Colonel Martin Gros-Jean enrolled in the Canadian Forces in January 1997. After obtaining an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from Laval University and holding a number of civilian jobs, he decided to join the Forces as a military engineer.

During his career, Colonel Gros-Jean has worked in a variety of capacities in the Canadian Armed Forces, both in combat engineering and construction engineering. To name a few, he has been troop commander, squadron second-in-command, adjutant, squadron commander, senior staff officer and Commanding Officer of Engr Services. His postings have taken him to Gagetown, Valcartier, Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto and Winnipeg. In Canada, he participated in humanitarian operations during the Red River flood in Manitoba in 1997 and the ice storm in Quebec the following year. In 2005, he conducted an operation to assert Canada's sovereignty in the Arctic. He has taken part in two operations abroad: one in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 1999–2000 and another in 2008–2009, when he spent over 11 months as Chief liaison officer to the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Colonel Gros-Jean graduated from the Joint Command and Staff Program and has a Master’s degree in Defence Studies from the Royal Military College of Canada (RMC) Kingston. Most recently, he was the Chief of Staff at 1 Canadian Air Division and has spent the past two years serving as Branch Advisor for the Canadian Military Engineers. Once Colonel Gros-Jean transfers his responsibilities as the Commander of the CF Real Property Operations Group to Colonel Rancourt, he will pursue his Developmental Period 4 at Canadian Forces College in Toronto.

Colonel Gros-Jean graduated from the Joint Command and Staff Program and the Canadian Land Force Command and Staff College. Most recently he was the Chief of Staff at 1 Canadian Air Division and now is the Commander of the CF Real Property Operations Group. He lives with his partner of 23 years and their two sons, aged 12 and 13, who, like their father, love climbing.