AECOM is a trusted infrastructure consulting firm, delivering a better world by designing, building, financing, and operating assets for governments, businesses, and organizations. Our Sustainability Group is a global leader in shaping a sustainable future for the built environment.
We are seeking a highly experienced and motivated Senior Embodied Carbon Specialist to join our growing team in Ottawa. This role is pivotal in advancing AECOM's decarbonization practice, with a specific focus on quantifying, analyzing, and reducing embodied carbon across a diverse portfolio of groundbreaking projects in Canada and globally. This position is for a newly created position.
The ideal candidate will be a technical expert and a strategic advisor, leveraging their deep knowledge of One Click LCA and their architectural or structural design background to guide multidisciplinary teams and clients. You will be instrumental in helping projects achieve ambitious sustainability targets, including compliance with the Canadian Federal Government’s Greening Government Strategy mandates for Whole Building Life Cycle Assessment (WBLCA) and a 30% embodied carbon reduction, the CaGBC’s Zero Carbon Building (ZCB) Standard, and LEED v4/4.1 BD+C
Key Responsibilities
Technical Leadership & Execution:
- Lead and perform detailed Whole Building Life Cycle Assessments (WBLCA) and embodied carbon analyses for new construction, major renovations, and infrastructure projects.
- Utilize One Click LCA as the primary software, with a minimum of 5 years of direct hands-on experience, to model complex building assemblies and material scenarios.
- Define project-specific LCA system boundaries, collect and validate high-quality material quantity and environmental product declaration (EPD) data, and interpret results with a critical eye.
- Develop project-specific benchmarks and establish embodied carbon budgets.
Integrated Design & Collaboration:
- Act as the embodied carbon subject-matter expert, collaborating seamlessly with architectural, structural, civil, and MEP teams from conceptual design through construction documentation.
- Translate LCA results into clear, actionable design recommendations for low-carbon material selection, structural optimization, and construction techniques.
- Champion the integration of circular economy principles, including material reuse, adaptive reuse, and design for disassembly.
Client & Project Management:
- Prepare and deliver high-quality, client-ready reports, presentations, and technical memoranda that effectively communicate complex carbon data and strategic insights.
- Manage LCA deliverables for multiple projects simultaneously, ensuring they are on time, on budget, and meet the highest quality standards.
- Engage directly with clients, contractors, and design partners to advocate for decarbonization strategies.
Practice Innovation & Growth:
- Contribute to the development and enhancement of AECOM’s internal LCA tools, databases, and standardized methodologies.
- Stay at the forefront of policy, emerging low-carbon materials and technologies, and evolving LCA standards (e.g., ISO 14040/44, EN 15978).
- Mentor and train junior staff, fostering growth and expertise within the team.
- Support business development efforts by contributing to proposals, project interviews, and whitepapers.