parsons; Toronto; Hybrid; CAD 118,000 - 168,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Vision & dental

Pension plan (DCPP)

TFSA

RRSP

Life insurance

Paid time off

Holidays off

Gym membership discounts

Job summary

Parsons is seeking a Principal Environmental Planner in Ontario to lead environmental planning services for major transportation projects. Based in Toronto/Markham/Oakville/London with hybrid work, the role drives strategy, client relationships, and staff development across Ontario.

Responsibilities include EA, permitting, and stakeholder engagement, ensuring QA, and guiding teams through MTO Class EA requirements. The ideal candidate has 15+ years in this field and Ontario MTO connections.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of progressive environmental planning or EA experience, including extensive MTO highway project experience in consulting.
• Demonstrated leadership on major transportation infrastructure assignments.
• Established relationships within MTO and the Ontario transportation market.
• Strong knowledge of MTO Class EA requirements, Environmental Reference for Highway Design, and environmental legislation.
• Proven experience leading teams, developing staff, managing resources, and supporting business growth.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop environmental planning staff through mentoring, coaching, recruitment, and succession planning.
• Oversee environmental planning, EA, permitting, consultation, and approvals activities.
• Build and maintain relationships with MTO and key transportation sector clients; lead business development and capture planning.
• Provide senior oversight for environmental planning, regulatory compliance, and stakeholder engagement.
• Monitor legislation, MTO policy changes, and industry practices to inform project delivery.

Skills

Leadership

Client management

Business development

Resource management

Team development

Strategic planning

Education

Degree in Environmental Planning

Job description

In a world of possibilities, pursue one with endless opportunities. Imagine Next!At Parsons, you can imagine a career where you thrive, work with exceptional people, and be yourself. Guided by our leadership vision of valuing people, embracing agility, and fostering growth, we cultivate an innovative culture that empowers you to achieve your full potential. Unleash your talent and redefine what’s possible.

Job Description:

Parsons is seeking a Principal Environmental Planner with extensive MTO transportation infrastructure experience to provide leadership for our environmental planning practice in Ontario. This position may be based in Toronto, Markham, Oakville, or London, with hybrid work flexibility.

Position Overview

The Principal Environmental Planner will provide strategic leadership for environmental planning services, major transportation projects, client relationships, business development, technical excellence, and staff development. This individual will oversee a portfolio of MTO assignments while helping grow Parsons' environmental planning practice across Ontario.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and develop environmental planning staff through mentoring, coaching, recruitment, and succession planning.
• Support resource allocation, workload management, and capability development.
• Foster collaboration across planning, natural sciences, engineering, and project management teams.
• Promote consistent quality assurance procedures, tools, and best practices.

Client Management & Business Development

• Build and maintain strong relationships with MTO and key transportation sector clients.
• Lead business development, opportunity identification, capture planning, and strategic positioning efforts.
• Oversee proposals, interviews, pursuits, staffing plans, schedules, and budgets.
• Represent Parsons at client meetings, industry events, and professional organizations.
• Support contract negotiations and project growth initiatives.

Project & Technical Leadership

• Provide senior oversight for environmental planning, EA, permitting, consultation, and approvals activities.
• Guide project teams in applying MTO Class EA requirements and Environmental Reference for Highway Design standards.
• Provide technical review and quality assurance for major environmental deliverables.
• Advise project teams and clients on complex environmental, regulatory, Indigenous consultation, and stakeholder issues.
• Oversee project performance, including quality, schedule, budget, risk, and client satisfaction.
• Monitor changes to legislation, MTO policy, and industry practices and incorporate them into project delivery strategies.

Qualifications

• Degree in Environmental Planning, Environmental Science, Geography, Planning, or a related discipline.
• 15+ years of progressive environmental planning or EA experience, including extensive MTO highway project experience in consulting.
• Demonstrated leadership on major transportation infrastructure assignments.
• Established relationships within MTO and the Ontario transportation market.
• Strong knowledge of MTO Class EA requirements, Environmental Reference for Highway Design, and environmental legislation.
• Proven experience leading teams, developing staff, managing resources, and supporting business growth.
• Experience with transit, rail, municipal EA, or federal impact assessment processes is an asset.
• Valid Ontario G driver's licence.

This position is part of our Critical Infrastructure team.For more than 80 years, our experts have designed and delivered the critical infrastructure that connects and protects communities around the world. We work in collaborative teams, both within the company and with our partners and customers, to plan, design, build, and modernize infrastructure. We take special pride in projects and solutions that improve communities as well as people’s quality of life by promoting economic growth, enhancing mobility, and increasing sustainability and resiliency. Powered by our people, we provide the imagination necessary to support our customers’ visions—and to help them see what's next!

Salary Range: $117,500 - $167,500

We value our employees and want our employees to take care of their overall wellbeing, which is why we offer best-in-class benefits such as health, vision, dental, employer paid provincial care premiums, Defined Contribution Pension Plan (DCPP), Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), life insurance, paid time off, sick leave, all province observed holidays off, and gym membership discounts to fit your busy lifestyle!

Parsons is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in the workplace. Parsons equally employs representation at all job levels for indigenous peoples, women, individuals with disabilities, and visible minorities.

We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—

Parsons is aware of fraudulent recruitment practices. To learn more about recruitment fraud and how to report it, please refer to https://www.parsons.com/fraudulent-recruitment/.