Team Lead - Distribution Automation Services

Powertech Labs; Surrey; On-site; CAD 107,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading cleantech company seeks a Team Lead in Surrey to oversee projects in the distribution automation services sector. The successful candidate will have substantial engineering experience, excellent project management and leadership skills, and be responsible for delivering high-quality services while promoting a safe work environment. A competitive salary of $107K - $135K is offered for this full-time position.

Qualifications

• Minimum eight years of relevant engineering experience.
• Direct experience managing a team of technical professionals for at least three years.
• Strong project management skills with a focus on collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Lead delivery of projects, including consulting and field testing.
• Provide mentorship and ensure adherence to safety procedures.
• Contribute to business development and client relationship building.
• Monitor project progress and implement contingency plans.

Skills

Strong problem-solving abilities

Strong leadership skills

Excellent verbal and written communication

Risk-based decision-making capabilities

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Mechatronics Engineering

Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) registration

Job description

Powertech Labs Inc is a cleantech company with the mission of being a trusted innovation partner providing solutions, specialized testing, and technical expertise for a safe and sustainable global energy future. Powertech has a global reputation for delivering transformative solutions in both the electric power industry as well as the transport sector.

We are always guided by our values as a global clean-technology and engineering company:

• Safety: This top everything. We do our work safely or we do not do it at all.
• Challenges: We ready ourselves for the hardest challenges – through attaining accreditations, developing industry-leading innovative products & services, investing in our labs, hiring great people, and making them better.
• Diverse Teams: We are strongest together and capitalize on our varied attributes – together we are more than the sum of parts.
• Our customers: Customers fuel this company, and we constantly work with them to earn and retain their trust and loyalty. We expect that our customers hold us accountable to our commitments.
• Excellence: Striving for excellence, acting with integrity, and having the highest standards in quality are core to what we do.

Distribution Automation Services provides comprehensive distribution-level testing for switchgear, reclosers, and voltage regulators.

Our lab offers a full range of qualification testing, pre-commissioning support, troubleshooting, and customized testing solutions. Services can be performed either on-site or in-lab to assess equipment condition, assist clients with pre-commissioning activities, and diagnose operational issues. The team also has extensive experience in forensic analysis to determine equipment failure causes and has provided expert-witness support for complex investigations.

Responsibilities

• Lead and support the delivery of projects of varying complexity, including consulting services, laboratory-based work, and field testing,
• Provide technical guidance and mentorship to team members by coaching junior staff, promoting skill development, and ensuring adherence to safe operating procedures and industry best practices.
• Oversee equipment maintenance activities, including diagnosing issues, developing maintenance schedules, and coordinating repair and upkeep tasks.
• Actively contribute to business development by:
  • Identifying and pursuing opportunities for new laboratory services
  • Building and strengthening client relationships to expand service offerings and increase utility support across Canada
  • Leading initiatives to enhance lab efficiency, capabilities, and overall performance
• Provide technical direction on work prioritization and resource allocation to meet project objectives; review ongoing work to ensure accuracy, required outcomes, and compliance with engineering and quality standards.
• Promote and enforce safety protocols and procedures to ensure a safe work environment and minimize risks associated with testing activities.
• Monitor project progress, resolve scheduling and resource conflicts, and implement contingency plans as required.
• Support the development and achievement of long-term strategic goals and annual departmental objectives related to safety, quality, environmental compliance, client satisfaction, and financial performance.
• Establish performance expectations, conduct evaluations, address performance issues, and support employee growth through training and career development planning.
• Assist the Division Manager in building a resilient and capable team through recruitment, change management, staff development, and succession planning.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Mechanical, or Mechatronics Engineering from an accredited Canadian university.
• A minimum of eight (8) years of relevant engineering experience.
• At least three (3) years of direct experience managing all aspects of a team of technical professionals.
• Registration as a Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) with Engineers and Geoscientists BC.
• Strong project management abilities and goal-setting skills, with proven experience collaborating with senior leadership and subject matter experts.

Desired Skillsets

• Strong problem-solving abilities to diagnose and address equipment and testing issues in the lab.
• Possess strong leadership skills to guide, mentor and coordinate team of lab technicians and engineers.
• Demonstrated management of a P&L and an understanding of annual planning, budgeting, and business forecasting is an asset.
• Excellent verbal, written and interpersonal communications skills including the ability to build successful relationships, make presentations to technical and non-technical audiences and liaise with peers in industry.
• Excellent risk-based decision-making capabilities.
• Previous experience working in a unionized environment is an asset.
• Thorough understanding in principles of managing multifaceted multidisciplinary projects; inclusive of budgets, resources, schedules, and deliverables through proposal, definition, initiation, planning, execution, reporting, and closure stages.

Job Grade: P3-Team Lead

Job Status: Full time Regular

Annual Salary: $107K - $135K

Job location: Surrey

Business Group: Testing Services Business Unit

Department: Distribution Automation Services

As part of the selection process, applicants may be required to complete a written test/ assessment and/or a presentation as part of the interview process.

A condition of employment for this job is that you maintain your Driver's License (Class 5) in good standing.

Please be advised that this role has been assessed as safety sensitive and pre-qualification alcohol and drug testing will be required as a pre-condition to employment.

Powertech Labs is an equal opportunity employer. We include everyone. We welcome applications from anyone, including members of visible minorities, women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, persons of minority sexual orientations and gender identities, and others with the skills and knowledge to productively engage with diverse communities. We are also happy to provide reasonable accommodation throughout the selection process and while working at Powertech Labs.

Maintaining customer-confidence and our reputation is key: To this end, all our campus and laboratories are accredited to ISO9001 (quality), ISO14001 (environment stewardship) and ISO45001 (safety) and IEC/ISO 17025 for over 100 standards. To complement the focus on accreditation, we encourage our experts to drive global standards and provide development opportunities for all staff to grow in their role and to advance in their careers.

Working at Powertech is not a job but a career. If you want to be a part of a growing clean technology company that is impactful and working towards a common goal of accelerating the world towards a net zero carbon future, come and join our team.