Senior Technical Advisor, Innovation Plus

About Pathways Alliance

Pathways Alliance (Pathways) is made up of Canadian Natural Resources, Cenovus Energy, ConocoPhillips Canada, Imperial, MEG Energy and Suncor Energy representing about 95% of Canada's oil sands production.

The oil sands industry is a key economic driver for Alberta and Canada contributing billions to the economy annually. Our country has long benefitted from a strong energy sector that supports Canada's high standard of living by creating thousands of jobs and generating significant revenue to governments that helps fund essential services, including health care, education, and roads.

To ensure our industry is able to continue providing these benefits for decades to come, we're also focused on advancing environmental innovation and pursuing emissions efficiencies from our oil sands operations.

In 2022, Canada's Oil Sands Innovation Alliance (COSIA) became part of Pathways Alliance. Formed in 2012, COSIA is focused on collaborative action and innovation in oil sands environmental technology in four key environmental priority areas: tailings, water, land and greenhouse gases.

About the Opportunity

The Senior Technical Advisor (STA), Innovation Plus (I+), is a key member of the Pathways Alliance Innovation Priority Area team. Reporting to the Director of Innovation Plus, the STA will foster collaboration, drive innovation management and provide technical and strategic support to accelerate environmental and operational improvements in the oil sands sector.

This role will focus on supporting initiatives within the In Situ Fundamentals (ISF) Consortium, Solvent Consortium, Mining and Aqueous Extraction Consortium, and other collaborative projects that align with shared industry goals. Over time, responsibilities may expand to include additional consortia and topics as new priorities emerge from the members.

Key Responsibilities

Collaboration and Facilitation

• Provide day-to-day management of all Innovation Plus consortia and ongoing support to the Innovation Plus Director.
• Facilitate multi-stakeholder meetings to explore topics, build consensus/decisions, resolve conflicts and align objectives across member companies and external partners.
• Design, plan and deliver workshops, discovery sessions, Joint Industry Projects (JIPs) and other collaboration activities in partnership with Pathways members and stakeholders.
• Act as a liaison between the I+ team and external partners, promoting the effective transfer of knowledge and best practices across consortia.

Strategic and Technical Leadership

• Assist in the development and implementation of strategic plans for Innovation Plus and its consortia, ensuring alignment with member priorities and objectives.
• Track and report progress against the Innovation Plus Strategy and Objectives and recommend needed corrective actions, where necessary.
• Assess emerging technologies with external innovators and the proposals submitted through the Environmental Technology Assessment Portal (ETAP), providing technical and strategic recommendations.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

• Build strong relationships with Innovation Plus members, working to understand their needs from Pathways and the external innovation ecosystem.
• Promote Innovation Plus initiatives and clearly articulate the value and outcomes of its activities to Pathways management, member company representatives, and other key stakeholders.

Administration

• Support administering agreements governing I+ consortia and ensure compliance with governance frameworks.
• Prepare progress reports, meeting minutes, briefs, presentations and other information as needed to support all levels of committees and working groups within Innovation Plus.

Education and Experience

Qualifications

• Post-secondary education in science, technology, engineering, business or related fields, with a minimum of 8 years of relevant experience.
• Strong technical expertise in oil sands innovation, with a broad understanding and experience in in-situ SAGD and/or mining/extraction operations.
• Proven ability to facilitate multi-stakeholder collaboration and consensus-building.
• Experience in strategic planning, technology assessment, project management and stakeholder engagement.

Attributes

Superior communications, relationship management, motivation, open-mindedness and strategy will be key attributes of the desired candidate.

Communication

• Distill and convey complex ideas clearly and effectively
• Structure, assemble and deliver information that enables decision making
• Attentiveness and ability to capture key points and provide thoughtful relevant responses during conversations

Relationship management

• Build support for new ideas across diverse audiences
• Develop strong relationships at all member company organizational levels and with external stakeholders; including academia, government and entrepreneurs
• Build trust and foster a collaborative environment among members

Motivation

• High degree of initiative, self-motivation and accountability
• Self discipline to manage timelines, structure and focus, with a drive to action
• Manage multiple projects and initiatives simultaneously with efficiency

Open-mindedness

• Eager to seek new information and learn from diverse perspectives
• Willing to consider unconventional solutions and explore alternative approaches
• Comfortable with embracing change, adapting to evolving priorities and navigating unfamiliar situations with a positive attitude

Strategy

• Balances short-term solutions and executions with long-term vision and strategy
• A future thinker who is always asking, "Why?" and 'What if?'
• Simplify complexity to provide clear direction and actionable outcomes

Compensation: Competitive compensation based on skills and experience.

Location: Calgary, AB

Deadline for Application: This posting will remain open until Feb 21, 2025, or until a suitable candidate is identified.

How to Apply: Interested candidates should submit their resume to ***, noting the position title.

We thank all candidates for their interest, however, only those invited for an interview will be contacted.

Pathways is an equal opportunity employer.