Description:

First review date is June 14, 2024.

Work Unit Overview:

The Oil and Gas Conservation Division constitutes the staff of the Montana Board of Oil and Gas Conservation (MBOGC).This quasi-judicial Board is responsible for the regulation of oil and gas exploration and development operations by industry.The board's regulatory action serve three primary purposes: (1) to prevent waste of oil and gas resources, (2) to conserve oil and gas by encouraging maximum efficient recovery of the resource, and (3) to protect the correlative rights of the mineral owners (e.g., the right of each owner to recover its fair share of the oil and gas underlying its lands).The board also seeks to prevent oil and gas operations from harming nearby land or underground resources.It accomplishes these goals by establishing spacing units, issuing drilling permits, administering bonds (required to guarantee the eventual proper plugging of wells and restoration of the surface), classifying wells, and adopting rules.MBOGC also plugs old, abandoned, problem wells and restores the surface location.It maintains a library of well cutting samples and core samples in Billings (the cores, themselves, are stored in the U.S. Geological Survey Depository in Arvada, Colorado).The board performs the certification required for companies to receive tax incentives available for horizontal wells and enhanced recovery projects.An even newer responsibility is the Underground Injection Control Program (UIC).

The Oil and Gas Conservation Division has offices in Billings, Helena, Shelby, Glendive, Plentywood, and Sidney.The Billings Office houses the technical and professional staff of the Board and is the principal repository of official documents and records of oil and gas wells drilled in the State

Job Overview:

This position serves as the Chief Field Supervisor and is responsible for planning, directing, and overseeing inspection, investigation, and enforcement of oil and gas drilling and production operations throughout the State.The position directs inspection and investigation activities; develops appropriate enforcement actions; develops policies and procedures; provides technical expertise; performs Environmental Assessments; administers contracts; writes grant applications; monitors budgets; supervises staff; and performs a variety of other duties as assigned.

Major Duties or Responsibilities: This section should be a clear concise statement of the position's major duties and the approximate percent of work time for each duty.

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT AND ADMINISTRATION

Develops and recommends new policies, procedures, and rule changes for oil and gas inspection, investigation, and enforcement to ensure the effectiveness and compliance of program activities and operations statewide.This involves researching new and emerging oil and gas technologies, assessing statewide needs and issues of private landowners, mineral owners, oil and gas companies, and State and federal environmental agencies (e.g., DEQ regarding spills and water contamination issues, and EPA regarding underground injection); and evaluating current program operations to identify opportunities for increased effectiveness and quality.
Directs, plans, and oversees statewide oil and gas inspection, investigation, and enforcement activities to ensure compliance with applicable rules, regulations, standards, and permit requirements.This includes evaluating alleged violations of BOGC rules; evaluating complaints regarding surface use, well status, surface damage, and environmental problems; coordinating multi-agency investigations; developing technical criteria and guidelines for use by field inspectors in inspection and enforcement activities; performing highly technical, complex, or contentious inspections as required; developing investigative reports; and directing and overseeing all oil and gas drilling operations (new, active, orphaned, UIC, etc.) statewide to ensure compliance.
Develops and recommends appropriate corrective action and enforcement to resolve compliance deficiencies and respond to legal violations in accordance with State and federal laws and BOGC rules.Evaluates the severity of deficiencies and violations; interprets and applies statutes, regulations, penalty guidelines, and legal precedents; presents and justifies recommendations for corrective action to the Board; and provides additional research, follow-up, investigation, and alternative solutions as required.
Provides expert consultation and technical assistance to Board members, local government officials, land/mineral owners, operators, field inspectors, and others regarding technical aspects of inspection, investigation, and enforcement.This includes providing advice regarding proposed regulatory changes, enforcement recommendations, and operational changes; developing solutions to specific problems or issues related to oil and gas inspection, investigation, and enforcement by conducting technical research and analysis; and responding to specific inquiries by interpreting rules and regulations and explaining technical processes.
Participates in BOGC business meetings and public hearings.Presents reports, technical information, and other information as necessary.

PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION AND OVERSIGHT

Writes Environmental Assessments (EA) for all permit to drill applications.An EA must be written for each permit to drill application submitted by an operator.The EA is a check list format developed by the incumbent that lists factors which have to be analyzed for less complex permit conditions surrounding the drillsite.Analyzes and determines whether the check list EA format indicates a more complex situation (i.e. wildlife issues, sensitive habitat or other issues near the proposed drillsite) and directs or performs a surface inspection, further scientific analysis, research, and data analysis and incorporates this information into the EA.The EA is a legally-binding document with potentially far-reaching implications and requires expertise to complete.
Serves as a technical expert during court hearings and in other capacities to explain and defend Environmental Assessment conclusions and drilling permit approval or denial.Provides scientific analysis and evidence, presents results of research, and justifies permit decisions and recommendations.
Administers the statewide orphaned/abandoned well plugging program for the Board.The position maintains a list of orphaned wells (i.e. those that are not maintained, have no operators, etc.) that need to be plugged; prioritizes the list based on scientific assessment of numerous factors, such as potential damage to the environment, risk of impacts to groundwater, etc.; and develops project plans for well-plugging and restoration for use in grant applications.
Conducts extensive research in attempt to find responsible parties prior to placing wells on the orphaned well list to ensure due diligence.If a responsible party is identified, the position initiates collections and other legal actions to ensure payment is received for well restoration.
Writes and presents applications for grants from CARDD and the Legislature for restoration projects.The position identifies the highest-priority wells; develops detailed project plans; provides a narrative detailing and justifying why specific wells were selected; and responds and provides legislative testimony regarding grant applications.
Writes Requests for Proposal (RFPs) to solicit contractors' bids on well-plugging and restoration projects.Establishes review criteria and reviews bids; selects contractors and enters into contracts; ensures contractor performance through supervision by subordinate field staff; directly or indirectly oversees project operations; and conducts ongoing assessment of project quality and compliance with contract terms.Develops or approves solutions to complex contract management problems referred by staff and others to ensure compliance, consistency, and cost-effectiveness of contracted services.
Reviews and responds to reports submitted by field inspectors and contractors.Reviews reports for technical accuracy; ensures that reports submitted by others comply with applicable regulations, requirements, and contract terms; and addresses or refers issues identified in reports to the Board.

STATEWIDE FIELD ADMINISTRATION

Directs and coordinates all administrative details related to oil and gas drilling inspection and production, investigation, and enforcement programs to ensure expenditures are cost-effective and comply with State and federal requirements.This involves researching and monitoring oil and gas investigation, inspection, and enforcement practices and standards, determining their applicability to field operations; and developing policies and procedures to implement the most efficient strategies and practices.Ensures all inspection reports are entered into the database for use in decision-making, public information and reference purposes.
Monitors compliance with established operational policies and procedures and achievement of goals through consultation and meetings with subordinate staff and supervisors (e.g., conference calling, email, site visits, staff meetings, status reports, etc.), personal review of specific program operations and project plans, and through discussions with other Department staff and management.Monitors compliance with established policies in programs and reviews and approves atypical or developmental methods and procedures.Ensures all reports, forms, logs, etc are submitted monthly in a timely and correct manner.
Monitors program and grant expenditures to ensure the money is allocated as designated and tracks funding levels through review of financial reports and approval of expenditures.
Determines and fulfills equipment procurement needs of OGC programs including responsibility for developing specifications, ensuring compliance to Department procurement practices, developing budget justifications and submitting requests, and integrating equipment into field operation practices to ensure maximization of resources.
Directs and oversees vehicle, equipment and supply assignment, maintenance, repair, and ordering activities to ensure employee safety, efficient and effective use of department resources, and prolonged life of significant capital investments.This involves scheduling vehicles and equipment based on project priorities, types of equipment, and staff needs; responding to repair needs based on the type and use of equipment and project priorities; and projecting equipment needs and developing replacement schedules based on history and expected usage.
Ensures the proper storage and disposition of all records and correspondence pertaining to equipment development, modification, acquisition, disposal, and maintenance by providing direction and guidance to subordinates on records management, electronic data storage, and record transfer and archiving activities and policies.Oversee proper storage and public access to permit records (e.g., oil and gas pits, orphaned wells and seismic, etc.) to ensure availability of historical data, compliance with statutory requirements, and public access.

STAFF MANAGEMENT

Manages professional staff and indirectly supervises professional and support staff (5.0 total FTE) of the District offices by reviewing and revising overall work plans (including assignment of non-routine inspections), priorities, and procedures, and monitoring progress through meetings and consultations.Conducts staff meetings, disseminates data, and promotes information exchange for support and advancement of District goals.
Establishes and approves overall responsibilities and allocation of positions within the District offices.Recommends and justifies requests for additional personnel.
Determines training and professional development needs of District staff through analysis of program effectiveness; changes in inspection, investigation, and enforcement methods; new safety standards, specifications, evolving technology, industry practices, and policies; and staff performance.Prepares, presents, or arranges training through subordinate supervisors, personnel specialists, training offices, or outside consultants to ensure modern technology and operational strategies are available.Ensures consistency in the application of training opportunities for all staff.Ensures that District personnel are properly supervised and trained to ensure that projects are cost-effective and achieve performance standards.
Identifies staffing needs, oversees recruitment and hiring of employees, and allocates human resources to adequately support the ongoing operations and activities of the District offices.This involves ensuring compliance with State and federal employment and civil rights laws throughout the hiring process, assigning personnel screening and selection committees, reviewing results and making final recommendations for hiring, and ensuring proper training and orientation of new employees.
Evaluates the performance of all positions directly supervised and completes performance evaluations.Reviews work of positions indirectly supervised through assessment of subordinate supervisors' performance evaluations.Implements and monitors corrective actions including discipline and termination.Enforces disciplinary policies to ensure consistency in application of disciplinary action.
Ensures that District staff complies with State and departmental personnel rules, regulations, and policies.Resolves grievances at the lowest level whenever possible.

OTHER DUTIES: This position performs a variety of other duties in support of Division operations and activities.This includes attending conferences and meetings, directing special projects, and participating in ongoing training and educational programs, and other duties as assigned.These duties are not considered essential functions of the position.

Application and Selection Procedures:

Selection procedures to be used in evaluating applicant's qualifications may include, but not limited to:an evaluation of education, work experience, applicant's writing sample, submitted materials and an interview(s).

TIP:When attaching your resume, cover letter and other material, you must mark the attachments as "relevant".

BENEFITS:

- - Health Care & Benefits
  - Retirement
  - Paid Vacation, Sick Leave and Holidays

If you have any questions or would like to review the job description for this position, please email Becky Quick at Rebecca.Quick@mt.gov

This position is eligible for the statutory increase in July, 2024.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications (Education and Experience):

Bachelor's Degree in Geology or other physical science, Engineering
2 years of directly related experience
1 year of supervisory or lead worker experience
Other combinations of education or experience may be substituted.

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities

This position requires thorough knowledge of concepts and practices of geology, petroleum engineering, oil and gas well drilling, completion, and production, investigation, inspection, and enforcement methods, program management, public administration, construction methods, safety procedures, budgeting and fiscal operations, contract administration, and applicable rules and regulations pertaining to drilling operations. The position also requires knowledge of environmental mitigation and contamination prevention methods and techniques; oil and gas leasing and land and mineral ownership documentation; mathematics; principles and practices of public, technical, and media communications; Division goals and objectives; and working knowledge of seismic prospecting operations.Supervisory responsibilities require knowledge of employment law, program requirements, and personnel management practices and techniques.

This position requires skills in program planning and administration, negotiating solutions to complex oil and gas operations problems, evaluating and resolving environmental issues and concerns, budget monitoring and analysis, organizing and reviewing the work of others, GPS/GIS and manual map navigation, off-road driving techniques, basic operation of office software, and written and verbal communications.This position also requires skill in the use of pressure-testing equipment, hydrogen sulfide monitoring equipment, and other scientific and safety devices.

This position requires the ability to plan, organize, and direct projects; interpret and apply rules and regulations to unique field circumstances; manage staff from a distance; coordinate diverse inspection projects; coordinate technical analyses; develop logical conclusions; and identify and mitigate serious public and environmental safety threats in the field with minimal assistance and sometimes under emergency conditions.The incumbent must also demonstrate the ability to communicate effectively with staff, operators, landowners, mineral owners, members of the public, and others regarding project goals and objectives, operational achievements or deficiencies, compliance issues, complaints, and other sensitive or contentious subjects.

Special Information :Candidates must be eligible to work in the United States.A valid driver's license is required with less than 12 conviction points in the most recent completed 36 months.

Eligibility to Work : In accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act, the person selected must produce within three days of hire documents that show authorization to work in the United States. Examples of such documentation include a birth certificate or Social Security card along with a driver's license or other picture I.D., or a U.S. passport, or a "green card".The State of Montana does not sponsor.