TN Visa Technical Director Jobs
Technical Director roles qualify for TN visa sponsorship under the USMCA's engineer and scientist categories when the position requires a relevant bachelor's degree or higher. Canadian citizens can apply at the border or a pre-clearance site without a cap. Mexican citizens require a U.S. consular appointment under the TN annual allocation.
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WSP is seeking a Technical Director, Bridge Engineer to join our transportation team in our Tempe, Arizona office. Be involved in projects with our Transportation Team and be a part of a growing organization that meets our clients’ objectives and solves their challenges.
The candidate will provide subject-matter technical support and leadership for asset management, program management, rehabilitation, and new design projects for the public sector. Responsible for SME innovation and administration, ensuring corporate compliance with all Local, State, and Federal engineering, construction, and safety regulations, and providing pragmatic direction to address current and future challenges in a rapidly-changing and complex business climate.
Your Impact
- Function as a design lead and support others in managing projects that have a structure.
- Lead mid-level professional engineers, engineers-in-training (EITs), and CADD technicians through basic design and plan production.
- Apply high-level structural and civil engineering techniques and processes to identify improvements for various infrastructure project phases involving more complex transportation engineering work, including concept development, preliminary design, final design, and construction.
- Plan, organize, and supervise engineering activities on bridge projects.
- Provide innovative solutions related to the design of bridges, transit structures, and other significant structures required for state highways, county roads, and city streets.
- Coordinate with the district structures management team.
- Perform engineering review of permit applications, engineering design plans and specifications, standby plans and engineering contracts, integrated management plans, and periodic construction inspections, to ensure that they comply with applicable state and/or federal regulations and sound engineering practice and standards.
- Lead larger-scale more complex structural engineering projects ensuring contributors know what they are required to do and by when, preparing and overseeing relevant project budgets, monitoring external events, tracking hours and expenses, ensuring satisfactory performance, and supervising subcontractors, contract work, and employees.
- Support the overall long-term strategy, growth, and pipeline development of Structural Engineering work for WSP in assigned area of responsibility, with a focus on infrastructure opportunities in all disciplines (planning, design, strategic consulting, and program/construction management).
- Assist with the preparation of an annual update to business tactical action plans within the specified area.
- Meet with various public or private entities or individuals to discuss issues relating to a variety of engineering/construction challenges and programs.
- Ensure that engineering discipline certifications, accreditations, and value proposition is developed and continuously improved.
- Schedule engineering discipline meetings, providing updates and recommendations to ensure that all reasonable and proper measures are taken to inculcate discipline expertise and innovation into project work.
- Serve as one of the engineering discipline’s lead representatives/liaison to a variety of external entities including Federal, State, and Local Agencies, Clients, Subcontractors, industry-related groups, and various government and community entities.
- Develop and inform timelines, pricing, and budgetary metrics – and accountable for design of projects in compliance with all applicable City/State/Federal codes and regulations, and in accordance with all acceptable engineering practices.
- Interpret and summarize data, including reports and documents that result in sound engineering and regulatory conclusions.
- Mentor staff to support their growth and professional development.
- Manage and provide performance guidance and leadership to assigned staff.
- Remain current in latest structural engineering techniques and practices.
- Collaborate with professionals from a variety of disciplines to provide “trusted advisor” service and future ready solutions for clients.
- Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
- Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.
Who You Are
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in Structural or Civil Engineering, or closely related discipline.
- Experience managing engineering activities on structure-centered transportation projects.
- 12+ years of relevant post education experience in engineering, structural/civil and infrastructure design.
- Engineer license required (multi-state preferred).
- Either a Professional Engineering license issued by the State of Arizona or the ability to readily obtain reciprocity.
- Advanced proficiency with structural engineering principles, practices, process, design/build, standard of care, and the application to permitting and project work-related issues.
- Advanced proficiency with bridge design.
- Strong working knowledge of relevant structural and civil construction laws, codes, regulations, compliance practices, and record-keeping requirements, and the business impact upon the organization.
- Advanced proficiency with making technical computations and calculations involving the application of engineering principles, understanding plans and specifications and making factual comparisons to the appropriate regulations.
- Works independently and provides guidance and leadership to mid-level to senior level team or project members, with strict adherence to QA/QC.
- Excellent leadership and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to effectively, persuasively, and tactfully interact with employees at all levels of the organization.
- Tactical lateral thinking and strong analytical skills with attention to detail and prioritization of responsibilities in a pressure work environment.
- Ability to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of sources, including senior management, clients, regulators, and company-wide staff, including those with whom no formal hierarchical relationship exists.
- Advanced proficiency with office automation, discipline-specific design software (i.e., MicroStation, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, ArcGIS, InRoads, Geopak, GeoSlope, ANSYS, STADD, HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS), technology, math principles, physics, predictive models, spreadsheets, and tools.
- Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
- Strong ability to quickly adapt to change and demonstrate flexibility to a variety of schedules and hours to meet business needs.
- Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s Degree in Engineering.
- Strong experience in managing the review and approval of documents and discipline-specific deliverables, certifications, processes, and plans in a multi-project environment is highly desirable.
About WSP
WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.
WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career.
At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?
WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.
The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.
NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:
WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.
This Opportunity
WSP is seeking a Technical Director, Bridge Engineer to join our transportation team in our Tempe, Arizona office. Be involved in projects with our Transportation Team and be a part of a growing organization that meets our clients’ objectives and solves their challenges.
The candidate will provide subject-matter technical support and leadership for asset management, program management, rehabilitation, and new design projects for the public sector. Responsible for SME innovation and administration, ensuring corporate compliance with all Local, State, and Federal engineering, construction, and safety regulations, and providing pragmatic direction to address current and future challenges in a rapidly-changing and complex business climate.
Your Impact
- Function as a design lead and support others in managing projects that have a structure.
- Lead mid-level professional engineers, engineers-in-training (EITs), and CADD technicians through basic design and plan production.
- Apply high-level structural and civil engineering techniques and processes to identify improvements for various infrastructure project phases involving more complex transportation engineering work, including concept development, preliminary design, final design, and construction.
- Plan, organize, and supervise engineering activities on bridge projects.
- Provide innovative solutions related to the design of bridges, transit structures, and other significant structures required for state highways, county roads, and city streets.
- Coordinate with the district structures management team.
- Perform engineering review of permit applications, engineering design plans and specifications, standby plans and engineering contracts, integrated management plans, and periodic construction inspections, to ensure that they comply with applicable state and/or federal regulations and sound engineering practice and standards.
- Lead larger-scale more complex structural engineering projects ensuring contributors know what they are required to do and by when, preparing and overseeing relevant project budgets, monitoring external events, tracking hours and expenses, ensuring satisfactory performance, and supervising subcontractors, contract work, and employees.
- Support the overall long-term strategy, growth, and pipeline development of Structural Engineering work for WSP in assigned area of responsibility, with a focus on infrastructure opportunities in all disciplines (planning, design, strategic consulting, and program/construction management).
- Assist with the preparation of an annual update to business tactical action plans within the specified area.
- Meet with various public or private entities or individuals to discuss issues relating to a variety of engineering/construction challenges and programs.
- Ensure that engineering discipline certifications, accreditations, and value proposition is developed and continuously improved.
- Schedule engineering discipline meetings, providing updates and recommendations to ensure that all reasonable and proper measures are taken to inculcate discipline expertise and innovation into project work.
- Serve as one of the engineering discipline’s lead representatives/liaison to a variety of external entities including Federal, State, and Local Agencies, Clients, Subcontractors, industry-related groups, and various government and community entities.
- Develop and inform timelines, pricing, and budgetary metrics – and accountable for design of projects in compliance with all applicable City/State/Federal codes and regulations, and in accordance with all acceptable engineering practices.
- Interpret and summarize data, including reports and documents that result in sound engineering and regulatory conclusions.
- Mentor staff to support their growth and professional development.
- Manage and provide performance guidance and leadership to assigned staff.
- Remain current in latest structural engineering techniques and practices.
- Collaborate with professionals from a variety of disciplines to provide “trusted advisor” service and future ready solutions for clients.
- Exercise responsible and ethical decision-making regarding company funds, resources and conduct, and adhere to WSP’s Code of Conduct and related policies and procedures.
- Perform additional responsibilities as required by business needs.
Who You Are
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in Structural or Civil Engineering, or closely related discipline.
- Experience managing engineering activities on structure-centered transportation projects.
- 12+ years of relevant post education experience in engineering, structural/civil and infrastructure design.
- Engineer license required (multi-state preferred).
- Either a Professional Engineering license issued by the State of Arizona or the ability to readily obtain reciprocity.
- Advanced proficiency with structural engineering principles, practices, process, design/build, standard of care, and the application to permitting and project work-related issues.
- Advanced proficiency with bridge design.
- Strong working knowledge of relevant structural and civil construction laws, codes, regulations, compliance practices, and record-keeping requirements, and the business impact upon the organization.
- Advanced proficiency with making technical computations and calculations involving the application of engineering principles, understanding plans and specifications and making factual comparisons to the appropriate regulations.
- Works independently and provides guidance and leadership to mid-level to senior level team or project members, with strict adherence to QA/QC.
- Excellent leadership and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to effectively, persuasively, and tactfully interact with employees at all levels of the organization.
- Tactical lateral thinking and strong analytical skills with attention to detail and prioritization of responsibilities in a pressure work environment.
- Ability to elicit cooperation from a wide variety of sources, including senior management, clients, regulators, and company-wide staff, including those with whom no formal hierarchical relationship exists.
- Advanced proficiency with office automation, discipline-specific design software (i.e., MicroStation, AutoCAD, Civil 3D, ArcGIS, InRoads, Geopak, GeoSlope, ANSYS, STADD, HEC-RAS, HEC-HMS), technology, math principles, physics, predictive models, spreadsheets, and tools.
- Proven track record of upholding workplace safety and ability to abide by WSP’s health, safety and drug/alcohol and harassment policies.
- Strong ability to quickly adapt to change and demonstrate flexibility to a variety of schedules and hours to meet business needs.
- Occasional travel may be required depending on project-specific requirements.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master’s Degree in Engineering.
- Strong experience in managing the review and approval of documents and discipline-specific deliverables, certifications, processes, and plans in a multi-project environment is highly desirable.
About WSP
WSP USA is the U.S. operating company of WSP, one of the world's leading engineering and professional services firms. Dedicated to serving local communities, we are engineers, planners, technical experts, strategic advisors and construction management professionals. WSP USA designs lasting solutions in the buildings, transportation, energy, water and environment markets. With more than 15,000 employees in over 300 offices across the U.S., we partner with our clients to help communities prosper.
WSP provides a flexible and agile workplace model while meeting client needs. Employees are also afforded a comprehensive suite of benefits including medical, dental, vision, disability, life, and retirement savings focused on providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career.
At WSP, we want to give our employees the challenges they seek to grow their careers and knowledge base. Your daily contributions to your team will be essential in meeting client objectives, goals and challenges. Are you ready to get started?
WSP USA (and all of its U.S. companies) is an Equal Opportunity Employer Race/Age/Color/Religion/Sex/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/National Origin/Disability or Protected Veteran Status.
The selected candidate must be authorized to work in the United States.
NOTICE TO THIRD PARTY AGENCIES:
WSP does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, employment agencies, or other staffing services. Unsolicited resumes include any resume or hiring document sent to WSP in the absence of a signed Service Agreement where WSP has expressly requested recruitment/staffing services specific to the position at hand. Any unsolicited resumes, including those submitted to hiring managers or other business leaders, will become the property of WSP and WSP will have the right to hire that candidate without reservation – no fee or other compensation will be owed or paid to the recruiter, employment agency, or other staffing service.
See all TN Visa Technical Director Jobs
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Get Access To All JobsTips for Finding TN Visa Sponsorship in Technical Director
Align your credentials to specialty occupation requirements
TN visa status for Technical Director roles hinges on a direct match between your degree field and the job's core technical responsibilities. A computer science or engineering degree paired with a director-level role in that discipline clears this bar cleanly.
Target employers experienced with visa sponsorship
Not every company knows how to structure a TN support letter. Prioritize mid-to-large technology, media, or engineering firms with recent visa filings, since their HR and legal teams already understand the visa sponsorship process and the documentation requirements for international hiring.
Request a detailed support letter before your appointment
CBP officers assess TN eligibility at the port of entry based almost entirely on your employer's support letter. Get a draft before your travel date and verify it specifies your degree requirement, proffered title, and the technical nature of the director duties.
Clarify whether your role files as engineer or scientist
Technical Director positions are not a named USMCA category. Your employer must map the role to a qualifying occupation like engineer or computer systems analyst. Misclassification is a common denial trigger, so confirm the chosen category with your employer's immigration counsel before filing.
Search Migrate Mate to find sponsoring employers by role
Use Migrate Mate to filter Technical Director openings by TN visa sponsorship. The platform surfaces employers actively hiring TN professionals, saving you from applying to postings where sponsorship is unavailable or the role structure won't support TN classification.
Prepare for secondary inspection if entering as a Canadian
Canadian TN applicants are processed at the port of entry, but Technical Director roles with broad management duties can prompt secondary review. Bring your degree transcripts, the support letter, and an employment contract or offer letter to resolve any questions on the spot.
Technical Director TN Visa: Frequently Asked Questions
Does a Technical Director role actually qualify for TN visa status?
It depends on how the role is structured. Technical Director is not a listed USMCA occupation, so your employer must map your duties to a qualifying category, most commonly engineer or computer systems analyst. If your day-to-day work is primarily technical and your degree aligns to that field, qualification is achievable. Roles that skew toward general management without clear technical delivery functions are more difficult to support.
How does TN compare to H-1B for Technical Director positions?
TN has no annual lottery and no numerical cap for Canadian citizens, so you can start work as soon as CBP approves your application at the port of entry. H-1B visa requires winning a lottery with roughly a 25 percent selection rate, then waiting until October 1 to begin work. For Mexican citizens, TN has an annual allocation of 5,500, but consular appointments are typically faster than the H-1B cycle. If you qualify for TN, it is almost always faster to activate.
Where can I find Technical Director jobs that offer TN visa sponsorship?
Migrate Mate is built specifically for this search. You can filter openings by TN visa sponsorship and job title, so you're only seeing employers that have indicated willingness to support TN professionals. Posting filters on general job boards don't reliably surface sponsorship intent, and reaching out cold to employers without that signal wastes time in an already competitive senior-level hiring process.
Can a Mexican citizen get TN status for a Technical Director role at a U.S. consulate?
Yes. Mexican TN applicants apply at a U.S. consulate rather than at the border. The USMCA allocates 5,500 TN visas annually for Mexican nationals, and demand has not historically exhausted that cap. You'll need your employer's support letter, proof of your qualifying degree, and a completed DS-160. Approval timelines vary by consulate, but most applicants receive a decision at the interview.
What happens to my TN status if I'm promoted from Technical Director to VP of Engineering?
A title change that significantly shifts your duties requires a new TN filing before you assume the updated role. TN status is tied to the specific position described in the original support letter. If the VP role still maps to a qualifying USMCA occupation and maintains the same technical core, your employer can file a new TN petition reflecting the change. Assuming the new title without updating your TN is a status violation.