Lead Operator - Contractor

About Us

ORLEN Upstream Canada is an oil and natural gas company in Western Canada with a highly motivated, proven management team, steadily growing its production and reserves through a combination of exploitation and exploration drilling along with strategic acquisitions. ORLEN Upstream Canada’s goal is to build significant positions on a portfolio of emerging light oil resource plays in Alberta, Canada.

The Opportunity

We have an opportunity for a Lead Operator (Contract Position) to join our Rocky Mountain House facilities. As a Lead Operator, you will interact and coordinate with a team of operators and maintenance staff to ensure production, quality and environmental targets are met for our operations. You will be able to contribute to the reliability and safe operations of our facility and work with many key internal and external stakeholders. This position reports to the Production Foreman, Southern Operations.

Key Accountabilities

- Lead day‑to‑day field and plant operations while maintaining strict safety, environmental, and regulatory standards.

- Ensure accuracy of all production data, including downtime validation, proration, fuel/flare/vent volumes, well tests, and facility reporting.

- Monitor monthly operating costs and support budget/forecast development with the Production Foreman.

- Provide hands-on guidance, coaching, and mentorship to operators; support training and competency development.

- Coordinate maintenance work, issue permits, prepare equipment for safe work, and support repairs across the field.

- Lead plant/field upsets, diagnose abnormal conditions, and direct restoration of normal operations.

- Support planning and execution of turnarounds, shutdowns, start‑ups, and commissioning activities.

- Identify optimization opportunities and contribute to long‑term facility planning.

- Participate in recruitment, cross‑shift communication, daily reporting, and operational meetings.

Requirements

- 8-10 years’ experience working in the oil and gas industry.

- Strong communication and leadership skills with the ability to work independently and guide others.

- Available for on‑call coverage and field/plant start‑ups.

- Willingness to complete additional technical and leadership training (CMDS modules, Incident Investigation, Integrity, HSER, Regulatory).

- Demonstrated ability to maintain high housekeeping standards, drive a positive team culture, and support corporate goals.

- Work in full compliance with ORLEN Upstream Canada’s policies, AER requirements, and ABSA expectations.

- Participate in inspections, safety meetings, ERP exercises, and hazard identification.

- Maintain and audit pipeline and facility compliance programs (pigging, chemicals, signage, CP, eyewash, extinguishers, etc.).

- Ensure proper PPE use, lead emergency response actions, and complete required documentation (D‑55, Tier 1, D‑13, safety inspections).

- Complete and maintain all required certifications (H2S, First Aid, Ground Disturbance II, Confined Space, TDG, WHMIS).

- Must be legally entitled to work in Canada.

How to Apply

Please apply directly through Indeed and clearly indicate the position you are applying for. We thank all applicants for their interest; however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.