Director, Technical Services Jobs

Who We Are

“Energizing the Future.”

TransAlta owns, operates, and develops a diverse fleet of electrical generation assets in Canada, the United States and Australia, providing municipalities, industries, and businesses with safe, low-cost, and reliable clean electricity. For over 111 years, TransAlta has been a responsible operator and proud community-member where its employees work and live. We are committed to fostering a dynamic, productive, and safe work environment. Our employees contribute to a diverse, open, and transparent culture with clear accountabilities, strong leadership, and challenging opportunities for personal career growth. For more information about TransAlta, visit our website at, www.transalta.com.

Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

It is our collective mission to ensure that every single employee feels a sense of inclusion and belonging and can show up to work as their true authentic self. TransAlta is committed to hiring a diverse workforce including women, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, members of visible minorities, and members of the LGBTQ2+ community. TransAlta believes that diversity enhances the quality of its performance, is an essential element to effective corporate governance, and cultivates a strong workplace culture.

About The Role

As the Director of Technical Services, you are the Chief Engineer for the company who leads an experienced technical team, providing technical leadership, engineering governance, engineering standard management, and expert services to TransAlta’s Operations and Growth teams. You are accountable for establishing a practical engineering governance framework that provides business leaders confidence that the technical aspects of the business are being managed in compliance with the applicable internal and external requirements designed to achieve the desired level of asset performance.

You are responsible for providing a practical and tailored approach to engineering governance and engineering processes that allows managing short-term and long-term asset performance requirements for a diverse generation fleet. You are expected to model the concept of safe production and also maintain technical compliance within applicable engineering regulatory requirements and OH&S requirements, and provide practical inputs during the development, implementation, and management of business plans in alignment with the organization’s strategic objectives. You are also responsible for optimizing business performance and costs by leading innovation and productivity improvements and nurturing a safe and inclusive culture.

This is a full-time salaried position based on our head office in Calgary. Come be a part of our TransAlta team in our new office space in the Keynote Office Tower in Calgary!

What You Will Do

• Assign resources to perform technical reviews and due diligence assessments for new growth investment opportunities
• Foster an environment that sparks innovation and leads the process of assessing and onboarding new technologies and asset types
• Develop, implement, manage, and audit asset integrity engineering standards in support of the overall asset management program; this includes monitoring industry practice in technical risk management, condition assessment, and technical planning to establish minimum requirements and technical guidance for use within the engineering standards
• Partner with business and technical leaders across the business and provide technical guidance and context during decision-making and business planning
• Develop and nurture a high-performance team of technical specialists and leaders to achieve the business plan goals and to effectively deliver the business plans
• Develop and maintain an expert level of technical knowledge for asset management activities including engineering designs, risk management, asset condition assessment, and asset lifecycle strategic planning
• Manage an engineering governance program that enables the growth and effectiveness of engineers across the organization; this includes a coordinated continuous professional development program for technical professionals
• Provide technical input during decision-making, equipment failure investigations, risk assessments, condition assessments, and asset management plans that ensure adequate risk and condition assessments inform asset strategies
• Retain and manage relationships with relevant third-party solution providers
• Lead as the Technical Director for the company, providing the required governance of the engineering discipline across the company; this includes establishing engineering priorities aligned with corporate objectives and long-term strategies
• Develop, maintain, and audit an engineering governance program and sustainment model; this includes the creation, updating, and approval of engineering standards, an engineering standard dispensation/exemption process, and an engineering standard audit process

What We Need From You

• Registered Professional Engineer in the Province of Alberta (APEGA) or eligible to be registered in Alberta
• Working knowledge of ISO 55000 asset management standards, ISO 31000 Risk management standards, and other applicable practices and processes associated with process safety, engineering regulation, asset management, and energy technologies
• Travel to Generation facilities within Canada, the US, and Australia is required
• Ability to partner and solve unique and complex technical issues with innovative thinking and through the application of engineering principles, practices, and engineering standards
• Awareness and understanding of applicable engineering principles, practices, and standards
• Ability to understand complex technical issues and articulate them to both a technical and non-technical audience
• Demonstrated technical knowledge in the applicable power generation fuel types – Coal, Gas, Hydro, Wind & Solar
• May be required to respond to emergency situations outside of normal business hours
• Knowledge of processes for budgeting, financial/economic assessments, business development, and asset life cycle planning
• Demonstrated capability to understand and manage risk effectively balancing short- and long-term business requirements, acceptable levels of safety risk, good operating practices, and unknown risks
• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering with 15+ years of progressive technical leadership experience
• Knowledge and understanding of regulations related to OH&S, engineering regulation, and asset integrity in all jurisdictions we operate is preferred

What We Offer

• Pension plan with company-matching options
• Vacation and personal days
• Annual incentive program
• Flexible benefits for you and your family
• Competitive annual base salary

To learn more about we can energize your future, check out our new Employee Experience Booklet .

Become part of our TransAlta team today! We look forward to reviewing your application. All applications will be reviewed in a timely manner to the best of our abilities. We appreciate your patience and understanding during the recruitment process.