ECMC Permit Completion Specialist (PSRS II)

Full Job Description

This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

Are you interested in investing in a career that makes a difference? Consider joining the dedicated people of the Colorado Department of Natural Resources.

It’s our mission to manage and conserve Colorado’s natural resources for the benefit of people today – and tomorrow.

That means we have to balance development with conservation so the state we all love provides similar opportunities for our children and their children.

We invite you to explore our website at https://dnr.colorado.gov/about-us to find out more about the work we do to manage Colorado’s natural resources for today – and tomorrow.

The State of Colorado believes that equity, diversity, and inclusion drive our success, and we encourage candidates from all identities, backgrounds, and abilities to apply.

In addition to offering rewarding, meaningful work, we offer:

• Medical, Vision and Dental plans

• Strong, flexible retirement plans including PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan, plus pre-tax and Roth 401K and 457 plans

• Paid life insurance

• Short- and long-term disability coverage

• Employee Wellness programs

• Flexible Spending Accounts

• Health Savings Accounts

• 11 paid holidays per year plus generous vacation and sick leave

• Flexible work schedule options and remote-work options

• Career advancement opportunities throughout the State system

• Some positions may qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program

For more detailed information, please visit State of Colorado Employee Benefits

About Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC):
The Colorado Energy & Carbon Management Commission (ECMC) regulates the development and production of Colorado's natural resources, including oil and gas, geothermal energy, and carbon capture and storage. The ECMC's mission is to do so in a way that protects the environment, public health, safety, and welfare.

The Planning and Permitting (P&P) Unit is responsible for reviewing all permit applications for the construction of oil and gas locations and wells pursuant to current ECMC Rules, mission, and the Oil & Gas Conservation Act (the Act), as amended by SB 19-181. Additionally, this Unit is responsible for reviewing permit applications for emerging energy technologies, primarily in the areas of Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) Class VI wells, deep geothermal wells, and underground natural gas storage per SB 23-285 and SB 23-16, signed May 23, 2023. The Permit/Completions team is part of the P&P Unit and reviews all mineral development and other energy technologies from a downhole perspective, including reviewing spacing and pooling applications (as part of or independently from Oil and Gas Development Plan (OGDP) applications) to ensure the protection of correlative rights and the legal completion of wellbores. Their review of hearing applications, in particular, ensures compliance with the 500-series Rules, and includes technical review of any submitted geologic testimony. Additionally the Permit/Completions team reviews the Drilling Completion reports, Completed Interval reports as well as the Well Abandonment reports to ensure compliance with ECMC Rules, Regulations, Policies, and industry standards.

Requirements

This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

This position reviews applications to determine the permit conditions necessary to address the geological conditions at the location of the proposed well or unit. The geological review includes an assessment of: the target formation subsurface elevations; the wellbore orientation and track; the geographic extent of the production area to confirm that minerals underlying land outside of the Operator’s mineral rights will not be drained or otherwise diminished; a review of other wells potentially impacted by the Operator well or unit; the as built well construction to confirm permit compliance; and, subsequent changes to the well, operations, or ownership to identify additional permit conditions, sufficiency of financial assurance, and, ultimately, the adequacy of any plugging operations to prevent the production of minerals.

Specific job duties include but are not limited to:

• This position reviews spacing applications to locate and drill oil and gas wells to determine that: the Operator has the right to access the target minerals; the geographical location and geological orientation of the well will actually produce the minerals which the Operator has a right to access; and, the Operator has all permissions required by any relevant local government.

• Confirm the well bore configuration and alignment does not impact existing oil and gas wells, determine whether the application conforms with Commission rules, spacing orders, and local government processes.

• Determine if an agreement is in place to remediate damages or, if no agreement is in place, verify there is adequate financial assurance in place for surface damages.

• This position also reviews drilling permit applications to ensure that they comply with all current State and Federal laws and meet all current ECMC stipulated requirements for approval to move forward.

• Evaluate the surface use agreements for valid surface owner protection and waiving of rights established by ECMC rules and to ensure that both parties (the surface owner(s) and operator) have formally agreed to the terms of the agreement.

• Acts as the primary liaison to operators and the public regarding: general geological and geographical questions related to the production of oil and gas in Colorado; Commission rules, Orders or Policies that might impact contemplated or submitted applications; and, accessing and understanding geologic and geographic information maintained by the Commission.

• Once a well has been drilled and completed, this position reviews the information submitted by the Operator regarding where and how the well was drilled as well as where and how the well was completed.

Other Duties Assigned.

Qualifications

This posting is only open to residents of the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

Minimum Qualifications:

Experience Only:

Six (6) years of relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned to this position

OR

Education and Experience:

A combination of related education and/or relevant experience in an occupation related to the work assigned equal to six (6) years

Substitutions:

Additional appropriate education will substitute for the required experience on a year-for-year basis.

Please note: The required experience must be substantiated within the work experience section of your application. Your resume will not be reviewed to determine if you meet the minimum qualifications; only the work experience section of your application will be reviewed to determine this. “See Resume” statements on the application will not be accepted. In addition, part-time work will be prorated.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Current or former state experience relevant to this position.
• Familiarity with WebForms.
• Familiarity with ECMC rules and regulations.
• Experience with oil and gas pooling, correlative rights and spacing issues, leasing, surface use agreements, or similar “Landman” type duties.
• Technical background in the oil and gas industry in order to understand the scientific and technical concepts involved.
• Knowledge of and experience in applying, researching, analyzing, and interpreting the law (State and Federal), constitutions, statutes, rules, conceptual models, professional standards, and legal precedents, in order to determine their relationship to the question or policy at issue.
• Excellent organizational skills in conjunction with the ability to multi-task with adaptability and flexibility, to manage a technical workload with shifting priorities.
• High attention to detail and strong time management skills.
• Skilled in writing factual material to present technical information, describe difficult concepts, and explain complex situations.
• Ability to communicate and work with various audiences, such as the general public, professionals, consultants, and staff, in a politically sensitive environment, while being perceptive to their needs, priorities, and commitments.
• Ability to conceptualize, analyze, and evaluate information gathered from communication with diverse perspectives, observations, and experience, in order to guide actions and to make informed, logical decisions.
• Basic Project Management skills in order to maintain self motivation.
• Experience using Zoom and Adobe Acrobat.

The current work arrangement for this position is as follows:
(Please note, this arrangement can be subject to change)

• Hybrid: This position will work from a home office with occasional travel to the main Denver office as directed by their supervisor.

Conditions of Employment:

• Colorado residency is required at the time of application.
• This is a Remote/Hybrid position - Work is primarily performed from a home office, however the selected candidate must be willing and able to, at times, report to the office at 1120 Lincoln Street, Suite 801 - Denver, CO or other locations for meetings, training, and projects as directed by the supervisor.
• Former employees of the state of Colorado must have concluded employment in good standing to be eligible for rehire.
• You must be legally eligible to work in the United States to be appointed to this position. DNR does not sponsor non-residents of the United States.
• Must possess and maintain a valid state of Colorado driver's license if operating a State vehicle.

Additional Information

• All applications received by the closing of this announcement will be reviewed by an HR Specialist against the Minimum Qualifications in this announcement.

• Colorado Revised Statutes require that state employees are hired and promoted based on merit and fitness through a comparative analysis process. Part of, or all of, the comparative analysis for this position will be a structured application review by Subject Matter Experts.

• Resumes, cover letters and other attachments are not considered as part of initial reviews, therefore, it is important to document in your application your education, experience, minimum qualifications, and preferred qualifications as outlined in the job announcement.

• Please thoroughly answer all supplemental questions (if listed) since question responses may be evaluated for content, writing ability, spelling, grammar, and effective communication.

• This recruitment may involve additional testing and/or exams to arrive at the top group for interviews.