Senior Petroleum Geologist

Summary

The Senior Petroleum Geologist leads prospect generation and field evaluation by integrating geologic, petrophysical, and geophysical data to define drillable opportunities and optimize development plans. The role builds basin and play models, prepares resource and reserve estimates under accepted frameworks, and produces clear maps, cross sections, and static reservoir models to guide well placement and completion strategy. The geologist partners with reservoir, drilling, and production teams to align subsurface interpretations with economics, schedules, and risk mitigation. The position prepares high quality technical reports and executive briefs for Tribal leadership, government partners, and industry stakeholders, supports negotiations with data driven exhibits, mentors junior staff, and upholds rigorous QA and safety practices across all phases of work.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: $85,000 - $105,000

Comprehensive federal benefits package available to full-time employees, including health insurance, paid time off, and retirement plan participation.

Essential Functions And Responsibilities

• Serves as a leadership position within the functional Petroleum Geologist Labor Category and is responsible for formulating and recommending strategic plans for the development of oil, gas, and other mineral deposits on Indian lands.
• May be expected to perform supervisory responsibilities, reporting to the On-Site Lead and Project Manager, and is responsible for the day-to-day direction of technical work as required by specific work orders.
• Performs and oversees complex geologic interpretation and mapping, including the creation of resource-specific structural maps, isopach maps, cross-sections, and production maps to identify and evaluate prospective areas.
• Leads the development of marketing and promotional programs to inform industry of the mineral potential on Indian lands through forums, technical discussions, and poster sessions.
• Travels frequently to Indian Reservations across the continental U.S. and Alaska to conduct fieldwork, collaborate with Tribal leaders, collect rock samples, and oversee project activities.
• Evaluates oil and gas proposals and agreements for technical feasibility and relevance to the goals of the Tribal royalty owner, applying effective negotiation techniques to assist in settling controversial issues.
• Evaluates grant entries from Tribal organizations, provides technical assistance to Tribes preparing grant applications, and is assigned grants to monitor throughout their lifecycle, ensuring compliance and successful project outcomes.
• Generates sophisticated geologic displays, digital presentations, and technical reports for industry trade shows and for meetings with Tribes, BIA agency staff, and industry partners.
• Integrates complex geological and geophysical data from diverse sources, including sparse data sets from Rocky Mountain and Mid-Continent provinces, to generate high-quality conventional and unconventional oil and gas leads and prospects.
• Supports the maintenance and population of DEMD’s energy and mineral resource databases, converting field data, lab analyses, and published geologic materials into integrated digital formats for mapping and interpretation.
  
  

Skills And Qualifications

• Technical Capacity: Expert petroleum geology across conventional and unconventional systems, with deep understanding of hydrocarbon generation, migration, trapping, and classification. Proficient in resource and reserve estimation frameworks and methods.
• Complex Problem Solving: Integrates geologic, petrophysical, and geophysical evidence to mature prospects in data-sparse settings. Applies play-based risking, volumetrics, and scenario testing to assess technical, operational, and financial feasibility.
• Reservoir and Field Evaluation: Extensive experience building and interpreting static models, structure and isopach maps, and reservoir characterizations to guide development planning, with focus on Rocky Mountain and Mid-Continent basins.
• Tools and Data Mastery: Proficient with industry interpretation platforms such as GeoGraphix, Petra, and Kingdom for well, log, and seismic integration, geologic database management, and map generation.
• Drilling and Completions Knowledge: Advanced understanding of conventional and horizontal drilling practices and modern completion techniques, including hydraulic fracturing, with the ability to translate subsurface models into well placement and stimulation recommendations.
• Critical Thinking and Initiative: Plans and executes geologic assignments with defined objectives, performs QA and validation of interpretations, and proactively identifies data gaps and fit-for-purpose workflows.
• Communication: Produces clear technical documents, reports, maps, and executive briefs for audiences with varied technical backgrounds, and contributes to professional publications when appropriate.
• Negotiation and Stakeholder Engagement: Applies interest-based bargaining and principled negotiation to align diverse stakeholder priorities, achieve compromise solutions, and support decision making for Tribal leaders, government officials, and industry partners.
• Leadership and Direction: Provides day-to-day technical direction under assigned work orders, mentors junior geoscientists and consultants, and ensures deliverables meet scope, schedule, and quality requirements.
  
  

Education & Experience

Must meet the following minimum requirements:

• A B.S. degree in Petroleum Geology.
• Over five (5) years of experience using interpretation software to maintain a geologic database and generate maps.
• Over five (5) years of experience extensively applying facies modeling, sequence stratigraphy, basin analysis, and petrophysical analysis to define petroleum-producing lithologies.
• Extensive experience (over 5 years) in ranking prospective areas and formulating exploration strategies based on risk assessment, basin analysis, ultimate potential, and economic analysis.
• Any undergraduate degree combined with an Master’s degree preferred in petroleum geology, sedimentology, or basin analysis.
• Professional Geologist licensure preferred or ability to obtain within 12 months.
• 6-8 years of progressively responsible petroleum geology experience across conventional and unconventional plays with exposure to Rocky Mountain and Mid-Continent basins or similar data environments.
• Demonstrated success in resource and reserve estimation using accepted frameworks and methods, including volumetrics, material balance inputs to engineering, and collaboration on decline-curve analyses to support development cases.
• Extensive experience integrating geoscience datasets to mature prospects and fields, including 2D and 3D seismic interpretation, well log and core analysis, cuttings and shows evaluation, and construction of maps, cross sections, and static reservoir models.
• Significant experience applying facies modeling, sequence stratigraphy, basin and play analysis, and petrophysical interpretation to define petroleum producing lithologies and inform well placement and completion strategy.
• Proven leadership of prospect generation, portfolio ranking, and exploration strategy development using play-based risking, uncertainty analysis, ultimate potential, and economic screening with clear assumptions and sensitivities.
• Track record of preparing high quality technical reports, exhibits, and decision briefs for executives, community leaders, and agency partners, including contributions to AFEs, capital plans, and regulatory submittals.
• Experience representing mineral owners or operators in technical aspects of lease and royalty matters, unitization and pooling, and coordination with permitting and regulatory processes related to exploration and development.
• Supervisory and mentoring experience managing junior geoscientists and consultants, setting work plans, performing QA and validation of interpretations, and coordinating with drilling, reservoir, and production teams for safe and efficient execution.
• Proficiency with industry interpretation platforms such as GeoGraphix, Petra, and Kingdom for geologic database management, seismic and log integration, and map generation; strong Excel skills and familiarity with GIS tools.
• Field readiness and HSE awareness, including site visits, wellsite correlation support, and willingness to travel to operating areas and Tribal communities.
  
  

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY

This position may be expected to perform supervisory responsibilities, including directing the technical work of junior staff as required by specific work orders, and reports to the On-Site Lead and Project Manager.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment and routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, and photocopiers. Work will primarily be performed at the DEMD facility in Lakewood, Colorado, with options for authorized remote work.

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time position. Normal business hours align with DEMD’s core hours of 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Mountain Time, Monday through Friday, excluding Federal holidays. Evening and weekend work may occasionally be required to meet project demands.

Travel Requirements

Travel is required to provide support at government or Tribal sites, attend meetings, conduct grant site visits, and represent DEMD at conferences. All travel must be pre-approved by the Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) and will be reimbursed in accordance with Federal Travel Regulations (FTR).

Clearance/License Requirements

• A Public Trust clearance is required for this position. A minimum background investigation (NACI) is required for access to DOI facilities and information systems.
• Must maintain a valid Driver’s License and be insurable under the company insurance program.
  
  

Our Values: Native American Owned & Proud | Accountable | Team Focused | Innovative | Visionary | Excellence

AAP/EEO Statement Ho-Chunk, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants are considered without regard to age, sex, race, national origin, religion, marital status or physical disability. However, preference may be extended to persons of Indian descent in accordance with applicable laws.