Engineering Assistant

R.J. Burnside & Associates Limited is seeking an Engineering Assistant to join our Thunder Bay team. The anticipated start date for this position is April 2027. This is an opportunity to contribute to a variety of municipal infrastructure and private land development projects while developing your technical skills and gaining practical experience in a multidisciplinary consulting environment.

Working alongside experienced engineers and technical staff, you’ll support the planning, design, and delivery of infrastructure projects that serve communities across Northern Ontario.

If you enjoy problem-solving, working collaboratively, and learning how engineering projects progress from concept through to construction, this role offers an opportunity to build your experience and grow your career.

What You’ll Do

• Grow and develop your technical expertise as part of a team, including working with your supervisor and other leadership/coaches/mentors within the organization;
• Preparation of reports and detailed designs including functional and detailed design of stormwater management, water distribution, storm and sanitary collection, roadways, earthworks, site plans and lot grading for land development projects;
• Preparing a wide variety of documents including proposals, workplans, schedules, technical memorandums, meeting minutes, technical specifications, and reports utilizing the templates developed both by our team and the corporate standards;
• Collaborating with and contributing to multi-office design teams to ensure project delivery successfully meets the needs of clients;
• Producing and/or working with detailed engineering design documents using AutoCAD Civil 3D;
• Perform contract administration and site inspections, as needed;
• Regional travel for client and agency meetings, business development, inspections, and site visits, as required;
• Attendance at conferences & seminars, participating in continual improvements and career development initiatives; and
• Other duties as assigned.

What You’ll Bring

•  A degree in Civil Engineering, or a related discipline
• A willingness to learn about projects involving water and wastewater, roads, stormwater management, drainage, and land development.
• Strong attention to detail and a commitment to producing accurate, organized, and high-quality work.
• Good written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to work effectively with engineers, technical staff, and other project team members.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, including the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word and Excel.
• A proactive, team-oriented approach and the initiative to ask questions, seek guidance, and take on new challenges.

 What Success Looks Like

• You produce accurate, well-organized work that supports the successful completion of engineering projects.
• You work effectively with engineers and other technical staff, communicate progress, and seek clarification when needed.
• You manage assigned tasks, follow through on commitments, and help keep project deliverables on schedule.
• You build your understanding of engineering standards, design practices, project workflows, and municipal infrastructure.
• You take pride in your work, check details carefully, and respond constructively to feedback.
• You demonstrate curiosity, identify opportunities to help the team, and gradually take on greater responsibility as your skills develop.

This is your chance to kickstart your career by working on meaningful projects that impact communities. At Burnside, we prioritize mentorship and foster an environment where you can learn, grow, and thrive. You’ll join a team that values innovation, teamwork, and a passion for civil engineering.

 Why You’ll Love Working Here

• Contributing to the growth and development of a new office in Thunder Bay.
• Meaningful, community-focused projects across the North and West Region.
• Supportive environment where collaboration and knowledge-sharing are encouraged.
• Opportunities to work on a variety of project types that expand your skills and experience.
• Flexibility to apply both your technical field expertise and civil design knowledge in a balanced role.

Salary Range: $70,000 - $75,000

The final compensation offered will be based on factors such as relevant experience, skills, internal equity, and market conditions.

Position Type: New Position

 Why Choose the Burnside Group of Companies?

The Burnside Group of Companies includes R.J. Burnside & Associates Limited with a focus on municipal, public agencies and private sector clients; Neegan Burnside Ltd. with a focus on Indigenous communities and sector clients; and Well Initiatives Limited, a full-service water well contractor.

Depending on your experience, background, and interest you will be part of a sector-based team that is the best fit for your career. As a Burnside employee, you will become part of a supportive group of colleagues across the organization that work together to provide value and service to our clients, while extending care to each other. We know that our employees are our greatest asset, and thus we strive to provide a positive work/life balance.

As a proud Canadian owned, operated and led company for over 50 years, Burnside has built a great reputation both internally with their staff and externally with their clients, as an established leader in quality engineering, environmental, project management and consulting services. Becoming part of the Burnside team opens the door to a wide range of career development, advancement, mentorship and collaboration opportunities across our 12 office locations.

We offer a wide variety of opportunities for our staff, geared to your level of independence and interests. As an agile firm willing to consider a multitude of opportunities as presented by our long-term client base, and in a number of emerging disciplines, we are willing to work with you to set a meaningful career path.

We offer:

• A collaborative culture where friendship, honesty and respect are part of our core values and practices
• Flexible working hours and office locations, including hybrid working opportunities
• A competitive compensation and benefits package
• RSP company matching plan
• Career growth and professional development opportunities
• Potential for performance-driven bonusing
• Active social committees
• A welcoming, positive, and inclusive work environment

We are an equal opportunity employer committed to valuing diversity in the workplace and we welcome resumes from all qualified candidates. Burnside will provide reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities throughout the entire recruitment, assessment, and selection process, as required. If you are a person with a disability and require an accommodation during these processes, please contact our Human Resources department.

R.J. Burnside and Associates Limited and Neegan Burnside Ltd. Company Profiles

Founded in 1970, R.J. Burnside & Associates Limited is a growing values-driven employee-owned multidiscipline Canadian engineering and environmental consulting firm with over 450 staff. Our consistent commitment to investing in technological advancements and training, in addition to encouraging and promoting professional development, has enabled our firm to meet our ongoing and stated goal of continual improvement.

Founded in 1999, Neegan Burnside Ltd. is a majority-Indigenous owned firm committed to working with Indigenous (First Nation, Metis and Inuit) communities, agencies and industries to meet their infrastructure, development and economic goals while remaining sensitive to culture, values and beliefs. We have completed over 1,500 projects for more than 300 Indigenous communities and agencies throughout North America, many of them repeat clients with whom we work to develop long term and meaningful relationships. We endeavor to provide opportunities with our organization for Indigenous staff, as well as for community members in the projects we deliver.

Our Companies are uniquely integrated, allowing us to coordinate and access resources across both firms. As a result, we offer our clients expertise in many technical disciplines including but not limited to water and wastewater, transportation planning and design, land development, stormwater management, bridges and culverts, building engineering and sciences, municipal drainage, municipal advisory services, environmental planning and ecology, hydrogeology, air and noise, asset management, solid waste, landscape architecture and well drilling & diagnostics.

Together, we actively seek to develop relationships with a broad and diversified client base in the Public, Private and Indigenous sectors. We work on a variety of projects throughout Canada, with 11 office locations in Ontario and one in Manitoba.

We look forward to considering you as a part of our team!

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