General Counsel

Welcome to CNOOC International. We are a global energy company and subsidiary of CNOOC Limited with a vision of delivering safe, sustainable energy for all.

CNOOC International, the international division of CNOOC Limited, is a global energy company with operations in Asia, Africa, the Americas, the Middle East and Europe. Our successful growth as an upstream oil and gas producer has been achieved by consistently finding and developing world-class assets.

Our business is focused on safely exploring and producing from conventional offshore, unconventional and oil sands assets. As part of the CNOOC Group of companies, which span the entire energy supply chain, our size and capability create a competitive advantage that ensures we deliver long-term value.

In Canada, CNOOC International has oil sands assets in Long Lake, located in northern Alberta just south of Fort McMurray, which is a SAGD and partial Upgrader operation with production capacity of 85,000 barrels of bitumen a day. We also have interest in several other oil sands projects, including Hangingstone, operated by Greenfire Resources Operating Corporation and Syncrude’s oil sands mining upgrading facility. In addition to our oil sands business, we have shale gas land in Northeast British Columbia, a power station in Balzac, Alberta, and interest in a wind farm in southern Alberta. Calgary is our regional corporate office for all North America.

Your career at CNOOC is about moving forward – learning new skills, broadening experiences, and making meaningful contributions. From personal career development that enables you to fulfill your potential, to employee programs that help you make the most of work-life balance.

We encourage and promote work-life balance by allowing you to participate in our Compressed Work Schedule (CWS) that will give you two Fridays off per month and flexible work hours.

In exchange for your dedicated work is a total rewards package that not only recognizes your contribution, but also provides for your family. We offer competitive Company-paid benefits that support your mental, physical and financial well-being Including an annual Wellness Account, a generous paramedical allowance, and access to a team of Virtual Health Care professionals to guide you to the right medical resource. Save for your future by participating in our Pension plan and join our Savings Plan with Company-matching. We encourage you to further step up for your community by giving you two paid volunteer days, volunteer rewards and sports grants to support causes you are passionate about.

Bold ideas, diverse perspectives, and the determination to fuel our success are what set us apart. Therefore, we are seeking a General Counsel to join our growing team in Calgary, Alberta. This dynamic role will be instrumental in overseeing the Legal and Governance team, providing full support to all of the business functions in North America. As an advisor to the North America Leadership team, this role works closely with our executive and broader business team to ensure that the company is compliant while achieving our strategic goals.

As a team, we are involved in the full life cycle of the CNOOC NA’s assets – from development of new projects to the marketing of our petroleum products, to assisting with asset disposition and reclamation projects. The Legal and Governance team also supports the other corporate functions (finance and tax, HR, HSE and regulatory compliance) to help ensure that CNOOC NA can deliver safe, compliant, and profitable barrels with the least amount of acceptable risk.

This role is also responsible for providing a full range of legal support to CNOOC’s North America business and for providing leadership to key legal/compliance matters. This role will provide strategic legal advice to a diverse range of business groups, including Canadian operations, joint venture management, IT, supply chain management, asset recovery, power, regulatory, HSE, privacy, governance, finance, marketing, and other stakeholder groups within the company.

• Bachelor of Law or Juris Doctor.
• Must be a lawyer who is a member of, or eligible for immediate membership in the Law Society of Alberta.
• A minimum of 15 years post-call experience with a reputable law firm or in-house at an E&P energy company.
• Ability to understand complex commercial business risks and liabilities, and to provide pragmatic legal advice to develop solutions and risk mitigation strategies to address them.
• Significant AER regulatory and litigation management experience.
• Significant experience conducting complex negotiations with respect to commercial or litigation matters.
• Strong organization and time management skills with the ability to quickly shift and modify work priorities to meet competing business needs.
• Demonstrated skills in drafting a variety of legal documents.
• Interested in collaborating with colleagues located in other offices globally.
• Comfortable with a dynamic working environment, and with reacting quickly to changing business priorities.
• Demonstrated ability to build solid working relationships with clients, stakeholders, and team members.
• Strong respect for, and ability to work with, internal and external stakeholders with diverse cultural backgrounds.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate complex legal issues to non-lawyers.
• Must have legal authorization to work in Canada on a full-time basis.
• Familiarity with privacy law requirements.
• Experience leading investigations.
• Must adhere to the highest professional and ethical standards.
• Candidates with experience leading an in-house legal team preferred.
• Strong leadership, facilitation and presentation skills with the ability to communicate appropriately at all levels of the organization.

• Leading the CPNA legal and compliance teams as General Counsel on CPNA’s Legal strategic initiatives and directives.
• Assessing risk and mitigation strategies to ensure projects can progress on budget and schedule.
• Providing strategic support on litigation strategy.
• Attending executive level/CPNA Board meetings related to the operations and future direction of the company.
• Being closely involved in the full life cycle of CNOOC NA’s assets – from development of new projects to the marketing of our petroleum products, to assisting with asset disposition and reclamation projects.
• Supporting the other corporate functions (finance and tax, HR, HSE and regulatory compliance) to help ensure that CNOOC NA can deliver safe, compliant, and profitable barrels with the least amount of acceptable risk.
• Working collaboratively with internal departments including corporate administration and communication, supply chain, land, human resources, legal and various other project teams to ensure project risks are appropriately managed.
• Providing leadership and innovation for the implementation and continuous improvement of policy and strategic programs for CPNA.
• Providing legal advice and support for all activities related to the operated and non-operate CNOOC power generation assets.
• Leading the drafting, negotiation, and implementation of standard and custom contracts.
• Drafting, reviewing, and negotiating corporate and commercial documents related to CNOOC’s operated and non-operated businesses and assets.
• Provide legal support to CNOOC’s joint venture management teams, including negotiation of joint venture agreements and related legal documents and assisting with legal questions related to joint venture governance and management.
• Provide legal support to CNOOC’s supply chain and asset recovery departments, including drafting contracts, supporting RFP processes, conducting contractual negotiations, and assisting with contractual interpretation in furtherance of Canadian operations, IT, finance, power, marketing, and other stakeholder groups business objectives.
• Provide advice for and represent CNOOC’s interests with in key provincial and federal regulatory matters including regulatory risk identification and advice regarding risk mitigation, drafting/review of regulatory submissions and managing and advising on regulatory and litigation proceedings.
• Provide pre-litigation and dispute resolution strategy and planning support, as well as assist with a robust docket of litigation and other disputes and claims.
• Provide legal advice with respect to internal policies, procedures, and compliance.
• Instruct and manage external counsel from time to time on a cost-effective basis and in accordance with internal policies.
• Collaborating with the Business Development/New Ventures group to successfully Grow the Business through structuring, negotiating, and drafting acquisition agreements, farm-in agreements, swap agreements, joint operating agreements and carry arrangements on the best possible terms.
• Implementing CNOOC International’s Standard for the Prevention of Improper Payments, including through appropriate due diligence and supervision, demonstrating compliance with global best practices for compliance.
• Supporting the personal development of team members by ensuring the continued professional development and, where appropriate, enhance the technical capability of the team. In addition to demonstrating a high technical capability, you will regularly interact with client groups and stakeholders.
• Regularly ‘horizon scan’ to identify potential legal issues and, where appropriate, escalate potential issues and solutions to the relevant stakeholders across the organization.

The opportunities are limitless when you join our team. Our employees are encouraged to drive their development, enhancing their career through experiences, exposure, and education. A mentoring program, on-demand e-Learning courses, and formal training opportunities are all ways in which CNOOC International supports your career growth.

All positions require background checks which could include: