What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior Manager, Corporate Development - Subsurface Strategy position at Howard Energy Partners?
The Senior Manager, Corporate Development – Subsurface Strategy will provide technical subsurface expertise to support corporate development, commercial, and strategic planning initiatives. The position will evaluate producer drilling inventories, forecast future well performance, assess development plans, and identify areas of potential upside or risk associated with acquisitions, greenfield projects, commercial opportunities, and long-term infrastructure planning.
This individual will act as the company’s technical resource for all subsurface characteristics across key basins. The role will work closely with Executive Management, Corporate Development, Business Development, Engineering, and Operations to translate subsurface insights into actionable commercial and investment decisions. As the role develops and expands, this individual will be a team leader, building out a technical strategic team they oversee and manage
Duties/Responsibilities:
- Subsurface & Reservoir Evaluation
- Evaluate historical and forecasted well performance using production data, decline curve analysis, and type curve development.
- Assess producer development plans, drilling inventories, spacing assumptions, and completion designs.
- Analyze acreage quality, geologic trends, reservoir characteristics, and operator development strategies.
- Develop independent forecasts of future production volumes, rig activity, and well counts.
- Identify risks and opportunities associated with undeveloped inventory and future drilling economics.
- Benchmark operator forecasts against publicly available data and third-party databases.
- Corporate & Business Development Strategy & Investment Evaluations
- Lead subsurface diligence efforts for M&A opportunities, joint ventures, and strategic investments.
- Evaluate forecast assumptions included in confidential information memoranda (CIMs), reserve reports, and management presentations.
- Evaluate reservoir performance, drilling inventories, acreage quality, and development plans for both public & private operators.
- Provide technical assessments of producer-provided forecasts and identify areas of potential over- or under-performance.
- Quantify long-term development potential supporting gathering, processing, transportation, storage, and terminal infrastructure investments.
- Prepare technical recommendations for executive leadership and Investment Committee materials.
- Analyze future development locations relative to existing and planned HEP assets.
- Identify potential infrastructure constraints and future buildout opportunities.
- Work with commercial teams to prioritize producer targets and growth opportunities
- Provide technical support for contract negotiations and commercial development efforts.
- Quantitative Modeling & Analytics
- Build and maintain production forecasting models.
- Develop basin-wide supply forecasts and drilling inventory analyses.
- Utilize GIS, mapping, and analytical tools to assess drilling locations and development trends.
- Create dashboards and management presentations summarizing technical findings.
- Continuously improve forecasting methodologies and data analytics capabilities.
Required Skills/Abilities:
- Strong verbal, written, and presentation skills with the ability to communicate technical findings to executive leadership.
- Advanced understanding of reservoir engineering, subsurface evaluation, and unconventional shale development.
- Experience with decline curve analysis, type curve generation, and production forecasting.
- Strong analytical and quantitative modeling skills.
- Proficiency in Excel and experience with Enverus, Aries, ComboCurve, Power BI, and GIS platforms.
- Ability to evaluate drilling inventories, acreage quality, development plans, and reservoir performance.
- Understanding of M&A technical diligence, corporate development, and infrastructure planning.
- Ability to identify subsurface risks, opportunities, and long-term development potential.
- Highly attentive to detail and capable of managing multiple priorities and deadlines.
- Ability to foster collaboration across Corporate Development, Commercial, Engineering, and Operations teams.
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering, Reservoir Engineering, Geology, or related discipline.
- 5 years of upstream oil and gas experience – preference for both public and private producer experience.
- Strong understanding of unconventional shale development and reservoir performance.
- Experience evaluating well productivity, decline curve analysis, and type curve generation.
- Proficiency with production databases and analytical tools such as:
- Enverus
- Aries
- ComboCurve
- Excel / VBA
- Power BI
- GIS platforms
- Excellent technical writing and presentation skills
Preferred Qualifications
- Petroleum Engineering degree.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license.
- Experience supporting M&A, A&D, reserves, corporate planning, or business development efforts.
- Familiarity with Delaware Basin, Midland Basin, Eagle Ford, Haynesville, and Anadarko Basin development trends.
- Experience evaluating producer drilling inventories and long-term infrastructure demand forecasts.
- Experience working for both public and private upstream operators
Certifications:
- CPA or CFA certification preferred
Physical Demands and Hazards for Office Employees:
This position requires prolonged periods of sitting, frequent computer use, occasional lifting of office supplies, and may involve travel.