Civil / Water Resources Engineering Student

R.J. Burnside & Associates Limited (Burnside) is looking for an energetic civil engineering student to assist professional engineers and technical staff in our Wingham office for a 4-month or 8-month work term beginning January 2026.

The Role

The successful student will have the opportunity to assist on a variety of assignments in a dynamic and flexible role. The entire team is committed to providing the successful student with opportunities to gain technical skills and industry knowledge, moving towards a target of full-time employment on graduation.

The successful applicant will work closely with a team of engineers and other technical staff on a variety of projects.  Opportunity may exist to work directly with senior staff. 

Projects may include, but certainly are not limited to:

• Civil 3D design and drafting in support of design drawings;
• Field inspections, data collection, and survey support;
• Provide assistance to professional engineers and other technical staff on a variety of engineering projects;
• Assisting with preparation of tender and contract documents in support of design drawings
• Proposal and report writing support, data entry, general office duties; and
• Other tasks as assigned.

Professional Knowledge & Requirements

We are looking for an individual who can think on their feet and is open to learning new things. 

Applicants should be enrolled in their second or third year of a Civil or Water Resource Engineering program, have excellent communication skills and the ability to work in a fast-paced environment with a variety of project leaders.

As assisting with fieldwork will be a part of this role, a valid driver's license and regular access to a vehicle should be considered mandatory.

The following skills and aptitudes are considered assets:

• Applicants from a rural background and/or those who enjoy spending time outdoors.
• Familiar with Civil 3D and interested in grading, drainage and road reconstruction projects.
• Completion of hydrology and hydraulics courses, and interest in these areas of study.
• Experience with field surveying (total station, GPS).
• Experience with modeling programs (PCSWMM, Hy-8, Visual Otthymo etc.).
• Experience with data entry and manipulation using Excel

Why Choose Burnside as a Student?

Student opportunities at Burnside provide you with a taste of what work will be like when you graduate and allow you to decide if you have chosen the right career path.

Each year, Burnside provides employment opportunities for college and university students. Opportunities are available in most of our offices throughout the year, depending on the work term and our project needs.

Many of our students return for more than one work term and join our staff full-time when they graduate.

GAIN RELEVANT EXPERIENCE IN YOUR FIELD OF STUDY

You will be integrated with our project teams and encouraged to bring fresh ideas to the table. We will provide you with all the support you need. Our staff are friendly - and we have an inclusive environment where you will feel valued.

At Burnside you will:

• Work alongside professionals in the field
• Apply the theories and approaches you have learned at school
• Hands-on, relevant work experience in your field of study
• A competitive edge against other candidates upon graduation
• Build business contacts in the industry
• Improve time management, organization and communication skills
• Competitive wages
• Potential full-time employment when you graduate
• Extremely high work term satisfaction rates from past students
• Work in the office and in the field
• Smaller firm with the opportunity to work in many different disciplines (in different office locations)

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.

Company Profile - More about us:
Founded in 1970, R.J. Burnside & Associates Limited is a growing values-driven employee-owned multidiscipline engineering and environmental consulting firm with over 450+ staff. Our consistent commitment towards investing in technology 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.

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 ten office locations in Ontario and one in Manitoba.

Burnside has expertise in many technical disciplines beyond our core civil engineering focus including air and noise, asset management, building sciences, environmental planning, ecology, GIS, hydrogeology, land development, landscape architecture, municipal drainage, and peer review, solid waste, stormwater management, structures, transportation planning, and design, transit, water and wastewater, and well drilling & diagnostics.