Chief Development, Wells & Exploration Officer

Responsibilities:

Strategic Leadership:

• Define and lead the company's subsurface, wells, and exploration strategy in alignment with corporate growth and reserves replacement targets.
• Represent subsurface, wells, and exploration matters at the executive/board level, including investment decisions, portfolio reviews, and reserves reporting.
• Lead portfolio management, ranking, and prioritization of exploration prospects, appraisal opportunities, and development assets.
• Drive integration between geoscience, reservoir engineering, drilling/wells, and production teams to ensure a "one subsurface" approach.
• Develop and implement a technical assurance framework across the disciplines.

Exploration:

• Direct exploration strategy, including basin screening, prospect generation, play-based exploration, and licensing/bid round evaluations.
• Oversee seismic acquisition, processing, and interpretation programs; ensure robust prospect risking and volumetric assessment.
• Approve exploration well proposals, drill-or-drop decisions, and post-well analyses to continuously improve predictive capability.
• Lead new-venture evaluations, farm-in/farm-out negotiations, and due diligence for M&A or licensing opportunities.

Subsurface & Reservoir Management:

• Oversee static and dynamic reservoir modeling, reserves and resources estimation (SPE-PRMS compliant), and field development planning.
• Ensure integrity of reserves bookings and lead engagement with reserves auditors and regulatory bodies.
• Champion enhanced/improved oil recovery (EOR/IOR) strategies and production optimization initiatives.
• Direct integrated subsurface studies to de-risk development concepts and support FID (Final Investment Decision) submissions.

Wells & Drilling Engineering:

• Provide technical assurance and leadership over well engineering, drilling, completions, and well intervention programs.
• Ensure well designs meet technical, safety, environmental, and cost objectives across exploration, appraisal, and development wells.
• Ensure well delivery performance (NPT reduction, cost per foot, cycle time) and drive continuous improvement in drilling efficiency.
• Ensure robust well control, integrity management, and HSE standards across all well operations.

Capital Projects & Investment Decisions:

• Own technical inputs into capital allocation, budgeting, and investment proposals for exploration and development projects.
• Lead or contribute to Front-End Loading (FEL) studies, concept selection, and project sanction documentation.
• Manage subsurface/wells OPEX and CAPEX budgets, ensuring cost discipline and value assurance

HSE, Risk & Compliance:

• Ensure all subsurface, wells, and exploration activities comply with HSE policies, well control standards, and applicable regulations.
• Own technical risk registers for major hazards related to well design, reservoir management, and exploration drilling.
• Ensure compliance with government and regulator regulations/guidelines.

Stakeholder & Partner Management:

• Manage relationships with partners, regulators, and government agencies on technical and licensing matters.
• Represent the company in industry forums, licensing rounds, and regulatory consultations.

People Leadership & Capability Building

• Build, mentor, and lead a high-performing multidisciplinary team of geoscientists, reservoir engineers, petrophysicists, well engineers, and exploration professionals.
• Establish technical competency frameworks, succession plans, and career development pathways.
• Foster a culture of technical excellence, innovation, and collaborative decision-making.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in petroleum engineering, Chemical Engineering, Geoscience/Geology, Geophysics, or a related science discipline (required).
• Master's degree or PhD in a relevant technical field.
• MBA or equivalent executive/business leadership qualification (a plus).
• Minimum 18–20+ years of progressive experience in the upstream oil and gas industry, spanning exploration, subsurface, and drilling/wells disciplines.
• At least 8–10 years in senior leadership roles overseeing multidisciplinary technical teams.
• Proven record of leading exploration campaigns, reserves growth, and major well/development project delivery.
• Experience with FID processes, reserves auditing, and capital project governance.

Skills & Competencies:

• Strategic and commercial acumen with strong financial/technical decision-making capability.
• Deep technical credibility across geoscience, reservoir engineering, and drilling/wells engineering.
• Strong leadership, team building, and change management skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management, negotiation, and communication skills (board-level and regulatory).
• Sound judgment in risk assessment and major capital investment decisions.
• Commitment to safety leadership and technical integrity.
• Proficiency with subsurface and drilling software/tools (e.g., Petrel, Eclipse/Navigator, Landmark, or equivalent) at a strategic oversight level).