Meet Maggie Gray: A junior project engineer taking on major projects

Maggie Gray is a junior project engineer with Irving Woodlands who, early in her career, has already managed major projects for the company.

A 2022 civil engineering graduate from UNB, it was first as a student that Gray was introduced to J.D. Irving, Limited (JDI) and its opportunities for career growth. Gray got her start as a tree planter in 2019. She planted trees for two seasons, then took a summer position at Grand Lake Timber where she worked on the Kiln 9 project, the first kiln of its kind constructed in Canada.

"Seeing all the different contractors involved and the plans coming together, it really sold me on projects," Gray reflected. 

Gray originally chose to study engineering on the recommendation of others because of her skills in math and science, but she didn’t know where her true passion lay until she ended up in civil engineering.

“I truly fell in love with the construction aspect, the project management and the transportation side of civil engineering. So that's where I landed, and I'm very happy I did,” she said.

Since starting full-time at JDI, Gray has worked on multiple infrastructure projects and quickly took on a leadership role. She became the project manager for the Taxis River Bridge just a year into her career in summer 2023, a large project that involved the construction of a 130-foot modular bridge and almost six kilometres of connecting road.

This past summer, Gray followed it up with the similar Napadogan Bridge project and she’s currently managing the Connector Yard Project, which involves the construction of a new log yard, and a new set of scales located between Minto and Chipman in New Brunswick.

All three projects are part of the company’s Strategic Road Network, a system of roads being built in central New Brunswick to connect main wood areas to the mills through offroad corridors, taking trucks off provincial highways.

"Seeing the projects become real is my favourite part," Gray said. "I get one under my belt, and I immediately want to do another one. And JDI has been great for that because they keep putting stuff in front of me to mark another one off my list."

As a young woman just starting out in her engineering career, Gray said she’s been fortunate to have supportive coworkers along the way. She says she would encourage woman and girls interested in engineering to “try everything and to create lots of connections.”

Interested in a job with many possibilities for professional growth? Check out the JDI careers page for current postings at careers.jdirving.com.