Rahim Ahmad
Rahim Ahmad attributes his career success so far to knowing his niche, and having mentors in his corner, and so is dedicated to supporting the next generation of consulting engineers.
To Start With
Rahim attended the University of Saskatchewan, originally intending to pursue a degree in Chemical Engineering. However, while growing up in Warman (Saskatchewan’s fastest growing municipality at the time), after trying out a few Civil courses and seeing the links between his studies and his growing community, Rahim enthusiastically switched majors. He admits he did not know much about Civil Engineering in those first few classes, but with the ongoing residential and commercial development going on around him, he was inspired. A particular fond memory for Rahim is one evening spent with friends, drinking slushies, and sitting on the new football field watching cranes install goal posts, a first for the community.
His introduction to consulting engineering came through a summer student term with Associated Engineering (AE) in Saskatoon, and while Rahim admits he did not fully understand the complexities of consulting engineering that first summer, he was afforded many opportunities to see all corners of Saskatchewan throughout that term. He met with municipality leaders, visited construction sites, and spent much “dashboard time” with project leaders. Joining AE full-time upon graduation, he quickly climbed the project ranks, after demonstrating his communication and client management skills. Even in the early days, Rahim knew that communicating well and leading with empathy, would take him far, and this has continued to be the case throughout his career so far.
Project Coordinator to Manager… So Far!
In late August 2017, while getting a short break from his busy field duties in Municipal Infrastructure, Rahim was asked to step in as Project Coordinator for a new Raw water intake and pump station project for an industrial client, with the AE Water team. Rahim’s role on this multi-discipline project then expanded from Project Coordinator to interim Project Manager after colleagues and the client witnessed his strong skills in client management. In his new role as interim Project Manager, Rahim’s focus was also on ‘bridging’ the natural gap that exists between technical and project management teams, through effective communication. Due to his success, he was soon transferred to the Water Division and put in a permanent Project Management role.
The opportunity to become a “people” manager arrived in the summer of 2020, when Rahim was offered a temporary relocate assignment with the AE Fort McMurray office, to manage their Infrastructure team for one year. He accepted, and relocated with his family for the year, while maintaining his commitments to his ongoing projects in Saskatchewan. Rahim recalls feeling a bit bewildered during his first few weeks in Fort McMurray, but he pushed through and gained incredible leadership experience along the way. His approach to managing his Fort McMurray team was, “Don’t just survive; thrive” and he dedicated much time to working with each of his team members one-on-one to further their career goals. After receiving resoundingly positive feedback from his Fort McMurray colleagues, and upper management, Rahim returned to Saskatchewan at the end of the term to find new opportunities being offered to him in the Water Division in Saskatoon. Today, Rahim is the Construction Services Manager in the Saskatoon Water Division, managing both numerous people and projects with resounding success.
Rahim’s role as a company leader further expanded as well, when he was invited to join the company Ownership Group at AE, which was a longtime goal of his upon first joining the company full-time following university graduation. Being an owner is a demonstration of the trust that the organization has in him, allowing him to exercise a certain level of influence in the company he works for.
Compassion, Mentorship, and Volunteerism
Recognizing the impact that those first “dashboard meetings” with his AE mentors had on his own career, Rahim goes above and beyond to support other young engineers achieve their best and develop their careers. This aspect of his work, he does not view as “work” and rather as a “passion.”
For the past numerous years, Rahim has been a Mentor with the U of S Engineering Student Mentorship Program. He is also actively engaged as a Mentor in AE’s company-wide internal Mentorship Program, taking the time to coach young colleagues across Canada. The importance of talking to students, and engaging with young professionals, is rooted in his own experience as a young professional and he fondly recalls his senior AE colleagues even organizing a social round of golf with him to close out his summer term! This sense to fun is something that Rahim also aims to bring to his numerous mentor-mentee partnerships.
Throughout his career Rahim has also, numerous times, experienced others going to bat for him. Modestly, he still credits others for his early promotions into his Project Manager and Fort McMurray manager roles, as senior colleagues spoke up on his behalf vouching for his knowledge, skills, and abilities. Because of this, Rahim is passionate about giving credit where credit is due and implementing these same feedback cycles with his Construction Services team today.
Consulting as a Career
Rahim’s “people first” approach has been a guiding star for him through his career, and this approach has benefitted many projects, clients, and colleagues as a result. Today, Rahim is passionate about teaching the next generation of engineers about the important role that consulting engineering plays in improving communities. These guiding stars will continue to light Rahim’s path as he continues to move forward in his career, wherever it may lead next.