Landman

Landman

Reports to: Director of Commercial | Location: Houston, TX | Level: Senior

Vaulted Deep develops, constructs, owns, and operates deep well injection facilities that permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere by injecting organic waste — manure, treated sewage, paper sludge, and agricultural byproducts — below confining geology. The Landman secures the surface and subsurface land rights every project depends on: well-pad sites, pipeline rights-of-way, pore space, and the water and disposal rights tied to injection operations. The role runs land title, negotiates and closes the agreements that give the company control of a site, and delivers clean, defensible land positions to Development and Legal.

This is a negotiation and land-rights role, not a records-only or title-clerk function. The Landman is accountable for site control — that the agreements underpinning a project are signed, enforceable, and free of defects that surface at Final Investment Decision.

Site control is a gating condition at every capital approval. A project cannot advance past Concept Select without land access, and cannot reach Final Investment Decision without clear title and secured rights-of-way. This role retires that risk across a growing, multi-project pipeline: 10+ opportunities in origination, 3 in active development, targeting three-plus projects under construction within two years.

Pore-space, produced-water, and waste-injection rights are less standardized than conventional oil & gas leasehold. Getting them right early determines whether a site is developable and at what cost.

– Negotiate and close land agreements — surface leases and purchases, pore-space agreements, pipeline and utility rights-of-way, and access easements

– Secure well-pad sites and the associated subsurface rights required for injection operations

– Run and clear land title; identify and resolve encumbrances, gaps, and competing claims before FID

– Structure and negotiate water-sourcing and produced-water / disposal rights where applicable

– Build and maintain the land position of record for each project, in partnership with Legal

– Provide land inputs to commercial term sheets and to project economics

– Coordinate third-party landmen, title companies, and outside counsel; own QA/QC of their work

– Maintain landowner relationships through negotiation, execution, and ongoing operations

Individual-contributor role reporting to the Director of Commercial. Directs contract landmen, title agents, and outside land counsel on a project-by-project basis. Works closely with Legal on title and agreement structure, with Geoscience and Engineering on siting and rights-of-way, and with Commercial on term-sheet land inputs. Presents land-position readiness at stage-gate and Final Investment Decision reviews.

– 10–15 years of land experience, including direct negotiation and closing of land agreements. Oil & gas land experience preferred; oil & gas production experience is not required.

– Demonstrated experience securing well pads, pipeline rights-of-way, and related surface, subsurface and access rights

– Track record running and clearing land title on capital or development projects

– Experience negotiating with landowners, counterparties, and counsel from first contact through signed, enforceable agreement

– Bachelor's degree, or equivalent land experience

– Experience securing pore space, produced-water, waste-injection, or similar subsurface rights

– AAPL affiliation or Registered Professional Landman (RPL / RL) credentials

– Experience across multiple states and regulatory regimes

– Familiarity with UIC-permitted or disposal-well land requirements

– Land title examination, curative work, and chain-of-title analysis

– Pore-space, mineral, and surface-estate rights and their interactions

– Pipeline and utility right-of-way routing, width, and easement terms

– Water-sourcing and produced-water rights relevant to injection operations

– Recording, regulatory, and county-level land requirements

– Negotiates land agreements start to finish, not from fixed templates

– Translates land terms into cost, schedule, and risk impact for project economics

– Structures option, lease, and purchase terms that preserve project optionality

– Coordinates land inputs to commercial term sheets alongside Commercial & Land