Job Description

Burnside Group of Companies (R.J. Burnside & Associates Limited (Burnside) / Neegan Burnside Ltd. (Neegan Burnside) is looking for an energetic Civil Engineering Technology student to assist professional engineers and technical staff in our Orangeville office for a 4 or 8 month work term beginning January 2027.

You will work with senior technical staff on municipal and Indigenous community infrastructure projects across Ontario, including water and wastewater treatment plants, waste transfer stations, roads, and subdivisions. The role combines site and office work and offers practical opportunities to build your field, contract administration, and project coordination skills.

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.

Activities may include, but certainly are not limited to:

• Inspect active construction sites and help confirm work aligns with drawings and specifications;
• Prepare site inspection reports, meeting notes, and project documentation;
• Coordinate with clients, contractors, owners, and regulatory stakeholders;
• Support contract administration tasks such as reviewing and responding to Requests for Information (RFIs), shop drawings, and progress claims as well as prepare and issue Site Instructions (SIs);
• Assist with technical investigations, tender documents, quantity take-offs, cost estimates, technical specifications, detailed design drawing reviews, infrastructure design, and other project support work as your experience grows;
• Assist with proposal and report writing, data entry, and 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 must be enrolled in the second or third year of a Civil Engineering Technology program. They must also have excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment with multiple project leaders.

Because field work is an essential part of this role, applicants must hold a valid Class G driver’s license and have regular access to a reliable vehicle.

The following skills and aptitudes are considered assets:

• Interest in working on projects in rural, small town, and outdoor environments.
• Completion of hydrology and hydraulics courses, and interest in these areas of study.
• Experience with field surveying.
• Strong organization and relationship-building skills;
• The ability to read and interpret drawings, specifications, and technical documents;
• Sound judgement, attention to detail, and the ability to manage changing priorities;
• Experience with data entry and manipulation using Excel as well as familiarity with Microsoft Office 365.

Information about our Community Infrastructure Team

Our team works closely together on a wide variety of projects across Canada. Our clients typically are Municipalities and Indigenous communities. We work on projects to plan, assess, design, and tender new/refurbishments/replacements/upgrades of vital community infrastructure with a strong focus on systems that provide potable water and properly treat and dispose of wastewater.

Why work for us?

You will become a part of a team that takes pride in providing vital infrastructure for not only the communities in which we live but also for many small towns and Indigenous communities that struggle to provide the vital infrastructure to their community members. Our team thrives on finding unique solutions for our client’s projects and strives to meet and exceed client expectations. The successful applicant will obtain a true engineering consulting experience that consists of a wide variety of experiences. This will likely include being involved in the development and preparation of proposals, design calculations, cost estimates, presentations, regulatory approval submissions, technical memorandums, technical/design reports, etc.

Burnside believes in integrating students within our project teams and encourages them to bring fresh ideas to the table. A large number of students who have worked with this team have returned for multiple terms and/or have become full-time employees.

Hourly Range: $20.00 - $25.00

The final compensation offered will be based on factors such as relevant experience, skills, internal equity, and market conditions.

Position Type: New Student Position

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 11 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.