Stantec Project Manager interview questions & guide 2026

Preparing for an interview at Stantec requires a holistic approach. You must be ready to discuss both your technical engineering background and your business management capabilities. The interviewers will want to see that you can run a project like a business, ensuring profitability while maintaining the highest technical and safety standards.

When structuring your preparation, focus on demonstrating your capabilities across these key evaluation criteria:

Role-Related Knowledge – You must demonstrate a deep understanding of project management methodologies, contract types, and financial metrics (such as gross revenue, net revenue, and multiplier targets). Be ready to talk about the specific engineering or environmental disciplines you will be managing.

Problem-Solving & Adaptability – Stantec projects are complex and subject to shifting regulatory, environmental, and stakeholder demands. Interviewers look for structured problem-solving: how you identify risks early, draft mitigation plans, and pivot when unexpected challenges arise.

Leadership & Stakeholder Management – As the central point of contact, you must show that you can influence without authority, build cohesive teams, and maintain exceptional relationships with clients, public agencies, and community stakeholders.

The interview process for a Project Manager at Stantec is designed to evaluate both your cultural fit and your technical execution capabilities. While the process is generally described by candidates as conversational and respectful, it is thorough and multi-staged. The company places a strong emphasis on finding leaders who align with their core values of safety, community, and integrity.

The journey typically begins with an initial phone screen with a talent acquisition partner. This is a brief, high-level conversation focused on your background, salary expectations, and geographic availability. If there is a mutual fit, you will progress to a more formal interview with the hiring manager. Depending on the office and region, this stage may also be accompanied by online skills assessments, such as an Excel competency test or verbal and numerical reasoning evaluations.

The final stage usually involves a panel interview. This panel typically consists of the hiring manager, a divisional director, and other senior project managers or team members you would be collaborating with. This round focuses heavily on situational scenarios, commercial management, and how you handle client relationships.

The visual timeline above outlines the typical progression from the initial application to the final offer. Most candidates complete this process within three to six weeks, though timelines can vary based on local office requirements and the urgency of the hiring need. Use this timeline to pace your preparation, ensuring you allocate sufficient time for both technical review and behavioral storytelling ahead of the panel stage.

To succeed in the Stantec interview process, you must understand the specific competencies your interviewers are trained to evaluate.

Project Financials & Commercial Controls

At Stantec, a Project Manager is fully accountable for the financial health of their projects. You are expected to treat your project portfolio as a business unit, monitoring key performance indicators to prevent margin erosion.

Be ready to go over:

• Earned Value Management (EVM) – How you track project progress against the budget spent.
• Change Management – Your process for identifying out-of-scope work, negotiating change orders with clients, and updating contracts.
• Invoicing and Collections – Ensuring timely billing and managing accounts receivable to maintain healthy project cash flow.
• Advanced concepts (less common) – Multi-currency project management, joint venture financial tracking, and sub-consultant markup strategies.

Example scenarios:

• "Describe a time when a client requested a rapid change in project scope. How did you handle the commercial negotiations without damaging the client relationship?"
• "How do you handle a situation where a project's actual costs are trending significantly higher than the budgeted earned value?"

Client Relationship & Business Development

Stantec relies heavily on repeat business and local reputations. As a PM, you are often the "face of the company" to the client. Interviewers want to know you can maintain client satisfaction while actively looking for new business opportunities.

Be ready to go over:

• Client Retention – Strategies for building trust, maintaining open communication, and delivering on promises.
• Proposal Writing & Estimating – Your experience leading proposal efforts, scoping work, and estimating hours and fees.
• Market Awareness – Understanding local market trends, competitor positioning, and upcoming public or private sector opportunities.

Example scenarios:

• "Tell me about a time you turned a difficult or dissatisfied client into a loyal, repeat customer."
• "How do you balance the need to deliver existing projects with the expectation to help win new work and write proposals?"

Team Leadership & Multidisciplinary Collaboration

You will manage diverse teams that often include civil engineers, environmental scientists, CAD designers, and administrative staff. You must show that you can foster collaboration across different disciplines and office locations.

Be ready to go over:

• Resource Allocation – Managing workload balancing and resolving resource conflicts between competing projects.
• Mentorship & Development – How you support the career growth of junior engineers and technical staff on your projects.
• Virtual Team Management – Leveraging Stantec's global network to execute work using resources in different geographic offices.

Example scenarios:

• "How do you motivate a project team when morale is low due to tight deadlines or challenging technical hurdles?"
• "Describe a situation where two key technical leads on your project had a fundamental disagreement. How did you resolve it?"

As a Project Manager at Stantec, your day-to-day work is highly varied and requires constant context-switching. You are responsible for the entire project lifecycle, from initial scoping and contract signing through design, permitting, construction support, and closeout.

Your primary responsibilities will include:

• Developing detailed project execution plans, schedules, and work breakdown structures.
• Leading project kick-off meetings and coordinating daily or weekly tasks across engineering disciplines.
• Monitoring project health using internal financial management tools, tracking budgets, and managing billing cycles.
• Serving as the primary point of contact for clients, participating in regular progress meetings, and presenting deliverables.
• Writing technical proposals, developing fee estimates, and negotiating contract terms with clients and sub-consultants.
• Ensuring all project work undergoes rigorous Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) reviews in accordance with Stantec standards.
• Promoting a culture of safety, ensuring that all field and office work complies with local safety regulations and company protocols.

You will collaborate closely with discipline leads, regional business leaders, and administrative support staff to ensure that projects are staffed correctly, executed safely, and delivered on time and within budget.

To be competitive for a Project Manager position at Stantec, you must possess a strong foundation in both technical engineering concepts and formal project management practices.

Must-Have Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in engineering, environmental science, architecture, or a closely related technical field.
• Proven experience managing projects within an engineering consultancy, environmental services firm, or construction management environment.
• Strong financial literacy, with demonstrated experience managing project budgets, billing, and profit/loss metrics.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with a track record of writing successful proposals and technical reports.
• A strong commitment to health and safety standards in both office and field environments.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Professional credentials such as a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or a Professional Engineer (PE) license.
• Experience utilizing specialized project scheduling and management software (e.g., Primavera P6, MS Project, or BST/Deltek financial systems).
• Specific technical software experience relevant to your business line, such as ICPR 4 for water resource managers.
• Established relationships with local municipalities, state/provincial agencies, or private developers in your region.

Q: How technical are the Project Manager interviews at Stantec? A: The technical depth depends on the specific business line. While some interviews focus heavily on behavioral, commercial, and leadership competencies, you should be fully prepared to discuss the technical execution of your past projects, including quality control, engineering standards, and relevant software.

Q: What is the typical timeframe for the hiring process? A: The process generally takes between three to six weeks from the initial HR screen to a final decision. However, because hiring decisions often involve multiple local and regional stakeholders, candidates are encouraged to maintain active communication with their recruiter.

Q: Does Stantec support hybrid or remote work for Project Managers? A: Yes, Stantec offers flexible, hybrid work options in most locations, allowing you to balance office time, client visits, and remote work. However, because PMs are key leaders, some consistent in-office presence is typically expected to foster team collaboration.

Q: How does Stantec evaluate culture fit during the interview? A: Interviewers assess culture fit by looking at your alignment with Stantec's core values: putting people first, doing what is right, being better together, and standing one step ahead. They value humility, a collaborative spirit, and a strong commitment to community and safety.

To maximize your chances of securing an offer, keep these practical tips in mind as you prepare:

• Understand the local market: Stantec offices operate with a high degree of regional autonomy. Research local infrastructure challenges, major public works projects in the area, and the specific clients that the local office serves.
• Prepare STAR stories: For behavioral questions, structure your answers using the Situation, Task, Action, Result framework. Quantify your results wherever possible (e.g., "delivered the project 10% under budget" or "reduced design hours by 15%").
• Showcase commercial responsibility: Do not just talk about the technical engineering solutions you delivered. Explicitly mention how you managed the budget, handled invoicing, negotiated scope changes, and protected project profitability.

• Address safety proactively: Stantec has a deeply ingrained safety culture. Weave safety into your answers, demonstrating that you prioritize the physical and mental well-being of your team members in every project plan.
• Ask strategic questions: At the end of your interview, ask insightful questions about the office's growth plans, local backlog of work, and how they define success for this role. This shows that you are thinking like a business leader from day one.

Securing a Project Manager role at Stantec is an exceptional opportunity to advance your career with a globally recognized leader in sustainable design and engineering. The position offers a unique blend of technical challenge, commercial leadership, and community impact. By demonstrating a strong balance of project controls, client management skills, and collaborative leadership, you can position yourself as an ideal candidate during the interview process.

As you finalize your preparation, focus on refining your project stories, practicing your commercial math, and aligning your personal values with Stantec's commitment to community and safety. Structured, thoughtful preparation is the key to executing your interviews with confidence and clarity.

To gain deeper insights into compensation expectations and to review additional real-world interview preparation resources, explore the data available on Dataford.

The salary data above provides a representative range of compensation for Project Manager positions across various locations and experience levels. Use this data to inform your compensation expectations during the initial HR screening and subsequent negotiation phases, keeping in mind that total compensation at Stantec often includes competitive benefits, retirement contributions, and performance-based incentives. Good luck with your preparation!