Careers

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At Smith + Andersen, we pride ourselves in empowering our employees, and giving them the opportunities and support to reach their full potential. You'll be encouraged to work autonomously, contributing to challenging projects that move and shape our communities.

You'll also work in a collaborative and flexible environment, where leaders and team members have respect for one another.

Life at Smith + Andersen

Our culture is unique.

For us, work is about connecting, collaborating, and finding creative solutions to problems. It’s about knowledge sharing, exploring lessons learned on projects, and debating new approaches. It’s about an environment of mutual respect where every leader and team member has an area of technical expertise that others can learn from. This is all facilitated by our open door policy (both virtual and physical).

Oh...and we also have fun! We have regular social and community volunteer activities. And for those who are just looking for a bit of reprieve during the week, we give employees the option to take Friday afternoons off. Every week. All year long.

A GREAT PLACE TO WORK®

Our employees have made Smith + Andersen a great place to work for years, but it’s nice to make it official! We’re proud to announce that for two consecutive years, we have become certified as a Great Place to Work® – a globally recognized benchmark identifying and recognizing outstanding employee experience and a reflection of Smith + Andersen’s ongoing commitment and dedication to the employee experience.

WE'RE ONE OF THE BEST WORKPLACES^TM IN CANADA

We’re proud that Smith + Andersen has been recognized as one of the Best Workplaces^TM in Canada! The list is compiled by the Great Place to Work® Institute, the global authority on high-trust, high-performance workplace cultures.

We were also placed on the Best Workplaces^TM for Mental Wellness list based on direct and anonymous feedback from employees across the country.

These awards are a testament to how we work every day at S+A. “We Empower Employees” is one of our core values, as our people are our primary asset!

Our teams like to work hard and play hard*.

*And play foosball, apparently.

UBC Arts Student Centre

Vancouver, BC

We like teams*.

*From enjoying the great outdoors, like our Vancouver office's ski trips, to embracing costume-related challenges, enthusiastically demonstrated by our Calgary office.

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Manulife Place (707 Fifth)

Calgary, AB

We have an open door policy*.

*And a lot of flexibility, including half-day Fridays, which S+A staff enjoy all year long.

CO-OP PROGRAM
Our co-op program is an integral part of who we are as a company. Everyone who works with S+A has the opportunity to mentor the leaders of tomorrow, to pass on their knowledge, and to gain new perspectives. All of our teams encourage this level of mentorship – from our engineering teams, to our systems design teams, to our corporate service teams (such as human resources, marketing, and BIM).

LEARN MORE about the Smith + Andersen Co-op Program

Senior Associate, Victoria Walsh, sharing her insights on security systems design with students at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT).

SHAPING THE INDUSTRY

At Smith + Andersen, you not only play a key role on projects – you also have a direct connection to the people who shape the industry. Our leaders influence the formation and refinement of codes and standards across Canada, and encourage staff to get involved in industry organizations like ASHRAE, IES, and BICSI. We also have a Professional Association Fee Reimbursement program.

LEARN MORE about the leaders you'll be working with

“As a Project Manager, you kind of have to know a bit of everything. Various leaders have a different understanding of different aspects of the job, and I’ve learned to go to different leaders for different things. When it comes to mentorship, you have the opportunity to seek people out and say, 'Okay, this person has the information / perspective / insight that I need.'”

Saron Zerai, Associate

FORMALLY INFORMAL

Our unique company culture, and focus on empowering our people, means everyone has direct access to leaders and knowledge sharing opportunities. Informal mentorship happens on an everyday basis, so staff benefit from it every day.

LEARN MORE about our company structure

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Artscape Daniels Launchpad

Toronto, ON

DOWNLOAD our flyers to find out more about our history, work, and community engagement.

HISTORY BROCHURE

WORK BROCHURE

COMMUNITY BROCHURE

Diversity + Inclusion

“We Empower Employees” is one of Smith + Andersen’s core values.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and welcome people of any age, culture, subculture, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, nationality, race, ethnicity, family status, religion, mental or physical status, or veteran status.

We give employees the opportunity to reach their full potential professionally. As a company, we actively champion diversity and inclusion so that all staff feel comfortable bringing their whole self to work every day. In our most recent (2021) Employee Opinion Survey, 87% percent of employees indicated that they agree that the company is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment. We also expect this commitment to inclusivity and accountability from everyone we hire.

Like many companies in our industry, and the industry as a whole, we still have a long way to go. Below are just a few of the initiatives that encourage diversity and inclusion within our company – initiatives which are only growing in number.

“It’s about who we are as a company and where we are as an industry. Unity – not uniformity.”

Brad Tilson, Principal

INCLUSION

We are committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion within our company (and the industry as a whole). To help turn intent into action, we created four employee-led groups. These committees provide a safe space for diversity, equity, and inclusion topics to be discussed openly and constructively between leaders and staff.

Associate, Saron Zerai, (right) at a Women in ASHRAE seminar.

Two members of our Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Group, Principal Elaine Guenette and Senior Associate Adrianne Mitani.

YOU CAN'T BE WHAT YOU CAN'T SEE

As part of our larger commitment to diversity and inclusion, we prioritize sponsoring organizations that promote diversity, equality, and inclusion within the industry, as well as initiatives that support ethical work practices. This includes post-secondary groups such as the National Society of Black Engineers and industry networking events such as Women in ASHRAE.

One such group is Engineers of Tomorrow – a Canadian not-for-profit powered by hundreds of volunteers working to inspire the next generation of engineers. In addition to financial support, our staff regularly volunteer with this program, sharing their passion for what they do and showing that there are many different types of engineers.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Engineers of Tomorrow

PHOTO CREDIT: ENGINEERS OF TOMORROW

An Engineer of Tomorrow mentor and their mentee.

CF Chinook Centre Stampede Breakfast 2022

S+A has been showing our support for the Calgary community by serving pancakes at the CF Chinook Centre Stampede Breakfast event since 2014.

SUPPORT THROUGH CHARITABLE DONATIONS

This is part of our broader national commitment to support diversity, equity, and inclusion within the engineering industry. Most recently, we established the Smith + Andersen Scholarship in Engineering at the University of British Columbia and UBC Okanagan. Directly addressing the need to advocate for Women in STEM, recipients will be third or fourth-year female students majoring in mechanical or electrical engineering.

Held each year during Earth Week, Eco Jam is a benefit rock concert in Toronto where we raise money to plant trees across Ontario!

Our Vancouver office cooking family meals at Ronald McDonald House BC.

EMPLOYEES HAVE THEIR SAY

Employee feedback is important. That's why S+A has made the commitment to conduct a nation-wide Employee Opinion Survey through a third-party vendor every three to four years. We've consistently seen high participation from our staff in each survey year, with 91% of eligible employees participating in our most recent survey (held in May 2021).

In fact, we’re proud to have reached an important milestone: in five key areas, we have achieved the “survey ceiling”, with scores that are considered the top compared to other high performing companies.

Benefits

Our employees are our greatest strength.

Supporting the many talented professionals who select our firm as the place to grow their career speaks directly to our core value of empowering employees.

You'll have access to a comprehensive program of employee benefits that assist with healthcare expenses for you and your family. We also offer a group retirement savings plan, which is personalized to fit your unique needs as you plan for the future.

And, because life isn’t all about work, everyone has the option to take Friday afternoons off – every week, all year long – so they can take time for family, friends, hobbies, or just relax.