Senior Operations Cost Controls Advisor

Worker Type: EmployeeJob Post End Date: 09/01/2026

About this opportunity

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Operations Cost Control (Oil Sands), the Senior Advisor, Operations Cost Controls is accountable for the opex forecast and cost performance reporting for one or more Oil Sands sites. The role owns the full cost cycle from monthly reporting through the annual Budget and long-range plan, and partners directly with Site Leadership to explain results and drive corrective action. As the closest financial partner to site Operations and Maintenance, the Senior Advisor helps Site Leadership deliver their annual business plan, manage risk and opportunity, and advance site priorities.

The Oil Sands Operations Cost Control team supports the field-based Operations and Maintenance teams across Foster Creek, Christina Lake, Christina Lake North, and Sunrise.

This is a full-time employee position based in our downtown Calgary office, with occasional travel to the Oil Sands sites.

What you'll do

• Own the monthly operating expense (OPEX) forecast for assigned sites, including assumptions, risks, opportunities, exposure quantification, mitigation plans, and leadership alignment.

• Build and maintain strong partnerships with Site Operations, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Finance, Facility Engineering, Integrity & Reliability, and other key stakeholders to support accurate cost reporting and forecasting.

• Establish and maintain the cost breakdown structure (cost centre and AFE level) used to steward budgets and track site performance.

• Prepare, submit, and quality-check monthly accruals to ensure accurate financial reporting.

• Develop monthly variance analyses and present cost reviews to Site Leadership, Field Managers, and Superintendents, providing clear insights into cost drivers and accountability for performance.

• Lead the annual budget and long-range planning process for assigned sites, developing disciplined cost estimates and scenarios in collaboration with site teams.

• Build business cases, cost-benefit analyses, and financial justifications for operating initiatives, trials, and spending decisions, while driving continuous improvement in cost control effectiveness.

• Provide support and coverage for other sites as required.’

Who you are

Our ideal candidate will have the following minimum qualifications:

• Legally authorized to work in Canada, with a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, Engineering, or a related discipline; CPA or P.Eng. designation is an asset.

• Minimum 8 years of experience in cost control, project controls, or financial analysis, including support of an operating facility.

• Strong systems and analytical skills, including SAP (cost centres, orders, and transaction tracing), advanced Excel, and experience with Power BI or Spotfire considered an asset.

• Solid understanding of maintenance structures, workflows, and financial processes within an operating facility environment.

• Proven ability to build trusted relationships across cross-functional teams, influence and challenge site leadership, and communicate effectively without formal authority.

• Highly organized and adaptable, with demonstrated success managing competing priorities, working independently against fixed reporting cycles, and improving reporting tools, templates, or processes.

We acknowledge the value of transferable 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 August 31, 2026

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, employee programs, and rewarding career development opportunities. Learn more.  

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 careeropportunities@cenovus.com.

Who we are:

Ranked as one of Canada’s Best Employers in 2025, 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 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. Cenovus’s downstream operations include upgrading, refining and marketing operations in Canada and the United States.

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:

• Paid vacation (including a flex day program for eligible staff)
• Health & dental benefits
• Substantial mental health coverage
• Life insurance
• Disability benefits
• Employee family assistance
• Virtual healthcare coverage

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.