Staff Geophysicist - Midland, TX

ConocoPhillips•Midland, TX

19h•Onsite

About The Position

ConocoPhillips is one of the world's largest independent exploration and production companies, with operations in 13 countries. The company has a significant presence in the Permian Basin, holding over 1 million net acres. The Staff Geophysicist will be a key member of the Permian Integrated Geosciences Team, providing geophysical expertise to support both near-term development execution and long-term development planning. This role is embedded within a multidisciplinary team supporting the Permian Development organization, with primary responsibility for assets in the Delaware Basin, New Mexico. The position involves collaborating across disciplines to interpret subsurface data, reduce uncertainty, and provide geophysical insights for well placement, development planning, and capital allocation. The role offers exposure to integrated development workflows, emerging technologies, and cross-functional problem-solving.

Requirements

Legally authorized to work in the United States
Bachelor's degree or higher or foreign equivalent in Geophysics
10 or more years of experience in exploration and/or development geophysics
3 or more years of geophysics experience in unconventional resource plays
Demonstrated proficiency in seismic interpretation, well-seismic ties, seismic inversion (post-stack and pre-stack), velocity modeling, depth conversion, microseismic integration, and geological mapping
Proficiency in Petrel

Nice To Haves

Master's degree or higher or foreign equivalent in Geophysics or other related field
Experience with modern seismic acquisition technologies (for example, High-Trace Density) and advanced processing techniques (such as Full-Waveform Inversion)
Experience with geophysical and geological software including Geoteric, Hampson-Russell, RokDoc, and PaleoScan
Working knowledge of the well planning process and the fundamentals of drilling and completion operations, with an understanding of how geophysical deliverables support development and execution decisions
Ability to adapt in fast-changing environments while maintaining focus on quality and safety
Demonstrated experience working effectively in integrated, multidisciplinary teams
Ability to clearly communicate complex subsurface concepts to non-technical stakeholders

Responsibilities

Collaborate closely with the Delaware Basin development team to integrate geophysical insights into development plans and economic evaluations, supporting improved capital allocation and reduced subsurface uncertainty.
Perform multi-scale structural and stratigraphic interpretations of 2D and 3D seismic data, integrating well logs, synthetics, and other subsurface datasets to deliver decision-ready geophysical products.
Generate, quality check, and interpret seismic attributes, inversion products, and rock property volumes using established geophysical workflows, including seismic super-resolution, quantitative seismic stratigraphy, azimuthal analysis, and Vertical Seismic Profile (VSP) applications where appropriate.
Plan, execute, and integrate microseismic acquisition and interpretation activities to improve understanding of stimulated and drained rock volume, subsurface behavior, and development performance.
Contribute geophysical interpretations to local and regional earth models and basin-scale frameworks to support boundary refinement and broader development planning decisions.
Lead or support seismic acquisition, processing, reprocessing, and quality control efforts.
Provide geophysical input to selected acquisitions, divestitures, and opportunity screening efforts.
Support Authorization for Expenditure (AFE) and pre-spud activities through integrated subsurface analysis, helping define data needs and geophysical recommendations for individual wells and development projects.
Deliver depth prognoses and associated uncertainty assessments for horizontal wells, communicating structural and stratigraphic variability to support well placement decisions.
Screen for drilling and completion hazards, clearly communicating associated risks and interpretation confidence to support safe and efficient execution.
Provide operational support during drilling and geosteering activities to improve landing depth prediction, inclination forecasting, and subsurface control beyond well log data.
Support license-to-operate and regulatory activities by assessing subsurface risks related to stimulation and injection activities.
Provide technical support for permitting and protest activities, including preparation of technical exhibits and subsurface interpretations required for regulatory submissions and operational decision support.
Partner effectively with cross-functional teams, including drilling, completions, reservoir engineering, land, regulatory, and operations, to align subsurface insights with execution needs and business objectives.
Support Permian-wide standardization efforts and contribute to knowledge sharing through engagement with global technical functions and other business units.
Mentor junior geophysicists and less experienced staff, contributing to technical coaching, knowledge transfer, and continued capability development within the geoscience organization.