Principal Engineer, Tunnel Practice

• Primary Location: CA - Markham, ON - 105 Commerce Vall
• Compensation: CAD 140,000 - CAD 180,000 - yearly

Company Description

Work with Us. Change the World.

At AECOM, we're delivering a better world. Whether improving your commute, keeping the lights on, providing access to clean water, or transforming skylines, our work helps people and communities thrive. We are the world's trusted infrastructure consulting firm, partnering with clients to solve the world’s most complex challenges and build legacies for future generations.

There has never been a better time to be at AECOM. With accelerating infrastructure investment worldwide, our services are in great demand. We invite you to bring your bold ideas and big dreams and become part of a global team of over 50,000 planners, designers, engineers, scientists, digital innovators, program and construction managers and other professionals delivering projects that create a positive and tangible impact around the world.

We're one global team driven by our common purpose to deliver a better world. Join us.

Job Description

AECOM is seeking a highly skilled Principal Engineer specializing in large rock caverns and pressurized underground water conveyance systems to join our growing Tunneling Practice in our Markham, Mississauga, or Burnaby office.

This role is intended for a senior technical specialist with extensive experience in the analysis and design of large underground caverns in rock, pressure tunnels, pressure shafts, steel-lined and concrete-lined waterways, penstocks, and other complex underground structures for pumped storage, hydropower, water conveyance, and major infrastructure projects.

At AECOM, you will join a global team of 50,000+ professionals driven by a shared purpose: delivering a better world. Our work improves mobility, resilience, clean water access, and community connectivity across Canada. This is a newly created position.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead design of large rock caverns, pressurized tunnels and shafts, penstocks, and underground water conveyance systems.
• Perform and review 2D/3D rock mechanics and structural analyses for caverns, tunnels, shafts, supports, and linings.
• Develop and review rock support, concrete and steel lining, and pressure-containment concepts for underground works.
• Provide technical guidance on engineering geology, rock mass characterization, in-situ stress, and geotechnical design parameters.
• Define design criteria, analysis methods, excavation and support concepts, construction sequencing, and technical requirement
• Lead technical reviews, constructability, value engineering, and risk assessments, and review key design deliverables.
• Coordinate with multidisciplinary teams and mentor engineers supporting tunnel and underground structure design.
• Serve as a technical lead and subject matter expert for major underground infrastructure, hydropower, and pumped-storage projects.
• Provide independent design review and technical assurance for complex underground structures and underground water conveyance systems.
• Support business development activities, including proposal preparation, technical presentations, and client engagement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Civil, Structural, Geotechnical, Mining or related Engineering discipline.
• Minimum 6 years of directly relevant experience in the analysis and design of rock tunnels, underground caverns and/or pressurized water conveyance structures.
• Hold a P.Eng. in ON or eligibility to obtain registration within one year of employment.
• Strong technical capability in rock mechanics, underground structural design and numerical analysis, with demonstrated ability to independently develop and review complex engineering solutions.

Preferred Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive underground engineering experience, with substantial specialist experience in large rock caverns and pressurized water conveyance systems for hydropower, pumped-storage or major water projects (highly preferred).
• Master’s Degree or Ph.D. in Geotechnical, Rock Mechanics, Mining, Geological, Civil or Structural Engineering.
• Demonstrated experience leading or independently checking designs for large rock caverns and high-head/pressurized waterways, including pressure tunnels or shafts, steel liners and/or penstocks.
• Demonstrated experience with large-span rock excavations and large-diameter tunnels, including underground powerhouse, transformer caverns, surge chambers and major tunnel intersections.
• Technical expertise in rock cavern excavation and support, TBM and SEM/NATM rock tunnelling, shaft excavation, permanent lining design, steel liners/penstocks, rock reinforcement and underground construction sequencin