Senior Operations Cost Controls Advisor

Cenovus Energy; Calgary; On-site; CAD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Cenovus Energy is seeking a Senior Advisor, Operations Cost Controls to lead the OPEX forecast and cost performance reporting for Oil Sands sites. You will own the full cost cycle, partner with Site Leadership, and drive corrective action to meet business plans.

Based in our downtown Calgary office, this role requires strong SAP and Excel skills, plus experience in budgeting, cost control, and financial analysis across multiple sites with occasional travel to Oil Sands operations.

Qualifications

• Legally authorized to work in Canada with a Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• CPA or P.Eng designation is an asset.
• Minimum 8 years of cost control, project controls, or financial analysis experience.
• Strong systems and analytical skills with SAP cost centres, orders and transaction tracing; advanced Excel; Power BI or Spotfire is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Own the monthly OPEX forecast for assigned sites, including assumptions, risks, opportunities, exposure quantification and mitigation plans.
• Build partnerships with Site Operations, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Finance and other stakeholders to support cost reporting.
• Establish and maintain cost breakdown structures to steward budgets and site performance.
• Prepare and quality-check monthly accruals for accurate financial reporting.
• Lead annual budget and long-range planning for assigned sites with cross-functional teams.
• Develop business cases and cost-benefit analyses for operating initiatives and spend decisions.
• Provide support for other sites as required.

Skills

Cost control experience

SAP

Excel

Power BI

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting/Finance/Business/Engineering

Tools

Power BI

Spotfire

Job description

Worker Type: Employee Job 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 experience

Find Cenovus on LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram. 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. 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.

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

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.