Project Director - Canem

We Are Canem Systems

Canem Systems is a leading full-service electrical and mechanical contractor, offering comprehensive services across Canada. Our expertise spans design assistance, pre-construction, planning, installation, and maintenance. We excel in delivering sophisticated solutions for complex projects and provide a wide range of specialized trade services, including electrical, mechanical, data, and communications.

With eight offices across Canada and a dedicated workforce of over 700 professionals, Canem Systems operates in diverse public and private market sectors. Our extensive knowledge, capabilities, and experience enable us to support projects in commercial, healthcare, transportation, light industrial, and data centre sectors.

We are seeking an experienced Project Director to join our Canem Ontario leadership team. This leadership position is responsible for driving project success, developing high-performing teams, building client relationships, and delivering operational excellence across a portfolio of major construction projects. The successful candidate will combine strong commercial acumen, strategic thinking, and authentic leadership to help grow our business while ensuring exceptional outcomes for our clients, partners, and employees.

At Canem, you will have the opportunity to lead complex and meaningful projects while working alongside talented professionals who share a commitment to excellence. We offer the resources and capabilities of a national organization combined with the agility and entrepreneurial spirit of a local team.

Reporting to the Director of Operations, Ontario, this position will be based out of the Mississauga Canem Office, with travel to project sites as required.

What You Will Be Working On

Leadership & Team Development

· Lead, mentor, and develop project management teams to achieve operational excellence.

· Foster a culture of accountability, safety, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.

· Conduct performance planning, coaching, development, and succession planning for direct reports.

· Build and maintain highly engaged, high-performing teams capable of delivering exceptional project outcomes.

· Promote Canem's values and leadership principles across all project teams and business operations.

· Support the recruitment, development, and retention of top industry talent.

Client & Market Leadership

· Develop and maintain strong relationships with owners, consultants, contractors, trade partners, and key stakeholders.

· Serve as an executive sponsor for strategic and high-profile projects.

· Support business development initiatives by identifying opportunities for repeat business and long-term partnerships.

· Participate in client presentations, pursuit strategies, and market growth initiatives.

· Promote Canem's reputation as a trusted construction partner throughout Ontario.

Pursuit & Preconstruction Leadership

· Lead pursuit, preconstruction, and project planning strategies for major opportunities.

· Participate in executive bid reviews, risk assessments, and go/no-go decision-making processes.

· Collaborate with estimating, operations, and executive leadership teams to develop winning project strategies.

· Ensure project execution plans align with client expectations, contractual requirements, and business objectives.

· Support contract negotiations and commercial strategy development.

· Ensure projects are appropriately resourced and positioned for successful execution.

· Establish financial targets that meet or exceed company profitability objectives.

Project Delivery & Operational Excellence

· Provide executive-level oversight for the successful delivery of major construction projects across a variety of market sectors.

· Ensure projects consistently achieve performance objectives related to safety, quality, schedule, budget, client satisfaction, and profitability.

· Monitor project performance through forecasting, KPI tracking, productivity metrics, dashboards, and financial reporting.

· Lead risk identification, mitigation planning, and issue resolution throughout project execution.

· Oversee commercial management activities, including contract administration, change management, and financial performance.

· Ensure compliance with all health, safety, environmental, regulatory, and company requirements.

· Support project teams in addressing critical challenges and achieving stakeholder expectations.

· Champion continuous improvement initiatives that enhance project performance and operational efficiency.

Project Closeout & Continuous Improvement

· Ensure projects achieve successful completion and owner satisfaction.

· Oversee deficiency management and project turnover activities.

· Lead project closeout reviews and lessons-learned sessions.

· Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities across project delivery processes.

· Support the sharing of best practices across the organization.

What We Are Looking For

· 10+ years of progressive experience in construction, project delivery, operations, or related leadership roles.

· Demonstrated success leading major commercial, institutional, healthcare, infrastructure, industrial, manufacturing, mission-critical, or complex construction projects.

· Experience in senior leadership roles such as Senior Project Manager, Operations Manager, Project Director, or equivalent.

· Proven ability to lead large project teams and manage multiple concurrent projects.

· Strong commercial and financial acumen, including forecasting, budgeting, risk management, and profitability oversight.

· Experience negotiating and administering complex construction contracts.

· Strong understanding of construction operations, project controls, commercial management, risk management, and industry best practices.

· Proven ability to lead multidisciplinary project teams across multiple projects, clients, and market sectors.

· Strong understanding of construction delivery methods, including Design-Bid-Build, Design-Build, Construction Management, and collaborative delivery models.

· Experience interacting with executive stakeholders, owners, consultants, and senior project teams.

· Demonstrated success developing and maintaining long-term client relationships.

· Experience supporting pursuits, business development initiatives, and strategic growth opportunities.

· Exceptional leadership, communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.

· Ability to make sound decisions and perform effectively in a fast-paced and dynamic environment.

· Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and critical-thinking capabilities.

· Commitment to collaboration, accountability, and continuous improvement.

The People Behind our Work

At Canem, we prioritize a high commitment to the employee experience, fostering a professional and engaged workforce. We are dedicated to building an inclusive and collaborative community, driven by a strong sense of belonging, well-being, and social responsibility. Our people are what matter most; without them, our business would not exist. Our teams are comprised of construction professionals who deliver on our commitments with integrity and professionalism for all clients across diverse market sectors throughout Canada.

Safety, To Us It’s Personal

We put safety first. Our holistic health and safety culture is rooted in our commitment to work in a spirit of collaboration with all employees, trade partners, clients, and suppliers to foster the healthy and safe work environment that every worker deserves. Our goal is to ensure that everyone goes home safe every day.