Director, Corporate Planning & Reserves

Job Description

Job Description

Position Summary

Reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer, the Director of Corporate Planning & Reserves serves as SM Energy's enterprise leader for corporate planning, reserves management, portfolio analytics, and capital allocation decision support.

This position is responsible for maintaining the integrated view of inventory, capital, production, reserves, economics, and value creation across all operating areas, including Permian, South Texas, Uinta, DJ, and emerging opportunities. The Director provides the analytical framework that supports annual business planning, long-range strategy, reserve reporting, development prioritization, capital allocation, acquisitions and divestitures, and Board-level decision making.

The role partners closely with Operations, Development, Reservoir Engineering, Land, Finance, Accounting, Corporate Development, and Investor Relations to ensure leadership decisions are supported by accurate technical, operational, and economic analysis.

The Director acts as a key advisor to the COO and Executive Leadership Team regarding portfolio optimization, inventory management, development strategy, and long-term value creation.

Primary ResponsibilitiesEnterprise Planning Leadership

• Lead the annual budget, strategic plan, and long-range planning process across all business units.
• Develop integrated forecasts for production, reserves, capital, operating costs, inventory, and cash flow.
• Maintain enterprise development outlooks to support capital allocation and growth strategy decisions.
• Coordinate planning assumptions and business outlooks across Operations, Reservoir Engineering, Finance, Accounting, and Executive Leadership.
• Provide executive-level scenario analysis evaluating commodity price, cost inflation, operational performance, and development pacing alternatives.
• Support quarterly guidance development and performance forecasting.

Capital Allocation & Portfolio Optimization

• Own the analytical processes used to prioritize capital deployment across the Company's asset portfolio.
• Evaluate returns, inventory quality, reserve additions, capital efficiency, and value creation opportunities across operating basins.
• Develop and maintain economic ranking methodologies used to evaluate development alternatives and investment decisions.
• Identify portfolio optimization opportunities, including asset acquisitions, divestitures, trades, and strategic investments.
• Provide recommendations to the COO and Executive Leadership Team regarding capital allocation and development sequencing.
• Support strategic evaluations of new plays, emerging technologies, infrastructure investments, and operational initiatives.

Reserves Management & Governance

• Lead all corporate reserves processes and ensure compliance with SEC reserve reporting requirements.
• Oversee annual reserve evaluations and periodic reserve updates.
• Direct reserve reconciliation activities, including production, revisions, price changes, acquisitions, divestitures, and development activity.
• Establish enterprise reserves standards, methodologies, and governance processes.
• Coordinate independent reserve audits and third-party reserve engineering reviews.
• Support reserve-based lending evaluations and external reporting requirements.

Inventory & Development Strategy

• Serve as enterprise owner of SM Energy's inventory management framework.
• Maintain visibility into inventory depth, quality, reserve conversion, capital efficiency, and development pacing across all assets.
• Evaluate drilling inventory performance and monitor inventory replenishment requirements.
• Partner with operating teams to assess development plans, spacing assumptions, recovery expectations, and future inventory opportunities.
• Conduct strategic reviews of inventory durability and reserve replacement performance.
• Identify risks or opportunities that could materially impact long-term development plans.

Executive & Board Decision Support

• Prepare strategic planning materials for Executive Leadership, Board of Directors, lenders, and investors.
• Develop clear and concise presentations communicating reserve performance, capital allocation recommendations, inventory status, and portfolio value creation opportunities.
• Support Executive Leadership discussions regarding corporate strategy, growth opportunities, and capital priorities.
• Provide independent economic and technical assessments supporting major corporate decisions.
• Translate complex technical analyses into actionable recommendations for executive audiences.

Acquisitions, Divestitures & Corporate Development Support

• Support evaluation of acquisition, divestiture, joint venture, and strategic transaction opportunities.
• Lead reserve, inventory, and economic assessments associated with corporate development activities.
• Participate in technical due diligence and integration planning efforts.
• Assess strategic fit and long-term value impacts of potential transactions.

Planning Systems, Data & Analytics

• Drive continuous improvement of planning, reserves, and portfolio management systems.
• Champion automation, AI and analytics initiatives supporting forecasting accuracy and decision-making.
• Maintain enterprise planning and reserves databases and ensure data integrity across business functions.
• Improve visualization and reporting capabilities supporting executive decision-making.
• Advance the use of integrated technical and financial analytics throughout the organization.

Leadership & Team Development

• Build and lead a high-performing team of planning engineers, reserves engineers, technicians, financial professionals, and analysts.
• Establish organizational capability in reserves management, portfolio analytics, economic evaluations, and strategic planning.
• Foster collaboration between technical and financial disciplines.
• Develop future leaders and succession plans within the group.
• Promote a culture of data-driven decision-making, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Critical Success Outcomes

Within this role, success is measured by:

• Delivering a high-quality annual budget and long-range plan that supports executive decision-making.
• Providing accurate and defensible reserves estimates and regulatory reporting.
• Improving capital allocation decisions through consistent portfolio ranking and value-based analysis.
• Maintaining a clear enterprise view of inventory quality, reserve replacement, and development opportunities.
• Delivering actionable recommendations to the COO and Executive Leadership Team.
• Supporting superior capital efficiency, reserve growth, and long-term shareholder value creation.
• Serving as the Company's recognized subject matter expert for planning, reserves, portfolio analytics, and strategic capital deployment.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or other business related field of study
• 15+ years of applicable experience
• 5+ years of experience in leadership / management positions

SM Energy offers competitive compensation and benefits programs which include, but are not limited to, variable pay, health care coverage, retirement plan, protection coverage, time off and leave programs, training and development opportunities and a range of allowances connected to specific work situations. Details are available at Careers :: SM Energy Company (SM) (sm-energy.com).

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.