Director, Downstream Site Project Execution

About this opportunity:

Cenovus is seeking a Director, Site Projects Execution, to join our team. This role is responsible for ensuring the safe, reliable, predictable, and competitive execution of the project portfolio assigned to the Site Projects Execution team within the Downstream Technical and Projects organization. The portfolio spans Downstream assets, with responsibility for Stages 3 (Define), 4 (Execute), and 5 (Operate), while supporting Front-End Development (FED) activities in Stages 1 (Identify) and 2 (Select). With an annual budget of $300-$400 million, the goal is to work closely with stakeholders, particularly Front-End Development, to optimize capital costs to a target of less than $25 USD/EDC over a five-year cycle. The role leads design engineering, contracting strategy, construction, project controls, and commissioning for assigned projects. The Director provides leadership, vision, stakeholder engagement, and assurance to drive project performance, capital efficiency, risk management, and business improvement through the Cenovus stage-gated process. Local project managers and experts in engineering, project controls, scheduling, planning, and quality control report directly to this role.

The successful candidate must be located in, or willing to relocate to, one of our Ohio locations: Dublin, Toledo, or Lima, and be willing to travel up to 33% across our sites.

What you’ll do:

Responsibilities for this position may include but are not limited to:

• Leads and develops team members across the US and Canadian refining sites to deliver a portfolio of projects as a substantial part of the Cenovus Downstream investment program.
• Drives teams to develop, engineer, procure, construct, and commission projects in accordance with the Cenovus stage-gated project process, approved investment budgets, and business expectations for safety, quality, reliability, schedule, and cost performance.
• Oversees the project controls organization supporting all project stages in execution and front-end development.
• Owns the Capital Project Process, developing, defining, and improving work processes for detailed design, construction, equipment turnover, project close out, and all aspects of project execution.
• Drives life-cycle quality and value through efficient, competitive engineering and construction strategies and management.
• Works with Engineering resources on quality programs and turnover of engineered equipment and design documents. Sets standards for design, construction, procurement, and turnover of running assets, and develops project close-out deliverables for installed assets.
• Collaborates with leadership and extended business teams across each site, corporate teams, and project team members to ensure alignment of objectives, deliverables, and performance. Actively participates with site and Technical & Projects leadership teams.
• Ensures strong integration of project activities with Health, Safety and Environmental (HSE), Technical including Front-End Development, Turnaround, Supply Chain Management, Commercial, and Production-Centric organizations, while ensuring compliance with COIMS requirements.
• Ensures proper reporting of project plans and performance and is accountable for project forecasting and LRP inputs for portfolio development of inflight projects.
• Provides coaching and assurance around safety leadership with a critical focus on safety performance and culture.
• Provides guidance to the organization to support capital projects executed by outside departments in Downstream facilities. Ensures project controls and engineering support are provided for capital work executed by other organizations.

Who you are:

• Legally authorized to work in the US.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering.
• Minimum of 20 years of relevant experience in refinery or similar oil/petrochemical industry, including project engineering/management and/or other relevant technical, operational, and business roles. 
• Experience successfully supporting or executing a diverse range of assignments, activities, and/or projects.
• Experience managing engineering and construction activities with a focus on ensuring compliance with internal and external standards/requirements and driving improvement programs.
• Experience supervising, influencing, and collaborating with a diverse group of internal and external resources to deliver results and improve performance. 

We acknowledge the value of transferrable skills and may consider equivalent combinations of experience and education should you not meet a specific requirement.

Note: The application deadline for this position is 11:59 PM MT on September 20, 2026. The position may come down early if candidate(s) are identified.

Cenovus was ranked one of Canada’s Best Employers in 2025. We’re committed to being an employer of choice in our industry by offering a competitive total rewards package and employee programs and rewarding career development opportunities. Learn more.  

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If you require accessibility assistance to complete the on-line application or otherwise apply for an open position with Cenovus, its subsidiaries and affiliates, please email [email protected].

Who we are:

Cenovus is an integrated energy company headquartered in Calgary. We’re committed to maximizing value by developing our assets in a safe, responsible and cost-efficient manner.

We operate in Canada, the United States and the Asia Pacific region. Our downstream operations include upgrading, refining and marketing operations in Canada and the United States. We are currently the largest refiner in Ohio and transport products from our refineries in Lima and Toledo, Ohio and Superior, Wisconsin via pipelines, rail cars and trucks to customers throughout the United States.

Other operations include oil sands projects in northern Alberta, thermal and conventional crude oil and natural gas projects across Western Canada, crude oil production offshore Newfoundland and Labrador and natural gas and liquids production offshore China and Indonesia.

Find Cenovus on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. 

The Cenovus experience

Total rewards

We’re committed to being an employer of choice through competitive compensation and our comprehensive total rewards package, including:

• Generous paid vacation
• Annual bonus
• Retirement savings plan matching
• Long-term incentives*
• Medical & dental coverage
• Life insurance
• Disability benefits
• Employee assistance program
• Virtual healthcare coverage
• Generous leave of absence programs
• Fitness membership reimbursement

*Eligibility for Total Rewards varies by position. This role may not be eligible for all Total Rewards offerings.

Our development philosophy

We foster a culture of continuous learning and development to support employees as they build meaningful careers. We offer a variety of employee development initiatives, including:

• Internal course offerings
• Education assistance for additional development
• Opportunities to work on special projects
• Leadership development programs for emerging and established leaders

We actively promote internal job movement, recognizing the value of gaining new perspectives, building connections across teams, and applying expertise in new ways. As a fully integrated energy company, we believe that sharing knowledge across our business and operations creates stronger outcomes—for employees and for the company as a whole.

Our culture

• Our purpose: We energize the world to make people’s lives better.
• Our values:
  • Protect what matters
  • Do it right
  • Make it better
  • Do it together

• Cenovus Cares: We believe in the power of purpose-driven work. Our Employee Giving and Volunteering Program, Cenovus Cares, connects our people to our purpose, inspiring action and elevating impact year-round.
  • Support causes you care about with volunteer opportunities in and outside of work.
  • Earn donation grants while volunteering (up to $1,000 per event).
  • Receive donation matching up to $10,000 annually.

• Staff resource groups: We have various staff resource groups to help ensure our people feel a sense of belonging and can grow and do their best work. These voluntary groups are employee-led and all groups are open to all staff in all locations.

Equal opportunity employer

We believe a workplace where everyone has merit-based opportunities to grow, achieve career aspirations and feel a sense of belonging benefits our people, our company and the regions where we live and work. We embrace and encourage different perspectives and approaches, which help us make better business decisions. We believe that through this approach, we can solve challenges, seize opportunities and unlock innovative solutions.

To achieve an unbiased and respectful workplace, individuals are evaluated based on qualifications, merit and abilities, and we encourage applications from all qualified candidates. We also acknowledge the value of transferrable skills and may consider equivalent combinations of experience and education should you not meet a specific requirement.

For more information about working at Cenovus, visit cenovus.com.

The requirements of this posting may be modified to support business needs. Title and compensation administration will be based on the skills and capabilities of the successful incumbent.

Interested in this opportunity? Click the Apply link.

If you are a CURRENT EMPLOYEE, please apply by going to our Internal Career Site.