Quality Manager

Leading Project and Quality Manager (Civil Engineering)

North Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, Halifax

Regular, Full-Time

Hybrid

Are you ready to expand your potential in a collaborative environment where we shape tomorrow's societies? Do you bring strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills that can elevate team performance? And are you a proven, experienced Project and Quality Manager with an appetite for managing complex infrastructure projects? If so, this could be the next step in your career.

Create the solutions that will enable a better tomorrow

We are seeking a Project Manager with a strong Quality Management foundation and a proven track record of successfully delivering multidisciplinary infrastructure projects. This role requires deep expertise in project management, quality compliance and leadership, ensuring that quality, regulatory compliance, cost, schedule, and performance objectives are met throughout the full project lifecycle.

In this pivotal position, you will lead and continuously enhance our quality management framework while also playing an active role as Project Manager in the delivery and performance of infrastructure projects. You will oversee administrative and regulatory certifications and work closely with project teams and engineering leadership to embed quality assurance practices into day-to-day project execution across the U.S. and Canada. This role combines hands-on project management oversight with responsibility for ensuring alignment with ISO 9001 standards and applicable provincial regulatory requirements in Canada.

Your key responsibilities are split into three distinct roles:

Administrative Compliance & Certifications

• Maintain and oversee ISO 9001 Quality Management System (QMS) certification across COWI's North American operations.
• Collaborate with the Group Quality Director to support and coordinate external audits and ensure continual improvement of the QMS.
• Assist the Head of Engineering, Canada in implementing and updating the Professional Practice Management Plan (PPMP) in compliance with provincial engineering regulatory bodies (e.g., APEGA, EGBC).
• Support internal audits, project compliance checks, staff training, and preparation for regulator-led audits.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for quality- and compliance-related matters, both internally and with external stakeholders, including clients and regulatory agencies.

North America-wide Project Quality Oversight & Training

• Monitor implementation of internal quality processes across projects via quality dashboards and compliance reviews.
• Support Project Managers in identifying and documenting non-conformances and in facilitating lessons learned sessions for continuous improvement.
• Conduct internal project quality audits and assessments; assist with internal and external audit responses and closure of findings.
• Facilitate or contribute to training initiatives on COWI's quality procedures, tools, and standards to enhance quality culture throughout the organization.
• Champion COWI's Process & Quality principles across all phases of the project lifecycle.

Project Management on Assigned Projects

• Act as the Project Manager on designated multidisciplinary transportation infrastructure projects, with full accountability for scope, schedule, budget, risk, and quality performance.
• Integrate quality management principles into day-to-day project delivery, ensuring compliance with project specific requirements and quality standards.
• Lead the development, implementation and maintenance of Project Design Quality Management Plans (DQMPs) in coordination with discipline leads and project stakeholders.
• Plan, coordinate, and manage multidisciplinary project teams to ensure consistent, high-quality deliverables across all phases of the project lifecycle.
• Proactively identify project risks, quality issues, and compliance gaps and implement mitigation strategies in collaboration with technical and commercial leadership.
• Serve as the primary interface with clients on project delivery matters, including quality expectations, progress reporting and issue resolution.

Your skills. Our team. Together we design the future.

The ideal candidate is attentive to detail and focused on integrating project quality assurance into all elements of project execution. You're a collaborative leader with keen attention to detail and a deep understanding of industry standards and best practices.

On top of that, you will have:

• Bachelor's degree in civil engineering (Master's preferred).
• Canadian Professional Engineering License (PEng). An American Professional Engineering license (PE) would be considered an asset.
• Minimum 15 years of experience within Quality and Project Management of infrastructure projects, with at least 5 years in a project management role.
• Proficient understanding of ISO 9001 QMS implementation and maintenance; ISO 9001 Lead Auditor certification is considered (preferred).
• Knowledge of Canadian engineering compliance frameworks (APEGA, EGBC) and experience supporting PPMP implementation.
• Experience conducting internal audits and preparing for external certifications or regulator-led assessments.
• Experience working with Contractors, Public Clients and Agencies.
• Experience in coordinating and managing multi-disciplinary design teams. 
• Familiarity with project design delivery and quality processes, particularly in civil infrastructure (transportation, bridges, tunnels, or transit projects preferred).
• Effective communication skills with the ability to engage across functions and seniority levels.
• Demonstrated experience in training and guiding team members on quality standards and systems.
• Proficient organizational and documentation skills; ability to manage tasks on your own and prioritize competing priorities.

A place to work and so much more
At COWI, we work together with our customers to shape a sustainable and liveable world. We do it by applying our knowledge and curiosity – and sometimes even our courage – to create the solutions the world needs today to enable a better tomorrow. We support our customers' transition towards increased sustainability. We strive to lead by example by embedding environmental management, social responsibility and good governance into our business practices and the options we provide to our customers.  

We value differences and development and cultivate an environment of belonging and having fun. Because that is what brings out the best in you, at work and at home.

With offices primarily located in the Nordic region, the UK, North America and India, we are currently more than 7,500 people who bring their expertise in engineering, architecture, energy and environment into play

What we also offer:
To us, a fair reward is more than a competitive salary. We invest in our people's professional and personal well‑being.

Our benefits include: 

• Flexible working arrangement
• Full time hires get minimum 4 weeks vacation to start
• Floating holiday to celebrate employee diversity
• Paid sick leave
• Top-up parental and childbirth recovery leave
• Annual Fitness spending account. Yes, you can use this for a ski pass, yoga or gym membership
• Personal and Professional development fund
• Group RRSP program with company matching
• Parking or public transit allowance
• Extended Health coverage with 100% of premiums paid by us
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• STD, LTD, AD&D, and Life Insurance
• Referral incentive program
• Frequent social events

Base compensation: $128,000 to $198,000 for the North Vancouver office only. Actual compensation is subject to variations due to education, experience, skill set and/or location.

Got more questions?
If you have any unanswered questions about the role or what we have to offer, please reach out to Talent Acquisition Specialist, Rheannon Lewis at .COM.   
Get to know us even better at our website, , where you can learn more about our projects, our strategy, what we want to achieve and what life is like at COWI.

Before you apply

All you need to include in your application is your CV – no photo or application letter. At an interview, you can tell us everything we need to know about why you're interested in joining COWI. As for the photo, we prefer to form our first impression in person rather than from a picture.

Equal opportunity employer

COWI provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, COWI complies with applicable state and local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

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