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).