Sector Design Manager - ALTO project / Cadence

SYSTRA Canada is part of the SYSTRA group, an international consulting and engineering group, a world leader in the design of transport infrastructures. SYSTRA Canada is an engineering and consulting firm whose primary focus is to offer transportation solutions, whether for passengers or goods: feasibility studies of building a new railway line, increasing the capacity of the existing infrastructure, privatization of a railway.

Context

Reporting to the Linear Infrastructure Design Director in support of the Co-Development Phase of the Alto High-Speed Rail (HSR) programme, the Sector Manager performs a vital technical role in leading, integrating and assuring all multidisciplinary design activities within an assigned sector (geographical area of the railway network), from the early conceptual design phase, onward. In parallel, the Sector Manager fulfils an equally vital role in assuring all managerial aspects of the sector design package (control of scope, cost and schedule).

The Sector Manager translates the performance objectives set out for the railway – speed, capacity and reliability – into safe, constructible and cost-effective designs that respect environmental and community commitments. The role is pivotal in managing interfaces between civil works and rail systems, coordinating utilities and permits across municipalities and agencies, and keeping the sector’s design on time, on budget, and fully compliant with project technical governance.

Missions/Main Duties

Leadership, Governance and Assurance

• Set the design vision for the sector and lead a high performing multidisciplinary team, embedding a safety by design and “right first time” culture.
• Establish and follow through on a rigorous design management plan, deliverables register and gated schedule.
• Chair interdisciplinary reviews and design integration meetings.
• Enforce configuration and change control.
• Act as the sector’s design authority, ensuring that all design inputs are valid and that all technical aspects of the design are adequately coordinated, prior to issuing design documents/deliverables.
• Ensure that designs are consistent, coherent and unambiguous, and compliant with the project’s technical requirements, applicable standards and codes, Multidisciplinary Integration and Interfaces
• Manage and coordinate the design of linear infrastructure components, including alignment, earthworks, geotechnics, structures (viaducts, bridges, retaining structures, station interfaces), hydrology and drainage, roads and accesses
• Coordinate the integration of solutions for accommodating interfaces between linear infrastructure and adjacent design elements, including utilities railway track, traction power/OCS, signaling/ETCS, telecoms, and other systems.
• Coordinate with station and facilities managers to ensure that all relevant interfaces are accounted for and adequately managed at a given stage in the design.
• Manage interfaces with adjacent sectors of the railway network and with network-wide systems, ensuring continuity of alignment, power feeder and substation locations, and operational/maintenance access.
• Support procurement by defining package boundaries and preparing technical tender documentation.
• Produce outgoing Requests for Data (RFDs), and Requests for Clarification & Inputs for the sector and coordinate and approve responses to incoming Requests for Information (RFIs).
• Coordinate with external interface managers and oversee the execution of ad hoc studies and assessments requested by third parties, including municipalities, city authorities, agencies, host railways, utility providers, and ministries. Coordinate with internal interface managers to manage requirements from other DPM functions, such as Environmental, and other Cadence functions, such as OPM.
• Manage the incorporation of site investigation results into the design, including geotechnical, topographical, environmental, and other related inputs.

Schedule, Scope, Risk, and Cost Control

• Assume the role of responsible decision-maker accountable for the sector design schedule and budget.
• Undertake critical analyses of internal design team, external consultant and supply chain schedules; highlight slippage; manage risks and implement recovery plans.
• Maintain a sector requirements and verification matrix with full traceability; manage assumptions and dependencies; and uphold transparent change control.
• Ensure on-time delivery of all design packages and studies, with appropriate level of quality, providing clear decision papers and trade off analyses to project leadership.
• Manage the flow of instructions and other information to the design teams and raise Early Warning Notices (EWNs) proposing related mitigating actions and report on the impact of ‘change’ within the sector.
• Follow the PDA Change Procedure to manage changes in scope of work, including estimating budgets, schedules and methodologies.

Permits, Utilities, and Stakeholder Coordination

• Support the preparation of technical inputs required for permits and environmental approvals; coordination with municipalities, provincial/federal authorities, and transit/transport agencies.
• Support the Utilities Manager in negotiating solutions with utility owners, including diversions, protections, and access arrangements, and in securing interface agreements.
• Translate client requirements into clear design deliverables and provide accurate, accessible materials for statutory and community engagements, resolving issues proactively.Procurement and Market Engagement
• Support the definition of sector package boundaries and the required level of design maturity; review technical tender documentation, including scope, performance requirements, interface clauses, and acceptance criteria; support bidder Q&A and technical clarifications; and ensure downstream constructability and integration needs are reflected.
• Contribute to evaluation criteria and technical scoring to select best value partners aligned with client objectives.

Profile/Skills

You are a decisive, collaborative design leader with deep experience in large, multidisciplinary rail infrastructure projects and are passionate about high-speed rail. You bring systems thinking, rigorous governance, and the ability to convert strategic goals into executable design plans.

Education and accreditation:

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in Civil, Structural, or Transportation Engineering, or a related field. Professional Engineer licensure, or eligibility for licensure, is preferred, including P.Eng. registration in Canada with the relevant provincial or territorial regulatory body, such as PEO or OIQ, as applicable.
• Experience: 12–15+ years in major transportation/railway design, including 7–10 years in design management on complex programs; direct high speed rail experience strongly preferred. Full lifecycle exposure from concept to AFC and construction support, with knowledge of commissioning handover requirements.
• Technical breadth: Strong command of alignment/earthworks, geotechnics, structures, drainage/hydrology, utilities, and their interfaces with railway track systems, traction power/OCS, signalling/ETCS, and telecoms. Familiarity with RAMS principles and, ideally, the CENELEC lifecycle.
• Delivery excellence: Proven track record managing design schedules and budgets, closing assurance findings.
• Digital engineering: Proficiency with BIM and common data environments (e.g., ISO 19650), model coordination, and data driven assurance.
• Desirables:
  • Experience integrating greenfield HSR with existing rail; exposure to delivery models such as design–build, alliance, or PPP; sustainability/low carbon design credentials.
  • Bilingual (English/French) an asset for Canadian contexts.

Soft Skills

• Stakeholder savvy: Skilled at engaging clients, authorities, utilities, and communities; experienced negotiating permits and utility interfaces across multiple jurisdictions.
• Leadership and communication: Clear communicator who produces concise decision papers and trade off analyses; capable of mentoring and empowering multidisciplinary teams; calm and effective under time pressure with robust conflict resolution skills

SYSTRA Canada is committed to having a diverse and inclusive workforce. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer that values applications from all and offers employment equity based on the merits and abilities of candidates and personnel.

We use AI-enabled tools in our recruitment platform (iCIMS) for tasks like resume parsing and candidate matching. These tools do not make hiring decisions; all applications are reviewed by a human recruiter, and final decisions are made by our hiring team.For questions about our hiring process or AI tools, please contact [email protected].

Note: In this description, the masculine gender is used for easy reading purposes and includes the feminine.

Workplace Type