Director Engineering Jobs in Kitchener, ON (NOW HIRING)

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Posting Information:
This posting is for an existing vacancy.

The internal posting deadline for this position is July 16, 2026 at 11:59PM.

This position is being offered as a Secondment or contract opportunity. Term: 2 years

Job Description:

Primary Purpose

The Director, Engineering Facilities and Safety is accountable to the Dean of Engineering for safety leadership across the Faculty of Engineering and for the coordination of infrastructure matters with Plant Operations. This role is focused on advancing a strong safety culture in the Faculty's teaching, research and shop environments (including the Engineering Machine Shop and the Engineering Student Machine Shop), and on ensuring the Faculty's day-to-day infrastructure needs and capital project interests are effectively represented and coordinated with Plant Operations.

The Director provides operational direction (via a dotted-line relationship) to the Faculty's shared technical facilities - the IDEAs Clinic, RoboHub, the Autonomous Vehicle Research and Intelligence Lab (AVRIL), and the Green & Intelligent Automotive (GAIA) facility. These shared facilities report to a designated faculty advisor for academic and research direction.

Key Accountabilities

Safety Leadership

Provides Faculty-wide leadership for health, safety and environmental matters across the Faculty of Engineering, including teaching laboratories, research spaces, and shop environments.

Leads the safety program for the Engineering Machine Shop and the Engineering Student Machine Shop, ensuring safe operating procedures, training, supervision standards, and equipment safeguards are in place and consistently applied.

Oversees implementation of Policy 34 (Health, Safety & Environment) and the University's Health, Safety & Environment Management System (HSEMS) within the Faculty of Engineering.

Partners with the Safety Office and academic units to achieve and maintain the safest reasonably attainable educational and research environment.

Serves as a key member of Engineering's Safety Committee (or equivalent) and develops a community of practice across departments and shared facilities.

Ensures the Faculty meets legal and regulatory health, safety and environmental compliance requirements; actively monitors safety performance and resolves non-compliance promptly.

Coordinates Faculty response to safety-related emergencies and incidents, including investigation, root-cause analysis, and corrective action.

Provides advice to the Dean, Executive Officer, Chairs/Directors, faculty, staff and students on safety-related matters.

Infrastructure Coordination with Plant Operations

Acts as the Faculty's primary point of contact with Plant Operations on capital projects affecting Engineering buildings and spaces, ensuring Faculty needs and priorities are clearly represented throughout planning, design, and delivery.

Coordinates day-to-day infrastructure issues with Plant Operations, including building systems, maintenance, repairs, renovations, and service requests, and ensures timely resolution and communication back to affected units.

Supports Faculty input into space planning, retrofit, renewal and new build projects, working with academic units to translate research and teaching requirements into infrastructure outcomes.

Tracks and escalates infrastructure risks and deferred maintenance issues that could impact safety, operations, or research continuity.

Provides advice to the Dean, the Executive Officer, and Faculty leadership on infrastructure-related decisions, costs, and trade-offs.

Operational Oversight of Shared Facilities

Provides operational coordination, on a dotted-line basis, to shared facilities including the IDEAs Clinic, RoboHub, AVRIL (Autonomous Vehicle Research and Intelligence Lab), and GAIA (Green & Intelligent Automotive). These shared facilities report to their designated faculty advisor for academic and research direction.

Works with the faculty advisor and facility staff to align operational practices, safety standards, infrastructure needs, and incident reporting across the shared facilities.

Supports facility leads in resolving operational issues, escalating to the Dean's Office where appropriate.

Strategic Initiatives Relating to Safety and Infrastructure

Advances priority safety and infrastructure initiatives as directed by the Dean.

Advises the Dean and provides critical support and prompt response during safety or infrastructure-related crises.

Recommends improvements to Faculty processes, standards, and documentation related to safety and infrastructure coordination.

Human Resource Management

Manages staff and provides human resource oversight to team leaders and technical professionals.

Recruits, selects, assigns, supervises, manages performance of, and terminates staff. Establishes, communicates, and maintains operating guidelines and procedures for staff in alignment with university policies and procedures.

Directs staff training and professional development opportunities to assist in the achievement of their career progression.

Provides staff with high level direction, a productive work environment and career opportunities. Maintains a cooperative and collegial workplace.

Required Qualifications

Education

A university degree in engineering, science, or a related discipline is required.

Formal health and safety training or certification (e.g., CRSP, NEBOSH, or equivalent) is an asset.

An understanding of health and safety considerations related to substances, machinery, and equipment in research and shop environments is required.

Experience

Minimum 7 years of progressively responsible experience in safety leadership and/or infrastructure/facilities management, preferably in a post-secondary, research, or industrial environment.

Demonstrated experience leading safety programs in environments with machine shops, laboratories, or comparable hazards.

Experience coordinating with central facilities/plant operations groups on capital projects and day-to-day building issues.

Experience working effectively in a complex academic or matrixed environment with multiple stakeholders.

Extensive experience in operational leadership, strategic thinking, and change management, with the ability to identify inefficiencies and implement solutions to improve processes and systems.

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

Strong working knowledge of occupational health and safety legislation, HSEMS principles, and University Policy 34 (or equivalent).

Ability to assess hazards, investigate incidents, and implement corrective actions in shop, lab, and building environments.

Strong interpersonal, communication, and influencing skills, with the ability to build relationships across faculty, staff, students, and central service partners.

Ability to manage competing priorities and respond effectively to time-sensitive safety and infrastructure issues.

Sound judgment, discretion, and the ability to provide clear advice and recommendations to senior leadership.

Comfort working through dotted-line and matrixed reporting relationships.

Equity Statement
The University of Waterloo acknowledges that much of our work takes place on the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinaabeg, and Haudenosaunee peoples. Our main campus is situated on the Haldimand Tract, the land granted to the Six Nations that includes six miles on each side of the Grand River. Our active work toward reconciliation takes place across our campuses through research, learning, teaching, and community building, and is coordinated within the Office of Indigenous Relations.
The University values the diverse and intersectional identities of its students, faculty, and staff. The University regards equity and diversity as an integral part of academic excellence and is committed to accessibility for all employees. The University of Waterloo seeks applicants who embrace our values of equity, anti-racism and inclusion. As such, we encourage applications from candidates who have been historically disadvantaged and marginalized, including applicants who identify as First Nations, Metis and/or Inuk (Inuit), Black, racialized, a person with a disability, women and/or 2SLGBTQ+.
Positions are open to qualified candidates who are legally entitled to work in Canada.
The University of Waterloo is committed to accessibility for persons with disabilities. If you have any application, interview, or workplace accommodation requests, please contact Human Resources athrhelp@uwaterloo.ca or 519-888-4567, ext. 45935.