Principal Geomechanics Engineer

ITASCA North America; Vancouver; Hybrid; CAD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, and vision benefits

Company stock

Performance bonuses

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Disability & life insurance

Job summary

ITASCA North America is seeking a Principal Geomechanics Engineer to provide technical leadership, grow client relationships, mentor engineers, and help expand our geomechanics consulting practice in Canada and across North America.

This role targets a senior leader with strong engineering judgment and credibility with mining clients, guiding complex work and shaping the firm's growth. Hybrid/remote options may be considered in Canada.

Qualifications

• Advanced degree or equivalent in mining/geotechnical/geomechanics or related field.
• Minimum 15 years in mining geomechanics, rock mechanics, or related consulting.
• Strong client-facing communication and ability to lead projects.
• PE designation or equivalent; open pit/underground experience.
• Ability to review, interpret, and challenge analyses including modeling.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior technical leadership on mining geomechanics projects.
• Guide studies on slope stability, ground control, and mine planning.
• Review and challenge technical assumptions and modeling approaches.
• Connect field evidence with monitoring data and operational constraints.
• Serve as trusted client advisor and support defensible decisions.
• Develop client relationships and lead proposals and business development.
• Mentor senior, intermediate, and junior engineers.
• Collaborate with ITASCA specialists across North America.
• Support growth and technical direction of ITASCA North America's geomechanics practice.

Skills

Client-facing leadership

Mentoring engineers

Project leadership

Reviewing analyses

Technical guidance

Education

Advanced degree in mining/geotechnical/geomechanics

P.Eng./PE or equivalent

Tools

FLAC3D

3DEC

UDEC

PFC

Job description

Principal Geomechanics Engineer

ITASCA North America | Canada-based

About the role

ITASCA North America is seeking a Principal Geomechanics Engineer to provide technical leadership, grow client relationships, mentor engineers, and help expand our geomechanics consulting practice in Canada and across North America.

This role is suited for a senior technical and client-facing leader with strong practical experience, sound engineering judgment, and credibility with mining clients. You will guide complex geomechanics work, support high-quality project delivery, develop opportunities, and help shape the growth of ITASCA North America.

For this Principal role, the ability to lead, review, challenge, interpret, and explain advanced technical work so it is useful for client decision-making is paramount.

Why this role matters

ITASCA North America is growing its geomechanics practice in Canada, and Principal engineers are central to that growth. This role is about building trusted client relationships, guiding complex technical work, mentoring engineers, and helping strengthen ITASCA's presence in the Canadian mining sector.

Clients facing difficult geomechanics challenges need more than analysis. They need senior advisors who can understand the technical problem, recognize the operational and business context, and guide teams toward practical, defensible recommendations. In this role, your judgment will help clients make decisions that affect safety, risk, mine performance, and long-term project value.

You will also help shape the future of the practice by developing people, raising technical quality, and identifying opportunities, and connecting ITASCA's deep technical capabilities with the needs of our clients.

What you'll do

• Provide senior technical leadership on mining geomechanics and rock mechanics projects.
• Guide studies involving slope stability, underground stability, ground control, stress redistribution, monitoring response, risk, and mine planning.
• Review and challenge technical assumptions, interpretations, modeling approaches, and recommendations.
• Help project teams connect field evidence, geology, monitoring data, operational constraints, and advanced analysis.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to clients and support practical, defensible decision-making.
• Develop client relationships and lead proposals, project scoping, and business development.
• Mentor senior, intermediate, and junior engineers.
• Collaborate with ITASCA specialists across Canada, the U.S., and internationally.
• Support the growth and technical direction of ITASCA North America's geomechanics practice.

What you bring

Required

• Advanced degree or equivalent professional experience in mining engineering, geological engineering, geotechnical engineering, civil engineering, rock mechanics, geomechanics, or a related field.
• Minimum 15 years of experience in mining geomechanics, rock mechanics, or closely related geotechnical consulting or operational work.
• Strong practical understanding of open pit and/or underground mining environments.
• Demonstrated ability to guide complex technical work and provide sound engineering judgment.
• Ability to review, interpret, and challenge technical analyses, including numerical modeling.
• Strong client-facing communication skills.
• Experience leading projects, mentoring engineers, and contributing to business development.
• Professional Engineer (P.Eng./PE or equivalent) designation.

Strongly valued

• Established client relationships in Canada's mining sector.
• Experience developing and winning consulting work.
• Experience serving as technical reviewer, project director, or senior advisor on complex geomechanics studies.
• Experience integrating field observations, monitoring data, geology, mine plans, operational constraints, and technical analysis.
• Recognition within the mining geomechanics community through publications, conferences, committees, or industry engagement.
• Familiarity with ITASCA software, such as FLAC3D, 3DEC, UDEC, or PFC.

Why ITASCA

For more than 45 years, ITASCA has helped clients solve complex geomechanics, hydrogeology, and engineering geology challenges through technical depth, practical judgment, and innovation.

At ITASCA, you will work on challenging projects where standard approaches are often not enough. Our work combines field experience, engineering interpretation, advanced analysis, and state-of-the-art ITASCA software to help clients make better decisions.

We are a collaborative, collegial, employee-owned company where technical excellence, curiosity, mentorship, mutual respect, and shared success matter. This is a place for senior professionals who want meaningful influence with clients, colleagues, and the direction of a growing North American consulting practice.

Location and travel

This is a full-time position based in Canada. Preferred locations are Toronto, Vancouver, or Sudbury, but other Canadian locations, including hybrid/remote work options, may be considered for the right candidate.

Travel is expected for client meetings, site visits, conferences, business development, and internal collaboration.

Compensation and benefits

We value your contributions and offer a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience
• Performance bonuses, including cash and company stock
• Health, dental, and vision benefits for you and your family
• Generous paid time off from day one
• Paid holidays
• Company-paid short-term disability, long-term disability, and life insurance

The anticipated salary range is $180,000-$230,000 CAD. Final compensation will depend on experience and qualifications.

ITASCA is an equal opportunity employer, a drug-free workplace, and complies with accessibility regulations as applicable.