Company & Culture
Ensign Natural Resources is a growth orientated independent E&P company scaling through strategic asset acquisitions and disciplined development. The company is entering its second iteration following the successful divestiture of its prior assets in late 2022. Ensign's operating philosophy centers on capital discipline, data-driven decision making, and continuous improvement. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, the company is led by a management team with over 20 years of experience in the acquisition, development, and exploration of unconventional resources.
At Ensign, attitudes and behaviors that support our culture matter. Employees are expected to foster a culture of personal responsibility, courage and good judgement while pursuing excellence in all efforts through passion, determination, and continuous improvement.
At Ensign, attitudes and behaviors that support our culture matter. Employees are expected to foster a culture of personal responsibility, courage and good judgement while pursuing excellence in all efforts through passion, determination, and continuous improvement.
Major Responsibilities
Drilling & Well Planning
• Generate and maintain well proposals, including geological prognoses, target horizons, and casing point recommendations for horizontal wells
• Interpret 3D seismic data to define optimal lateral landing zones, azimuth, and entry/exit points
• Collaborate with drilling engineers to build directional survey plans, geo-steering corridors, and real-time landing targets
• Provide geological support during geo-steering operations; monitor MWD/LWD data, gamma ray, resistivity, and formation pressure indicators to maintain lateral placement within the target zone
• Develop and update type logs, correlation panels, and structural cross-sections for all active drilling areas
• Identify and map faults, fractures, natural fracture corridors, and structural anomalies that may impact drilling performance or completion design
Seismic Interpretation & Subsurface Characterization
• Lead 3D seismic interpretation across the company's Eagle Ford acreage using Kingdom or equivalent platform
• Build and QC horizon picks, fault polygons, time-depth conversions, and attribute volumes (amplitude, curvature, ant-tracking)
• Integrate seismic attributes with well log data to characterize lateral and vertical heterogeneity of the Eagle Ford across the acreage
• Perform or oversee attribute analysis, well-to-seismic ties, and synthetic seismogram generation
• Support acreage evaluation and acquisition efforts with seismic-based prospectivity mapping
Petrophysical & Formation Evaluation
• Evaluate formation tops, net pay, porosity, water saturation, and hydrocarbon pore volume from wire-line and LWD log suites
• Calibrate log-based petrophysical models against available core data and mud log shows
• Identify and characterize carbonate-rich and organic-rich facies
• Collaborate with completion engineers to integrate petrophysical data into frac stage design and perforation cluster placement
Mapping & Geological Modeling
• Build and maintain structural, stratigraphic, and isopach maps across the company's acreage position
• Maintain and update the subsurface geological database including formation tops, well logs, core data, and production data
• Develop static geological models and work with reservoir engineers on dynamic simulation inputs as required
• Perform regional trend analysis to identify sweet spots, bench transitions, and infill potential
Data Management & Reporting
• Maintain organized, auditable subsurface databases; ensure all picks, interpretations, and models are properly documented and version-controlled
• Prepare and distribute weekly drilling reports, post-drill analyses, and well completion summaries
• Manage and QC data from third-party vendors (seismic processing, petrophysical analysis, core analysis)
• Stay current on public data
Education, Experience & Skills
• Bachelor's degree in Geology, Geosciences, or Petroleum Geology required
• Master's degree in Geology or related earth sciences strongly preferred
• Minimum 10 years of industry experience in petroleum geology; unconventional/tight oil experience required
• Direct experience with Eagle Ford or analogous South Texas formations (Austin Chalk, Pearsall, Buda) strongly preferred
• Demonstrated experience supporting an active drilling program with geo-steering and real-time well decisions
• Hands-on 3D seismic interpretation experience, including horizon picking, fault interpretation, and attribute analysis
• Technical Skills:
*Seismic Interpretation: Kingdom SMT
*Petrophysics: Capable of running typical log analysis platform
*Mapping & Modeling: IHS Kingdom, Petra, ArcGIS, or equivalent mapping software
*Data Aggregation: Enverus (DrillingInfo), IHS Markit, RRC of Texas public data portals
*Microsoft Office (Excel modeling, PowerPoint executive presentations); Power BI a plus
*Working knowledge of directional drilling, MWD/LWD tool suites, real-time geo-steering workflows, StarSteer
Required Competencies
• Intellectual Curiosity: Continuously refines geological models as new data is acquired; challenges prior interpretations with intellectual honesty. Confidence to challenge norms and openly share thoughts and data across the entire organization
• Technical Excellence: Rigorous, data-driven geological thinking with the confidence to make real-time decisions under uncertainty
• Operational Urgency: Understands the pace of an active rig program; responsive, organized, and comfortable managing multiple live priorities The energy and ability to work collaboratively across the entire organization
• Communication: Ability to distill complex subsurface data into clear, concise narratives for non-technical stakeholders. Strong interpersonal skills coupled with excellent verbal and written communication
• Business Acumen: Understands the economic context of every well recommendation; connects subsurface insight to capital efficiency. A hands-on individual who can also see the big picture and translate into action.
• Driven individual with a focus on continuous improvement
• Strong work ethic and high level of personal integrity
Physical Requirements
This role may involve visits to active drilling/completion/workover sites. The employee must be able to safely perform the essential functions of the role, with or without reasonable accommodation, including standing and walking over uneven terrain, working outdoors, wearing required PPE, traveling to field locations, and working around drilling equipment, high-pressure systems, noise, chemicals, and changing weather conditions. The employee is expected to follow all company and regulatory safety requirements and to exercise stop-work authority when unsafe conditions are identified.
We Offer
Ensign offers competitive salary, cash bonus and equity plans. The Company also offers a comprehensive benefit package, paid vacation, sick time, and much more.