Project Manager – High-Voltage Transmission & Substation Construction

Location: Edmonton, AB
Work Arrangement: Hybrid / Office & Field-Based
Contract Duration: Initial 1-year term with potential for up to four additional 1-year extensions
Hours: Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.
Engagement: Term Employee or Independent Contractor / Incorporated

Term Employee: $85.00–$105.00 per hour
Independent Contractor / Incorporated: $105.00–$130.00 per hour

Lead Major High-Voltage Transmission Projects from Planning Through Closeout

Otter Wise Talent Solutions is recruiting an experienced Project Manager – High-Voltage Transmission & Substation Construction on behalf of a major Alberta utility organization.

This is a senior project-delivery opportunity supporting a portfolio of high-voltage transmission infrastructure projects in the Edmonton region.

The successful candidate will manage projects from inception and planning through procurement, engineering, construction, commissioning and closeout, with direct accountability for safety, budgets, forecasts, schedules, contracts, project governance and stakeholder coordination.

This is an initial 1-year term or contract with the potential for up to four additional 1-year extensions, offering the possibility of long-term continuity within a major utility capital program.

We are particularly interested in Project Managers who understand the unique requirements of utility construction in energized substations and can confidently lead multidisciplinary teams through complex construction delivery.

What You’ll Be Responsible For

You will manage a portfolio of projects of varying size and complexity from inception through closeout.

Your responsibilities will include:

- Lead multiple high-voltage transmission and substation projects
- Manage projects from initiation through construction and final closeout
- Own project budgets and maintain current financial forecasts
- Maintain project schedules and manage schedule changes
- Complete internal project and change approvals
- Coordinate Engineering, Project Controls, Construction and other internal stakeholders
- Lead safe project execution through hazard identification and safe-work planning
- Ensure compliance with applicable OH&S; and HSE requirements
- Participate in field kick-offs, project walk-downs and HSE inspections
- Develop procurement strategies for major equipment and construction services
- Lead Requests for Proposal and tendering processes
- Evaluate contractor and supplier submissions
- Support or lead contract negotiations
- Administer construction and professional-services contracts
- Coordinate consultants, contractors, construction crews and project stakeholders
- Manage permitting requirements
- Support environmental-assessment requirements
- Lead stakeholder engagement activities
- Maintain accurate project records, reporting and governance documentation
- Proactively identify and resolve risks affecting cost, schedule, scope, safety or execution
- Support commissioning, turnover and project closeout

What You Bring

You bring a minimum of 5 years of Project Management experience within a construction environment, with demonstrated responsibility for delivering complex capital projects.

A critical requirement for this role is direct experience with utility construction in energized substations, including an understanding of the hazards, operational constraints and safe-work practices associated with work around energized electrical infrastructure.

You should also bring experience with:

- High-voltage transmission or substation construction
- Full-cycle capital-project delivery
- Project budgeting and forecasting
- Construction scheduling
- Project controls
- Procurement
- Contract administration
- RFP development
- Tendering and bid evaluation
- Contractor and consultant management
- Change management
- Field construction
- HSE and safe-work planning
- Permitting
- Environmental assessments
- Stakeholder engagement




- Commissioning and closeout

Education & Experience

Candidates should meet one of the following education and experience pathways:

Option 1:
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering

OR

Option 2:
Relevant technical certificate or diploma combined with 10+ years of relevant experience

Candidates must also bring 5+ years of Project Management experience in a construction environment.

Energized Substation Experience

This is one of the most important requirements for the opportunity.

The successful candidate must understand how construction is planned and executed within energized utility substations, including:

- Electrical hazards
- Safe-work planning
- Work around energized equipment
- Coordination with utility operations
- Construction sequencing in operating facilities
- Contractor and crew coordination
- Field-level risk management
- Maintaining safe operations while construction work is underway

Candidates whose experience is exclusively in commercial building construction without energized utility or substation exposure are unlikely to align with this opportunity.

Project & Commercial Management

This role requires a Project Manager who is equally comfortable managing commercial performance and construction execution.

You should have personally owned or directly managed:

- Project budgets
- Financial forecasting
- Project schedules
- Scope changes
- Project risk
- Procurement strategies
- RFPs and tender packages
- Bid evaluations
- Contract negotiations
- Contract administration
- Contractor performance
- Consultant coordination
- Construction execution
- Field issues
- Commissioning
- Closeout and turnover

The successful candidate will be expected to maintain current forecasts and schedules while ensuring project changes move through appropriate governance and approval processes.

Procurement & Contracting

Major equipment and construction-services procurement is an important component of this role.

Relevant experience should include:

- RFP development
- Scope-of-work development
- Tendering
- Contractor and supplier evaluation
- Commercial evaluation
- Contract negotiations
- Contract formation
- Contract administration
- Change management
- Contractor performance management

Permitting, Environmental & Stakeholder Coordination

Successful utility-project delivery extends beyond engineering and construction.

You should bring practical experience supporting or leading:

- Project permitting
- Environmental assessments
- Regulatory interfaces
- Stakeholder engagement
- Coordination with internal and external project stakeholders

Experience That Will Set You Apart

The following experience will be particularly valuable:

- High-voltage transmission
- Energized substations
- New substation construction
- Substation upgrades and life-cycle replacement
- Transmission-line construction
- Major electrical equipment procurement
- Utility asset-replacement programs
- Alberta utility construction
- Regulated utility environments

A Project Management Qualified (PMP) designation is highly desirable.

Experience with the Alberta Electric System Operator (AESO) project lifecycle is also highly desirable.

Safety & Training

The successful candidate will be required to complete specified contractor training within the required onboarding period where equivalent current training is not already held.

Required training includes:

- Construction Safety Training System
- Electrical Safety Training System
- Contractor Management
- WHMIS Worker Education
- Hazard Management

The following are also considered assets:





- Alberta OH&S; Legislation Awareness
- Ground Disturbance 201
- Leadership for Safety Excellence

Work Workplace

This role is based in Edmonton, Alberta and operates within a hybrid work arrangement with both office and field requirements.

Regular working hours are:

Monday–Friday | 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.

Field participation may include project kick-offs, construction walk-downs and HSE inspections.

Overtime is not anticipated as part of the assignment.

Contract Duration & Compensation

This opportunity is structured as an initial 1-year term or contract with the potential for up to four additional 1-year extensions, subject to ongoing project requirements and extension approval.

Candidates may be considered under either engagement structure:

Term Employee

$85.00–$105.00 per hour

Independent Contractor / Incorporated

$105.00–$130.00 per hour

Final compensation will reflect the candidate’s directly relevant transmission, substation, utility and construction Project Management experience.

Who We Want to Hear From

Relevant current or previous titles may include:

Project Manager | Senior Project Manager | Transmission Project Manager | Substation Project Manager | Utility Project Manager | Electrical Project Manager | Capital Projects Manager | Infrastructure Project Manager | Construction Project Manager

We are especially interested in candidates who can clearly describe:

- The transmission or substation projects they personally managed
- Whether the substations remained energized during construction
- Approximate project values
- Their personal responsibility for budget and schedule
- Their procurement and contracting responsibilities
- Their field and HSE involvement
- Their role from project initiation through closeout

Otter Wise Talent Solutions is an Indigenous- and women-led recruitment and HR consulting firm. We welcome applications from qualified candidates of all backgrounds.

Pay: $183,000.00-$260,000.00 per year

Application question(s):

- Which of the following apply to you?

Current PMP designation

PMP in progress

Experience with the AESO project lifecycle

Regulated Alberta utility experience

None of the above

- Please summarize your Project Management experience in construction, including your total years of experience and the types and approximate values of projects you have managed.
- Please describe your direct experience with utility construction in energized substations.

Include the type of substation or transmission work, whether the facility remained energized during construction, and your specific Project Management responsibilities.

- Please summarize your experience managing project budgets, forecasts, schedules and change approvals on capital construction projects.

Include the approximate size of the projects or budgets you were responsible for.

- Please describe your experience with major equipment and construction-services procurement, including any involvement in:

RFP development

Tendering and bid evaluation

Contract negotiations

Contract administration

- Tell us about a project where you were responsible for permitting, environmental requirements and stakeholder coordination.

Please include the type of project, the approvals or assessments involved, who the key stakeholders were, and what you personally managed or coordinated.

- Give an example of a project where you had to coordinate Engineering, Project Controls and Construction to keep delivery on track.

What was the project, what issue or dependency had to be managed, and what was your responsibility for schedule, budget, deliverables and construction execution?

- Please provide the following:

Education:
PMP Designation: Yes / In Progress / No
AESO Project Lifecycle Experience: Yes / No
Current Location:
Preferred Engagement: Term Employee / Incorporated Contractor / Open to Either
Hourly Rate Expected:
Availability to Start:

Work Location: Hybrid remote in Edmonton, AB T5J 1P1

📌 Project Manager – High-Voltage Transmission & Substation Construction (North Central Edmonton)
🏢 Otter Wise Talent Solutions
📍 North Central Edmonton