Champion Engineering Leadership for Major Highway ProjectsAre you a trusted leader with a passion for engineering and construction excellence? Are you looking to lead impactful infrastructure initiatives and projects?
The Ministry of Transportation is hiring for Head, Major Planning Projects positions to lead priority infrastructure projects in Ontario, including Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass, within the Major Infrastructure Projects Branch (MIPB).
Join us in making a meaningful impact on infrastructure management. Apply now to seize these exciting opportunities!
Please note: Successful candidates for the Head, Major Planning Projects positions may be based at any of the following locations: Toronto, St. Catharines, London or Kingston. Travel to job sites within southern Ontario will be required.
Ready to Make an ImpactThis role offers a rare opportunity to apply your engineering leadership to a complex, politically visible projects that will benefit communities and travelers across the province. Your guidance ensures these projects are planned, designed, and constructed in a coordinated, technically sound, and future-focused way.
About the job
We believe great leadership starts with high standards and strong support. In the Ontario Public Service, that means showing up with authenticity, acting with integrity, and having the courage to do what's right, even when it's hard.
As a leader, you'll shape a team culture that sparks innovation, supports collaboration, and champions inclusion. You'll help build a workplace that is diverse, anti-racist, and accessible, where everyone feels safe, respected, and able to thrive.
You won't be doing it alone. We invest in our leaders through mentorship, learning opportunities, and cross-ministry networks that help you grow your impact and connect with peers across the organization.
Leadership is about impact, and in this role, you'll have the opportunity to make a meaningful one. You will:
- Lead multidisciplinary engineering teams to coordinate design, construction, and technical integration, supporting timely and aligned project delivery.
- Guide ministry staff overseeing external service providers to ensure engineering work, contract activities, and consultant deliverables meet quality standards and are tender-ready.
- Oversee construction, delivery model strategies, and municipal and utility coordination to keep project activities sequenced, feasible, and responsive to local needs.
- Work with transportation professionals to develop capital and expansion program proposals that support long-term provincial transportation priorities.
- Provide engineering advice to ministry offices, agencies, jurisdictions, and project partners to support informed decisions during planning, preliminary design, and detailed design.
- Resolve complex design and construction issues as they arise to maintain progress across concurrent workstreams and reduce delivery risks for the ministry.
Meet your New TeamThe Major Infrastructure Projects Branch provides end-to-end delivery of major infrastructure projects using non-traditional contract delivery methods and partnerships. The ministry's capital infrastructure program has more than tripled in the last decade, including several generational projects being delivered concurrently by the ministry, Metrolinx, and Infrastructure Ontario. Delivery of major infrastructure projects requires a strategic approach that includes working closely with delivery partners and the adoption of new tools and emerging delivery models. Our branch is at the forefront of delivering some of the highest-profile and innovative transportation projects in the Ontario.
What you bring to the team
Mandatory requirements
- Professional Engineering Accreditation: You currently have accreditation as a Professional Engineer in a Canadian Province or Territory, and you will obtain a Professional Engineers of Ontario (PEO) license as a condition of accepting this position.
Strategic Leadership
- Leadership of Multidisciplinary Teams: Experience guiding engineering teams through complex design and construction decisions while supporting a positive, people-centered team culture that enables high performance under pressure.
- Oversight of External Providers: Ability to direct staff who manage consultants and service providers to ensure quality, safety, and construction readiness.
- Technical Problem-Solving: Skill in resolving design and construction issues quickly to maintain progress and support informed decisions.
- Political Acuity and Issues Management: Ability to navigate politically visible projects, anticipate sensitivities, and support clear, risk-aware advice to leaders.
Technical Expertise
- Management of Major Infrastructure Projects: Extensive experience in managing major infrastructure projects.
- Application of Civil Engineering Principles: Possess expertise in civil engineering theory, principles, and practices, particularly in highway design, construction, and operations.
- Business and Financial Knowledge: Exhibit knowledge of business planning, budgeting, and financial processes.
- Public Sector Procurement and Contract Management: Comprehensive understanding of government procurement and contract management practices.
- Early Risk Identification: Experience spotting engineering, construction, and delivery risks in advance to maintain progress.
Project and Issues Management
- Work Planning and Coordination: Experience aligning activities across multiple project sections, so work remains feasible, sequenced, and on schedule.
- Evidence-Based Analysis: Ability to gather technical data, consultant input, and stakeholder feedback to support clear, well-founded decisions.
- Practical Mitigation Planning: Ability to create strategies that reduce schedule, cost, design and construction impacts.
- Option Evaluation: Judgment to weigh design standards, safety needs, and delivery implications when determining practical next steps.
- Progress Tracking and Risk Management: Skill in monitoring milestones, risks, and emerging issues to keep the project on course and adjusting plans as conditions evolve.
- Clear Decision Communication: Ability to explain direction, expectations, and impacts in a straightforward, accessible way.
Communication and Relationship Management
- Collaborative Partnership Building: Experience working with municipalities, Indigenous partners, utilities, and other stakeholders to support coordinated delivery.
- Plain Language Communication: Skill in sharing technical and project information in clear, accessible terms to support understanding and trust.
- Proactive Engagement: Ability to involve stakeholders early to identify issues, support problem solving, and maintain strong working relationships.
- Contract and Consultant Management: Experience overseeing engineering consultants, PMCs, and contract administration on large infrastructure projects.
Don't meet every qualification?
If you are excited about this position and meet most, but not all, of the listed qualifications, please still consider applying. We recognize that no one person might have every qualification in this job ad, and you just might be the right candidate!
Think this role could be right for you? We're here to support you every step of the way. These short videos can help you feel confident and prepared:
- Navigating Our Hiring Process – Get a clear overview of each stage in our structured hiring process so you know what to expect and how to prepare.
- Application Preparation Tips – Learn how to showcase your leadership experience in ways that align with how we evaluate applications during the screening stage.
Take a few minutes to explore these resources. They're designed to set you up for success.
How we support diversity, inclusion and accessibility
We are building an inclusive workforce that reflects the communities we serve. We encourage everyone interested in working with us to apply, including people with disabilities, Indigenous, Black and racialized individuals, as well as people from all ethnicities, cultures, sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.
Our hiring process is accessible, consistent with Ontario's
Human Rights Code and the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. We are working to prevent and remove barriers in our hiring processes and can offer
accommodation to address specific needs related to Code-protected grounds such as disability, family status and religion. For more information about accommodation during the hiring process please
contact us.Learn more about the work the OPS is doing to create an inclusive, anti-racist, accessible and diverse workplace: