Director, Pipeline - Michels Canada

Work with people who treat you like friends. Imagine an office where everyone is watching out for you because they know you’re watching out for them. Our company sees construction as a team sport, so we care about each other as a team. That level of caring filters through investments in local community groups and charities because we also care about the communities we work in. Michels Canada empowers your personal and professional growth, equipping you with the tools and support needed to create impactful solutions that shape a better future for others.

About us:

Michels Canada is a nationally recognized general contractor in energy, infrastructure and power construction based in Nisku, Alberta, with offices in British Columbia and Ontario. We are part of the Michels Family of Companies. The Michels Family of Companies is a privately owned global construction company with operations across North America, Australia, Singapore, and Germany. It is headquartered in Brownsville, Wisconsin, USA.

Michels Canada is looking for a strategic leader to play a key role on its Nisku-based team. The Director, Pipeline leads the successful delivery of major pipeline programs across Michels Canada, a union contractor specializing in the construction of large-diameter pipelines. As a senior member of the leadership team, this role champions continuous improvement across teams, systems, equipment, and processes to ensure safe, high-quality, and profitable operations.

Responsibilities:

• Maintaining and promoting a strong safety culture for all employees, vendors, and customers and following all safety policies, procedures, and regulations. Identifying and communicating workplace hazards and correcting or seeking assistance in correcting unsafe actions or conditions.
• Leading the identification, evaluation, and implementation of new technologies by recognizing strategic opportunities; overseeing pilot programs and supporting execution across Business Units. Assessing performance, safety and quality impacts, cost-benefit, and adoption readiness to enable scalable improvements across pipeline projects.
• Collaborating with cross-divisional senior leaders to identify new customers and drive growth opportunities in priority regions.
• Supporting business development efforts by building and maintaining client relationships; identifying and qualifying opportunities; and contributing to pursuit strategy, teaming, and bid/no-bid recommendations. Partnering with estimating, project controls, and operations to develop proposals, pricing, and execution strategies, and presentations for pipeline projects. Participating in client meetings and negotiations, supporting smooth handoff from pursuit to project execution, and capturing lessons learned and market intelligence to strengthen future bids.
• Providing executive oversight for pipeline project packages, including scheduling, budgeting, cost forecasting, and risk mitigation across multiple large-scale projects, with a focus on large-diameter steel oil and natural gas pipeline construction.
• Overseeing project performance reporting, risks, and strategic opportunities by selecting and implementing tools and dashboards that support consistent reporting of schedule, cost, change management, and forecasting.
• Owning the Major Projects risk management framework and governance cadence, ensuring risk identification, assessment, and mitigation are embedded in execution and decision‑making. Evaluating commercial models and contract types to manage risk exposure and supporting sound commercial and regulatory decisions.
• Building and maintaining strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders and cross-functional teams to ensure projects consistently exceed client expectations.
• Representing Michels Canada through active participation and membership in relevant industry boards, associations, and union agreement negotiating committees, advancing company objectives and strengthening labour and industry relationships while remaining current on market and regulatory trends.
• Establishing and executing a complete and comprehensive framework to accelerate the transfer of knowledge and competency to employees through the life of projects, including the establishment of “critical information and templates” to influence future projects.
• Collaborating with Human Resources leadership to contribute to the organizational people strategy, including workforce planning, talent reviews, succession planning, and resource strategies for future projects. Supporting recruitment and retention of key talent through candidate evaluation and partnerships focused on engagement, development, and retention.
• Fostering a culture of continuous improvement by providing regular feedback, leading performance reviews, and partnering with HR to develop individualized training and career development plans for direct reports.
• Playing a key leadership role in the recovery of challenged or underperforming projects alongside senior managers and project teams.
• Reviewing and assessing financial tracking and divisional operating budgets to ensure long‑term sustainable financial success.
• Lead by example to promote Michels Canada’s culture and company policies, and actively demonstrate and reinforce Michels CORE Values in daily decisions and interactions (Safety, Integrity, Environment, Dedication, Teamwork, Social Responsibility, and Sustainability).

Requirements:

• Post‑secondary degree in Engineering from an accredited institution preferred; an equivalent combination of education and experience will be considered.
• Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) designation and registration with APEGA in Alberta.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• 10–15 years of experience across project engineering, field engineering, project controls, or PMO environments.
• Strong understanding of construction processes, methodologies, and industry best practices; experience in heavy civil, industrial facility construction, or mainline pipeline projects.
• Demonstrated financial acumen with hands‑on experience in project budgeting, cost control, and financial performance management.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• Must possess a valid driver license for the type(s) of vehicles which may be driven, and an acceptable driving record as determined by Michels Review Team.
• Must possess a valid Canadian passport and be able to travel to the United States for company, client, industry meetings or events.

Benefits:

We offer competitive total compensation, meaningful and challenging work, and an engaging and collaborative environment. For more information on our company, please visit our website at

Equal opportunity statement:

It is our commitment to create a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment regardless of their race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, or ordinances.

If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or the recruitment process, please send us an email to View email address on click.appcast.io.

AI work disclaimer:

We take this matter seriously and are continuously working with the appropriate authorities. Please remain aware of this matter, report any suspicious outreach to your local authorities, and email any concerns to View email address on click.appcast.io.

Please note: All job postings at Michels Canada are to fill existing vacancies within our organization. While Michels Canada may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to support part of the screening process, applications are still reviewed by a member of our Talent Acquisition Team to ensure a thorough and fair evaluation.