Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Operations Team Lead

We are SLR Consulting (Americas), a 1500+ team of advisory, environmental, engineering, and regulatory professionals across Canada, the United States, and LATAM.  We deliver environmental and sustainability services to our clients through the integration of over 30 advisory, technical environmental, and engineering disciplines to help clients address some of their most complex challenges around sustainability. We are Making Sustainability Happen.

As our new Environmental & Social Impact Assessment Team Lead, you will provide leadership across project delivery, operational performance, resource management, and people development in alignment with the Practice Area strategy and the ‘SLR Way.’ Partnering with the Operations Lead to translate strategy into execution, you will be responsible for leading team performance and building a cohesive, capable and engaged team with a focus on operational outcomes, ensuring projects are delivered safely, profitably, on schedule, and to the highest quality standards. 

We’ll look to you to actively model SLR’s cultural principles – acting with integrity, collaborating without condition, delivering on our promises, doing right by one another, and owning the outcome – and promote these values within the Practice Area and across the wider business. You will be a key member of the Business Unit leadership team, contributing to the overall success and direction of the organization. 

Success in this role will be underpinned by strong skills in fostering a culture of operational excellence through effective project governance, disciplined resource planning, continuous improvement, and proactive risk management. You will lead a team of consultants to consistently deliver exceptional client outcomes while improving operational efficiency, project performance, and team capability.

Specifically, your responsibilities will include:

Leadership   

• Manages the team as the first point of contact for all resourcing requirements, issues and opportunities. 
• Sets clear expectations and leads by example, modelling and promoting SLR’s cultural principles. 
• Supports the Operations Lead on the delivery of strategic actions to develop a high-performing team focused on project execution, client service excellence, and continuous improvement. 
• Provides regular updates to the team as communicated from the Operations Lead
• Establishes clear performance expectations and accountability frameworks aligned with Practice Area objectives, policies and processes.
• Supports change management initiatives and promotes a culture of continuous improvement and operational excellence. 
• Coaches, mentors and develops team members in project management, consulting excellence, client relationship management, and operational best practices.
• Oversees the development of personal development and training plans covering consulting and technical skills.  
• Supports recruitment efforts and ensures timely onboarding with clarity on systems, processes and standards.
• Upholds a collaborative, inclusive culture and ensures the health, safety and 
• wellbeing of team members. 

Performance 

• Champions client and project focus across the team. 
• Uses dashboards to monitor team performance against budget and KPIs and provides insights and actions to team members. 
• Manages performance proactively, addressing issues promptly and constructively with the support of the Practice Manager/Practice Leader. 
• Ensures adherence to financial practices in line with SLR’s financial calendar (e.g. invoicing, forecasting, pipeline accuracy, WIP and AR).
• Manages resourcing and capacity planning for the team and collaborates with other Team Leaders and Practice Managers to balance work where necessary.  
• Supports the Practice Manager/Practice Leader with resource forecasting and ensures pipeline updates are accurate and timely. 
• Surfaces bottlenecks early and coordinates solutions effectively. 

Client focused 

• Engages frequently with existing and new clients in collaboration with the Practice Manager/Practice Leader.  
• Provides oversight to ensure consistent delivery excellence across the team's project portfolio.
• Builds and maintains key client relationships and executes priority handling of technical work for these clients in the Practice Area. 
• Applies direct technical contributions to maintain personal chargeability expectations as agreed with the Practice Manager or Practice Leader.
• Supports implementation of operational improvement initiatives that enhance efficiency, project quality, and client satisfaction.

 Governance, Risk & Quality   

• Ensures consistent application of SLR standards, processes and systems across the team.
• Maintains oversight of project risks, contractual obligations, quality assurance, and regulatory compliance.
• Promotes a culture of accountability, risk awareness, and operational discipline across the team.

Health & Safety 

• Fosters a positive culture across the Practice Area to protect the health, safety and wellbeing of the team, ensuring risks are appropriately identified and managed in line with SLR’s Key Safety Principles. 

Working @ SLR

With us, there is no doubt you’ll grow your subject-matter expertise and industry knowledge. We care about investing in our employees for the long-run, and if you ask our team, they’ll tell you that’s just one of the many benefits of working here. We want to be a place where you can experience career growth and satisfaction for many years.

Here’s what else you’ll enjoy as part of our team: 

• Competitive total compensation package including comprehensive benefits, vacation, and a suite of wellness initiatives.
• Final agreed upon compensation will be commensurate with individual education, professional designation, experience, internal parity, and location.

• Full-time, permanent role with opportunities for professional growth and advancement.

Qualifications 

• Demonstrated experience in operations leadership and supervisory role within a technical consulting or professional services environment.

• Strong ability to work with people within a technical consulting or professional services environment.

• Proven project management experience overseeing complex, multidisciplinary projects and portfolios.

• Strong understanding of project delivery methodologies, project controls, budgeting, forecasting, and resource planning.

• Experience in achieving performance metrics (e.g. on a project basis) and continuous improvement. 

• Understanding of quality management systems and governance frameworks.

• Experience in supporting the achievement of outcomes.

• Ability to engage, develop and retain team members.

• Change management capability.

• Strong communicator – clear, persuasive, and confident in both verbal and written communication.

• Emotionally intelligent – empathetic, self-aware, and effective in managing relationships.

• Collaborative team player – works effectively across functions, with a One Team mindset.  

• Courageous and adaptable – embraces change and takes initiative.

• Commercially aware – understands financial targets and importance of them.

• Resilient – handles setbacks calmly and constructively and maintains momentum under pressure.

• Strategic problem solver – analytical, resourceful, decisive, solutions-orientated.

• Flexible and agile – able to be open minded.

• Safety aware – prioritizes health and safety in all aspects of project delivery and team management.

• Ability and willingness to travel from time to time as and when required to contribute to specific activities.

This job posting is for an existing vacancy. Artificial intelligence is not being used to screen, assess, or select applicants.

SLR strives to build diverse teams that reflect the communities we work in, and encourages applications from traditionally underrepresented groups including women, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, people identifying as 2SLGBTQI+, veterans, and people with disabilities.