Senior Landman

Vault 4401•Denver, CO

1d•$70 - $80•Hybrid

About The Position

Vault 44.01 is hiring a Contract Senior Landman to serve as the land team’s senior technical resource for pore space and right-of-way acquisition, title diligence, and agreement negotiation. Reporting to the Vice President, Land and Stakeholder Engagement, this role directs field brokers, title abstractors, local counsel, surveyors, and appraisers; negotiates and closes land agreements; and mentors less experienced land staff. The position works across Subsurface, Project Management, Regulatory, Legal, Business Development, and Finance to turn technical project requirements—including EPA Class VI well siting, areas of review, and CO2 pipeline routing—into executable land plans. The Senior Landman leads land programs from strategy through negotiation and closing, including drafting and negotiating leases, easements, and related agreements; overseeing title examination and due diligence; resolving title defects; supporting storage-unit formation; and managing landowner relationships and damage claims. The role also advises project teams on land constraints, supplies property-rights information for regulatory filings, and explains technical project information and safeguards to landowners, community stakeholders, and local officials. Periodic in-person landowner engagement and participation in public open houses are part of the position. The contract may have the potential to convert to full-time employment. The role is based in Denver, Colorado, on a hybrid schedule requiring at least two days per week in the office. Travel is approximately 25%, primarily to project areas in the US Midwest. The anticipated start date is Q4 2026. Compensation is $70–$80 per hour, or $145,000–$165,000 annualized, commensurate with experience.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required; Petroleum Land Management, Energy Management, Business, or a related field is preferred.
At least 7 years of progressively responsible land experience in oil and gas (upstream or midstream), carbon storage, or related energy development, including negotiating and closing surface and subsurface agreements.
Demonstrated experience directing field brokers, title abstractors, and outside or local counsel.
Strong working knowledge of title examination and curative, including severed mineral, surface, and pore space ownership.
Ability to understand technical subsurface, well, and pipeline information and communicate it clearly and credibly to landowners and other non-technical audiences.
Excellent drafting and editing skills, including the ability to improve agreements prepared by others and explain recommended changes.
Proficiency in MS Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and Adobe.
Legally authorized to work in the United States.
Ability to work independently, reach closure within established time frames, and manage multiple projects at various stages of development.
Attention to detail, sound judgment, and commitment to high-quality work.
Strong written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to coach others and provide constructive feedback.
Ability to build strong relationships with landowners, elected officials, regulators, and industrial partners.
Adaptability, candor, integrity, and willingness to mentor.

Nice To Haves

AAPL Certified Professional Landman (CPL) certification.
Familiarity with EPA Class VI regulations (40 CFR Parts 144 and 146), state primacy programs, and state pore space and CCS statutes.
Midwest experience, particularly in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, or Michigan.
Experience with pipeline right-of-way acquisition, eminent domain or condemnation requirements, and pooling, unitization, or storage-unit formation.
Experience with mapping and land administration software such as ArcGIS or LandVantage, and Monday.com CRM for landowner contact tracking.
Degree in Petroleum Land Management, Energy Management, Business, or a related field.

Responsibilities

Draft, edit, and negotiate pore space leases, surface use agreements, pipeline and access easements, options, and amendments, coordinating with Legal on forms and non-standard terms.
Lead negotiations with key landowners to acquire seismic, pore space, and right-of-way within project budgets and schedules, while fostering durable landowner relationships.
Maintain agreement templates, negotiation parameters, and term guidelines for the land team.
Negotiate and settle damage claims associated with new or existing operations.
Manage applicable eminent domain processes when good-faith negotiations are unsuccessful, including offer documentation, appraisals, statutory notices, and coordination with condemnation counsel.
Direct and manage field brokers, title abstractors, local counsel, surveyors, and appraisers; establish scopes of work and review work product for quality, cost, and adherence to Vault standards.
Serve as the primary point of contact for local counsel on title opinions, curative matters, and jurisdiction-specific pore space and easement issues.
Oversee and, where required, perform title examination of surface, mineral, and pore space ownership; resolve defects through curative instruments; and prepare or review ownership reports, runsheets, and lease/easement status reports.
Lead acquisition due diligence and risk assessment, including review of severed interests, encumbrances, and competing subsurface or surface uses.
Support formation of storage units under state CCS statutes, including ownership analysis, unitization applications, and processes for non-consenting or unlocatable owners.
Advise Subsurface and Project teams on land considerations for Class VI and state-primacy injection well siting, areas of review, monitoring locations, and pipeline routing, identifying constraints early in design.
Provide landowner, ownership, and property-rights information for Class VI permit applications and other regulatory filings.
Interpret technical information from Subsurface and Engineering and explain the project and its safeguards in clear, non-technical terms at open houses, landowner meetings, and one-on-one discussions with landowners and local officials.
Manage the land component of project development from landowner identification through acquisition and land administration.
Review and edit agreements, correspondence, and title work prepared by less experienced staff, and guide them on negotiation practices, agreement terms, pipeline routing, and well siting.
Develop training, checklists, and reference materials to build land-team capability and consistency.
Track and coordinate execution of documents securing property rights and support land administration in Vault’s land systems.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.