Senior Front-End Engineering Lead - Project & Design

Worker Type:
Employee

Job Post End Date: 05/04/2026

Cenovus is seeking talent to support the Front-End Development (FED) organization at our Ohio Refineries. This role develops project scope, validates business needs, and creates cost‑effective, sustainable solutions to optimize sustaining and commercial capital. Responsibilities include leading concept and design development (FED-1 and FED-2), supporting project execution and commissioning, and providing technical leadership and training support. The role partners closely with asset teams, SMEs, EHS, site leadership and commercial stakeholders to deliver aligned project solutions, complete economic analyses, and prepare cost and schedule packages for engineering and investment review.

• Lead Front-End Development (FED-1/FED-2), owning project scope, premise development, and option selection.
• Develop project justifications, problem statements, economic models, and cashflow analyses for project screening and approvals.
• Collaborate with asset teams, EHS, reliability, SMEs, and commercial stakeholders to validate assumptions, risks, and economics.
• Define and assess project scope to ensure risk resolution, asset availability targets, and sustaining capital optimization.
• Lead Select‑phase option development to minimize cost and complexity while meeting technical and operational requirements.
• Develop margin improvement projects in collaboration with the wider FED team, central commercial organization and SME’s to support commercial improvement goals.
• Develop Basis of Design and develop/review key process engineering deliverables (PFDs, P&IDs, calculations, datasheets, relief systems).
• Perform process engineering quality assurance, including review of equipment sizing, alarm management basis, and PSI documentation.
• Provide technical support for MoC, detailed design, execution, and commissioning activities.

• Legally authorized to work in the US.
• Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical or Petroleum Engineering.
• 8+ years of experience in Refining process engineering with project development engineering.
• Strong technical computing literacy to support modeling, simulation and data analytics. Particularly valuable is expertise on Hysys or Petro Sim, Exchanger Design & Rating (EDR), HTRI or similar tools.
• Process equipment design experience.
• Willing to travel approximately 15% of the time outside of the Ohio Refineries.

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

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

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 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