Senior Cartographer – ALTO / Cadence Project

Company SYSTRA Canada is part of the international SYSTRA group, a global leader in transport infrastructure engineering and consulting. SYSTRA Canada specializes in delivering innovative transport solutions—ranging from feasibility studies for new rail lines to capacity upgrades and rail privatization. Context Join SYSTRA Canada in shaping Canada’s future through the transformative ALTO high-speed rail project—the largest infrastructure initiative in the country in generations. This TGV project aims to enhance quality of life, strengthen community connections, and drive economic growth. If you believe in a more sustainable world and see mobility as central to our planet’s future, then join SYSTRA Canada and be part of a project that will revolutionize Canada’s rail industry! Missions / Responsibilities As part of the GIS team supporting the ALTO project, the Senior Cartographer will be responsible for coordinating the production of high-quality cartographic deliverables and ensuring consistency, accuracy, and visual excellence across all mapping outputs. This role supports consultation, analysis, and decision-making for major transport infrastructure projects by combining advanced cartographic expertise with QA oversight, template standardization, and close collaboration with multidisciplinary teams. Key Responsibilities: Design and produce high-quality thematic, analytical, and presentation-ready maps in ArcGIS Pro to support corridor analyses, environmental studies, stakeholder consultation, infrastructure planning, and decision-making. Coordinate cartographic production activities within the GIS team by prioritizing tasks, supporting deliverable planning, and ensuring timely and standards-compliant outputs. Develop, maintain, and enforce cartographic standards—including symbology libraries, layout templates, labeling conventions, map series configurations, and graphic representation rules—for diverse audiences (internal teams, clients, public stakeholders). Lead quality assurance and quality control reviews of cartographic products, verifying map accuracy, legend content, scale, projection, symbology, formatting, metadata, bilingual content, and overall visual coherence prior to publication or distribution. Ensure map readability, usability, and visual quality by applying strong cartographic design principles: color theory, typography, visual hierarchy, balance, and accessibility. Access spatial data from the project’s ArcGIS Enterprise environment and other sources—including CAD, GIS, tabular, and remote sensing datasets—organize and prepare them, and convert/format data as needed for mapping. Perform foundational spatial data preparation tasks (e.g., coordinate system transformations, georeferencing, format conversion, data cleaning) to support accurate and efficient map production. Collaborate closely with GIS analysts, engineers, planners, environmental specialists, and other stakeholders to understand requirements, translate technical information into clear visual products, and ensure deliverables meet both technical and communication objectives. Publish finalized cartographic products via ArcGIS Enterprise and support integration of approved map content into web applications (e.g., Experience Builder, ArcGIS Dashboards) as needed. Contribute to continuous improvement of cartographic workflows, review processes, and production efficiency by identifying opportunities to standardize practices and enhance deliverable quality. Provide guidance and support to team members on cartographic best practices, standards, and quality expectations. Communicate effectively in both English and French with internal teams, project stakeholders, and clients. Profile / Skills Education: College diploma or bachelor’s degree in geography, cartography, GIS, geomatics, or a related field—or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Experience: 7–10 years of professional experience in cartographic production, GIS mapping, thematic cartography, or a related role. Experience in transport or infrastructure projects is a significant asset. Technical Skills: Advanced proficiency in ArcGIS Pro for thematic mapping, layout design, cartographic styling, annotation, labeling, and map production. Practical knowledge of ArcGIS Enterprise and/or ArcGIS Online for data access, layer sharing, and team collaboration. Demonstrated experience creating and managing cartographic templates, symbology libraries, layout standards, and mapping production workflows. Strong experience working with data from multiple formats—including CAD, GIS, tabular, and remote sensing sources—and preparing them for cartographic use. Solid understanding of cartographic design principles: color usage, typography, readability, composition, and visual hierarchy. Experience reviewing and validating cartographic products to ensure compliance with technical and visual standards. Excellent verbal and written communication skills in French and English. Bilingualism Requirement: You will interact with a diverse client base, including French- and English-speaking companies. Bilingualism is essential to build strong client relationships, understand specific needs, communicate effectively in the client’s preferred language, and facilitate strategic meetings. Personal & Interpersonal Skills: Exceptional attention to detail and ability to manage multiple deliverables under tight deadlines. Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Additional Information SYSTRA Canada is committed to providing a diverse and inclusive workplace. We have an Employment Equity Program and encourage applications from women, Indigenous peoples, visible minorities, and persons with disabilities. We use AI-powered tools on our recruitment platform (iCIMS) for tasks such as CV analysis and candidate matching. These tools do not make hiring decisions—every application is reviewed by a talent acquisition specialist, and final decisions are made by our recruitment team. For questions about our recruitment process or AI tools, please contact [email protected]. Note: In this posting, the masculine form is used solely to streamline the text and includes both genders. Workplace Type: Hybrid