Independent Assessor

Responsibilities

• Independent Assessment & Assurance
• Maintain assessor independence by operating outside direct reporting relationships with assessed personnel.
• Support business unit and enterprise assurance activities related to COO and Competency Management.
• Identify execution gaps, systemic risks, and control weaknesses and communicate findings through established COO governance channels.
• Conduct of Operations Execution Assessment
• Audit field execution of core Conduct of Operations elements, including: Operating Procedures and COP usage, Operator Routine Duties (ORDs), Start-of-Shift and Managing Communications practices, Alarm Management governance and execution readiness.
• Validate alignment between documented COO expectations and actual field execution.
• Escalate material execution risks that could impact operational discipline, OE performance, or workforce readiness.
• ORD Administration & Governance (ORD Administrator Role)
• Serve as an ORD Administrator for assigned assets or regions, providing governance, quality control, and assurance over the ORD lifecycle.
• Administer and maintain ORD systems of record to ensure: ORD content is current, accurate, and aligned with approved operating procedures, Clear ownership and accountability are assigned for each ORD, ORD frequencies, execution expectations, and documentation requirements are defined and consistent.
• Perform quality reviews of ORDs to validate: Tasks reflect how work is actually performed in the field, Language is clear, actionable, and free of ambiguity, ORDs are not duplicative of procedures, alarms, or other controls.
• Support ORD backlog reduction and cleanup efforts by prioritizing high-risk, high-use, or non-compliant ORDs.
• Validate ORD completion data and execution expectations as part of COO assurance activities.
• Identify systemic ORD design or governance issues and elevate findings through COO governance forums.
• Operating Procedure Technical Writer & Quality Steward
• Serve as an Operating Procedure technical writer and quality steward in support of Conduct of Operations execution.
• Review, edit, and develop operating procedures to ensure they are: Technically accurate and aligned with approved standards, Clearly written, concise, and usable by frontline operators, Structured consistently and free of ambiguity or conflicting instructions.
• Translate complex operational and technical input from SMEs into clear, executable procedure language.
• Perform quality assurance reviews of procedures to validate: Alignment with field execution and actual work practices, Proper linkage to ORDs, alarms, and managing communications expectations, Compliance with governance, formatting, and document control requirements.
• Support reduction of expired procedures and procedure backlogs through prioritized technical writing and review efforts.
• Validate that procedures are fit-for-purpose prior to implementation and identify risks introduced by unclear, outdated, or misaligned procedures.
• Partner with Operations, SMEs, and COO Advisors to improve procedure quality while maintaining independence from execution ownership.
• Competency & Workforce Readiness Assurance
• Validate PSO execution of O&M and role-based competency assessments by independently reviewing assessment quality, evidence sufficiency, and documentation completeness in approved systems of record.
• Confirm assessments are completed using approved methods (technical Q&A, demonstration, behavioral observation).
• Identify systemic gaps or trends in competency execution and communicate findings through COO governance channels.
• Support assessor and PSO calibration activities by providing independent feedback on assessment quality and standard application.
• Escalate recurring or material deficiencies that could compromise competency assurance or workforce readiness.
• Reporting & Governance
• Prepare high-quality assurance and assessment reports with clear findings, supporting evidence, and conclusions.
• Contribute independent assessment insights and qualitative trends to monthly and quarterly COO and Competency KPI reporting.
• Participate in continuous improvement of assessment guides, procedures, and assurance methodologies.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in upstream, midstream, or shale operations within operations, technical, assurance, or competency-related roles.
• Demonstrated experience performing independent assessments, audits, or assurance reviews.
• Strong working knowledge of Conduct of Operations (COO) and field execution practices.
• Experience reviewing or validating competency assessments, including evidence quality and documentation completeness.
• Proven ability to develop clear, defensible assurance, technical, or governance documentation.
• Ability to operate independently while influencing across Operations, SMEs, PSOs, and leadership.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience as a certified assessor, auditor, or assurance specialist.
• 10+ years of experience in upstream, midstream, or shale operations within operations, technical, assurance, or competency-related roles.
• Experience serving as an ORD Administrator or supporting ORD governance activities.
• Experience as an operating procedure technical writer or procedure quality reviewer.
• Familiarity with digital systems of record supporting COO, procedures, ORDs, and competency assessments.
• Experience supporting multi-asset or multi-region operations.
• Prior exposure to enterprise or business unit assurance and governance frameworks.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to clearly articulate findings and risks.
• High integrity, objectivity, and professional judgment.
• Strong risk awareness and ability to identify systemic issues.
• Analytical thinking and attention to detail.
• Ability to engage effectively with frontline personnel and leaders.
• Comfort operating in evolving or ambiguous environments.