Director, Land, Pacific Link

Trans Mountain Corporation operates Canada’s only pipeline system transporting oil products to the West Coast. We deliver approximately 890,000 barrels of petroleum products each day through a dual pipeline system of more than 1,150 kilometres of pipeline in Alberta, British Columbia and Washington state.

Trans Mountain also operates a state-of-the-art loading facility, Westridge Marine Terminal, with three berths providing tidewater access to global markets.

As a federal Crown corporation, Trans Mountain continues to build on more than 70 years of experience delivering operational and safety excellence through our crude oil pipeline system.

With our expanded pipeline system now in place, Trans Mountain provides enhanced direct access for Canadian crude oil to world markets. The expansion realizes a world-class system for oil transport, developed to Canada’s high standards within one of the most stringent regulatory regimes in the world, creating long-term economic benefits, enhanced marine protection, enhanced safety and emergency management capabilities, and enhanced skilled-worker capacity building in communities and Indigenous groups.

Our Core Values

Trans Mountain’s core values – Safety, Integrity, Respect and Excellence – guide our every step. Each obstacle we’ve overcome or success we’ve experienced has been the result of a shared commitment to living these values every day. Together, we’re focused on doing the right thing for each other and our communities. If you are looking for an opportunity to apply your strengths in an environment that encourages Safety, Integrity, Respect, and Excellence, we invite you to explore this opportunity with us!

Location: Calgary, AB                            

Department: Pacific Link                     

Reports to: Vice President, Regulatory, Land and Environment

Worker Type: Employee

Schedule Type: Full Time

Work Setting: In-office

Trans Mountain is seeking a collaborative, motivated, and values driven individual to join our dynamic team as a Director, Land, Pacific Link. In this position, you will be accountable for the land strategy, governance and delivery required to advance Pacific Link through development, regulatory review, construction, commissioning, and post-construction close-out.

The Director serves as Pacific Link’s senior land representative with landowners, Indigenous communities on land matters, regulators, government agencies, municipalities and other stakeholders. The successful candidate will lead internal and external land resources, establish clear accountabilities and controls, and integrate land requirements into project decisions, schedules, risk management, construction planning and transition to operations.

Key Responsibilities

Land Strategy, Governance and Leadership

• Lead the Pacific Link land strategy, roadmap, policies and execution plans across development, regulatory, construction, commissioning and post-construction phases.
• Establish governance, decision rights, standards, controls and performance measures for land acquisition, consultation, agreements, records, claims and contractor delivery.
• Advise the VP and project governance bodies on land strategy, critical dependencies, acquisition status, material risks, options and decisions required.
• Lead and develop the land team and external service providers, setting clear accountabilities, priorities, quality expectations and escalation pathways.

Land Acquisition and Rights

• Direct acquisition of the temporary and permanent land rights required for pipeline, facility, access, workspace and ancillary infrastructure scope.
• Oversee voluntary acquisition, valuation, compensation and damage-assessment approaches and, where required, coordinate right-of-entry processes with Regulatory and Legal.
• Ensure land tenure, crossing agreements, third-party agreements, easements, registrations, discharges, withdrawals, encumbrances and legal survey requirements are complete, accurate and defensible.
• Provide land input to route selection, design development, constructability, access planning, cost estimates, schedules and risk assessments.

Landowner Consultation and Relationships

• Establish and oversee the landowner consultation and engagement program, ensuring timely, respectful and consistent communication throughout the project lifecycle.
• Serve as the senior escalation point for complex landowner matters, negotiations, disputes and issues with potential regulatory, legal, schedule, cost or reputational impact.
• Coordinate land-related interfaces with Indigenous Relations, External Relations, Regulatory, Environment, Engineering, Construction and Legal.
• Ensure commitments made to landowners are documented, assigned, tracked and fulfilled.

Regulatory and Project Integration

• Direct preparation of land components and supporting evidence for regulatory applications, filings, route processes, hearings and information requests.
• Ensure land requirements and dependencies are integrated into project schedules, stage-gate deliverables, construction readiness reviews and work-front release decisions.
• Partner with the Permitting team to align land access, third-party consents and permit dependencies with design and construction sequencing.
• Maintain a consolidated view of land risks and lead mitigation and resolution strategies across project functions.

Construction Support, Claims and Close-out

• Ensure land access and required rights are available to support field studies, site preparation and construction in accordance with approved sequencing.
• Oversee land support during construction, including landowner communications, access issues, field changes, damages, restoration commitments and emergent claims.
• Direct post-construction damage resolution, land claims, final clean-up commitments and close-out documentation.
• Lead land business-readiness and handover planning to ensure enduring rights, obligations, records and stakeholder commitments transition effectively to operations.

Commercial, Contractor and Performance Management

• Develop scopes of work, contracting strategies, budgets and resource plans for land services in collaboration with Supply Chain Management and Project Controls.
• Oversee consultants and contractors delivering land programs, monitor scope, quality, cost and schedule performance, and address material variances.
• Maintain reliable land forecasts, dashboards and executive reporting on acquisition, agreements, access readiness, claims, risks and decisions.
• Ensure complete, accurate and retrievable land records support regulatory, legal, audit, construction and operational requirements.

Qualifications and Professional Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Economics, Land Management, Law, Natural Resources or a related discipline; equivalent relevant education and experience may be considered.
• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible land experience, including leadership of land programs for major pipeline, energy or linear infrastructure projects.
• Demonstrated experience in land acquisition, landowner consultation, valuation and compensation, right-of-entry processes, crossing and third-party agreements, land claims and post-construction close-out.
• Strong knowledge of pipeline land practices, land and contract law, regulatory land requirements, land rights, negotiation and dispute resolution.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary internal teams and external land service providers across large, complex project environments.
• Land-management certification, appraisal designation or formal negotiation training is considered an asset.
• Strong executive judgment, leadership, stakeholder management, negotiation, communication and decision-making skills.

Working Conditions

• Willingness and ability to travel as required.
• Must have a valid Class 5 driver’s license.
• May need to provide support outside of regular business hours and/or on the weekend.

At Trans Mountain, we believe in an inclusive, accessible, and barrier free recruitment and selection process for all applicants. If you require an accommodation at any point in the process, please contact us at: Talent@transmountain.com or the designated Talent Acquisition Advisor. Accommodation requests will not affect the assessment of your application or candidacy or the designated Talent Acquisition Advisor. Accommodation requests will not affect the assessment of your application or candidacy.

We Build Careers and Pipelines That Last

Our story is about determination, resourcefulness and resilience. It’s about charting our own course, finding innovative solutions to challenging problems and doing the right thing. It was true when Trans Mountain became a company in 1951 and it’s just as true today. We welcome new members to our team that embrace the qualities in our story, that thrive on the new path and directions we take. Our culture is one of care and taking our responsibilities seriously. If you would like to contribute to our culture, then join our journey.

A Rewarding Opportunity

We offer:

• Valuable experience providing opportunity for professional development and career advancement;
• An opportunity to engage with and learn from some of the most talented and experienced people in the business;
• Competitive compensation;
• Comprehensive benefits programs including flexible benefits, pension and savings plans;
• A place to share a sense of purpose and build relationships;
• Meaningful work that makes a difference;
• An opportunity within the Canadian energy industry.

We value:

• The health, safety and wellness of everyone working in our company;
• Meaningful participation from Indigenous and local communities;
• The commitment and resilience of our people;
• Collaboration and achieving success together. 

In keeping with Trans Mountain’s commitment to maximize benefits for communities, priority will be given to qualified candidates from Indigenous, local and regional communities along the Trans Mountain pipeline corridor.

In Alberta, the pipeline system spans the traditional territories of Treaty 6, 7 and 8, and the Métis Nation of Alberta (Zone 4).

In British Columbia, the system crosses the traditional territories of numerous First Nations that are affiliated with the Secwepemc, Dakelh (Carrier), Nlaka'pamux, Syilx/Okanagan, Interior and Coast Salish, Stó:lo, as well as the Métis.

Trans Mountain also operates through 15 First Nation Reserves located within the region spanning the BC interior through Fraser Valley.

Our Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA)

Trans Mountain is committed to fostering inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility. The diverse viewpoints and cultural knowledge that our employees bring to work enrich our organization’s collective cultural understanding, which is reflected in the work we do every day. We strive to create an environment that is free of barriers to promote full participation in the workplace. Trans Mountain welcomes new team members from traditionally underrepresented groups, including but not limited to women, Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities and members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community.