---
title: 'Senior Specifications Writer at DIALOG'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/senior-specifications-writer-dialog-calgary-cjr5s1a4pwwt'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-07'
---

# Senior Specifications Writer at DIALOG

- **Company:** DIALOG
- **Location:** Calgary, Canada
- **Compensation:** $90k–$124k
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2025-12-22
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-07
- **Apply:** https://jobs.lever.co/dialogdesign/e08d5d08-67be-496d-a07d-a9eb7a331c6f

## Job description

Here at DIALOG, we are passionate about design and believe it can and should meaningfully improve the wellbeing of our communities and the environment we all share.

We are a multi-disciplinary practice of architects, interior designers, urban designers and planners, structural, mechanical and electrical engineers, landscape architects and sustainability experts who design for community wellbeing and urban vibrancy. We are a fun-loving bunch of big thinkers and city-shapers, who are collaborative in our approach, diverse in our perspectives, aspirational in our pursuits, and optimistic about what’s next. We’re always looking for passionate people who share our values and care as much about our communities as we do. We're proud to be a Certified B Corporation and one of Canada's Greenest Employers, committed to using our design practice as a force for good in the world.

Are you passionate about building science? Do you have a knack for digging deep into technical details and product literature? Are you excited about innovating to design buildings that are functional and beautiful while minimizing their impact on the environment?

As a Specifier at DIALOG, you will be an integral part of our Practice-wide Specifications Team. This team is dedicated to coaching and mentoring you as you grow and develop in your role. You will work closely with Project Management leads, Job Captains, and project teams to prepare, execute, and manage the specification writing process, seeing your projects from beginning to end.

This role can be based in the Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto or Vancouver studio.

How you'll make a difference:

- Collaborate and Advise: Be the point person for all things specifications; our Go To Person! Advise and guide architects and engineers, contract administrators and project managers, and out-of-house specialty consultants regarding project specific specifications and certain aspects of tendering and contracting procedures.
- Leadership: Manage and lead specifications on a variety of projects. Mentor and coach more junior team members, and assist with the management of workloads and project deadlines for the specification group.
- Expertise in Building Science: Maintain currency of specification writing skills, aspects of building science, contract law and product research. Be aware of and seek guidance in the preparation of documents for multiphased and nonconventional methods of contract delivery such as Design-Built, Construction Managed, or P3 projects.
- Foster Relationships: Build effective working relationships with project managers and guide project teams on bidding and contracting procedures, including the preparation and administration of addenda and bid revisions.
- Innovate and Create: Review, edit, and write architectural specifications, and work alongside other disciplines to prepare project documents.
- Business Development: Participate in proposal development. Act as a DIALOG ambassador by presenting, publishing, and speaking publicly on research and technical innovation topics.

Who you are:

- Experienced and Passionate: You have an aptitude for specifications and a passion for building science. Editing and writing specifications may have been a part of your regular work duties, or other equivalent experience gained through construction contract administration or project management through administration and interpretation of the specification.
- Educated and Certified: You hold a degree in architecture or engineering, or a diploma in architectural technology. Certification or a desire to get certified as a Certified Specification Practitioner (CSP) or Registered Specification Writer (RSW) is an asset.

Additional assets that turn our heads:

- Experience: Specification writing on projects of varying scale, typology and project delivery model; building science expertise; construction contract administration experience.
- Awareness: Knowledge of construction specification formats including MasterFormat, UniFormat and SectionFormat, and awareness of OmniClass and its role in BIM.
- Green Thinking: Knowledge of sustainable products and construction techniques including cradle- to- grave issues, environmentally responsible building products, life cycle assessment methodology, and sustainable certification standards (LEED®, WELL™, Living Building Challenge).
- Who You Know: Your experience within a large professional services organizations and contributions to sharing knowledge with your extended network.

## About DIALOG

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: DIALOG is a multidisciplinary design firm that integrates architecture, engineering, interior design, planning, and landscape architecture to create spaces that improve community wellbeing.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Partnership)
- **Headquarters**: Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- **Founded**: 1960
- **Founders**: Not publicly listed; Joost Bakker is listed as a Founding Principal (current partner)

## Core Business
- **Primary industries**: Architecture, Engineering (structural, mechanical, electrical), Interior Design, Urban Planning, Landscape Architecture
- **Target customers**: B2B – developers, government agencies, institutions, corporations (urban vibrancy, healthcare, transportation, education, arts, residential, commercial)
- **Mission/purpose**: “Design can, and should, meaningfully improve the wellbeing of our communities and the environment we all share.”

## Products & Services
- **Architecture**: Design of civic, cultural, healthcare, education, residential, and mixed-use buildings.
- **Structural Engineering**: Building performance and structural design across project types.
- **Mechanical & Electrical Engineering**: Sustainable building systems and energy performance.
- **Interior Design**: Workplace, hospitality, and public interior spaces.
- **Landscape Architecture**: Site planning and public realm design.
- **Urban Planning**: Community and city-scale planning and strategy.

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed (private partnership)
- **Key Metric**: Annual revenue estimated at USD 10,000,000 (LinkedIn data); Total funding not applicable (bootstrapped partnership)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: None publicly disclosed; parent company is Rockliff Pierzchajlo Kroman Architects (per LinkedIn)
- **Growth Signals**: 632 employees (+8.1% YoY); 33 active job postings (monthly +13.8%, quarterly +106.2%, yearly +83.3%); 8 offices across Canada and the United States

## Competitive Advantages
- **Multidisciplinary integration**: Architects, engineers, planners, and interior designers collaborate in-house, enabling holistic design solutions.
- **Sustainability leadership**: Dedicated Sustainability and Building Performance partner; recognized as one of Canada’s Greenest Employers (2019).
- **Award-winning culture**: Canada’s Best Managed Companies (2020), Canada’s Top Employers for Young People (2020).
- **Unique learning programs**: Iris Prize ($7,500 + 2 weeks paid leave for research), Integrateducation™ internal courses, and annual Aspire design pin-up.

## Strategic Focus
- Continued expansion of integrated, multidisciplinary project delivery;
- Emphasis on sustainable and high-performance building design;
- Growth in healthcare, transportation, and mixed-use sectors;
- Talent acquisition and development to support a growing workforce (33 open positions as of search date).

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: Strong collaboration, open-concept studios, and regular social events. “We schedule in time to have fun and recharge.”
- **Work model**: Mix of on-site and hybrid roles (e.g., Toronto and Vancouver positions). Flexible workspaces and quiet rooms provided.
- **Benefits**: Benefits start day one, includes health coverage for permanent employees working ≥20 hrs/week. Group RRSP and TFSA plans (full-time only). Annual salary reviews, bonuses for registered professionals/management.
- **Wellness**: On-site fitness (varies by studio), massages, mental health seminars, Employee Assistance Program. Transit subsidies and bicycle storage in select studios.
- **Learning & growth**: Personalized development plans, quarterly coaching, mentoring, external PD financial support. Unique programs: Integrateducation, Iris Prize, Aspire.
- **Recognition**: Milestone Awards for long-term contributors.

## Sources
1. [dialogdesign.ca – About/Overview](https://dialogdesign.ca/)
2. [dialogdesign.ca – Careers](https://dialogdesign.ca/careers/)
3. [jobs.lever.co/dialogdesign – Current Openings](https://jobs.lever.co/dialogdesign)
4. [LinkedIn – DIALOG Company Page](https://www.linkedin.com/company/dialog)

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