Vice President, Natural Resource Development (Houston, TX) rt-Time Administrative Associate

About the Role

The Vice President – Natural Resources Development (NRD) reports to the Chief Operating Officer (COO) and is a key member of the University Lands leadership team, directly overseeing Geology and Engineering functions. This role leads the daily management and strategic direction of technical teams responsible for evaluating and developing oil and gas resources and reserves. Responsibilities include setting priorities, guiding field development, overseeing contractor work, supporting external relationships, and contributing to goal setting, budgeting, talent development, and execution aligned with organizational strategy.

Responsibilities

• Leadership and Direction: Accountable for planning, directing, and coordinating engineering, geology, and business analytics activities impacting over $1B–$2B in University Lands revenue. Establish short- and long-term strategies with measurable impact on business results and provide strategic leadership across the NRD function.
• Stakeholder and Relationship Management: Build and manage relationships across all University Lands departments to enhance efficiency and value creation. Serve as the primary relationship manager for operator subsurface and asset development teams. Implement strategies to build lasting, mutually beneficial relationships with academic and state institutions.
• Technical Leadership and Advisory Support: Provide expertise and advice on all NRD matters. Allocate NRD resources and time collaboratively across departments. Lead the team in acquiring, interpreting, and prioritizing high-value production, completions, log, and other operator data.
• Reservoir Characterization and Development Planning: Lead the creation and implementation of full-field oil and gas development strategies with operators, ensuring alignment with organizational priorities. Partner with Land to increase value generated on PUF lands through deals worth hundreds of millions in present value. Lead the reserves process and assessment resources for the University of Texas System balance sheet, improving accuracy, efficiency, and maintenance.
• Geoscientific Studies and Interpretations: Ensure high-quality geological and geophysical analysis to inform field development. Set subsurface priorities and provide geoscience expertise.
• Business Planning and Market Analysis: Develop business plans, forecasts, and long-term models. Assess market, operator, and financial trends to support planning and development. Report on industry trends, competitive landscape, and strategic advantages to cultivate business development opportunities. Evaluate company performance metrics using internal and public data.
• Budgeting: Develop and manage budgets, including expenses and headcount, in line with strategic priorities.
• Performance Management: Manage team performance, set expectations, and use metrics to drive improvement.
• Organizational Capability Building: Identify capability needs and strengthen team effectiveness through hiring, coaching, and collaboration. Develop plans to optimize the organization, team functions, and talent needed to execute strategy. Lead team goal setting and ensure alignment within the NRD team and across University Lands.

Skills

• Required Competencies:
  • Strategic Mindset: Translates future possibilities into effective strategies and develops long-term plans aligned with market trends and organizational strengths.
  • Plans/Aligns: Prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with departmental goals. Builds alignment across teams and adapts to risk, change, and competing demands.
  • Business Insight: Applies knowledge of the UT System and external environment to advance departmental goals. Connects team efforts to broader business and industry priorities.
  • Communicates Effectively: Communicates clearly for different audiences, listens actively, and seeks deeper understanding of others’ perspectives.
  • Balances Stakeholders: Anticipates and balances the needs of multiple stakeholders while upholding ethical standards.
• Other Competencies:
  • Optimizes Work Processes: Uses efficient processes and promotes continuous improvement to achieve high-quality results.
  • Manages Complexity: Interprets complex or conflicting information and uses multiple inputs to solve problems effectively.
  • Decision Quality: Makes sound, timely decisions that comply with policies to move the department forward.
  • Financial Acumen: Interprets key financial indicators and applies them to balanced business decisions and forecasts.
  • Drives Vision and Purpose: Communicates a compelling vision that motivates others and connects their work to long-term goals.
  • Builds Effective Teams: Builds strong teams with the right mix of skills, leveraging individual strengths to achieve shared goals.
• Negotiation: Builds consensus across parties with differing interests to achieve organizational goals.
• Planning/Organizing: Prioritizes and manages complex work, including long-range planning, forecasting, and business unit planning.
• Cost/Budgeting: Knowledge of expenses, economics, budgeting, forecasting, and financial modeling to support decisions.
• Review/Reporting: Analyzes information and prepares clear reports and executive-level materials.
• Action Planning: Translates requirements and recommendations into practical plans and priorities.
• Technical Development: Broad oil and gas direction, aligning technical, operational, and financial priorities.
• Presentation Skills: Communicates complex technical and business information clearly to varied audiences.

Qualifications

• Required:
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering from an accredited university.
  • Minimum of 12 years of industry experience at an oil and gas operator in engineering roles of increasing responsibility, including:
  • Minimum of 5 years leading multi-disciplinary teams.
  • Minimum of 5 years of data analytics and performance analysis experience.
  • Business planning, including strategic and business unit-level planning experience for senior leadership.
• Preferred:
  • 15+ years of industry experience in multiple disciplines, including different types of engineering and planning roles.
  • 7+ years of leading multi-disciplinary teams.
  • 5+ years of experience in conventional and unconventional Permian, and at least 2 years in other basins.
  • Data analytics experience in multiple tools, across varied business units, basins, and disciplines.

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions.
• Uses standard office equipment.
• Requires occasional evening or weekend hours.