Good
Times, Bad Times? By now we expect the negative press
in our industry. There are
challenges and demands from left and right for the oil and gas community
to perform technically, environmentally, and politically.
Now there is additional risk on the industry and on our country's
energy supply with the events in the Arab world unfolding.
It would be easy to adopt a negative outlook on our business's
future; but we do not. As
professionals, all of us in our respective organizations have been trained
to overcome obstacles, whether they are commercial, legal, political, or
technical in nature. While
the world around us may not seem to like us very much, the products and
value we give to the world are essential.
In the near term, we feel that there will be a strong market
emerging for increases in domestic production, which in turn can make our
country stronger and more resilient to international turbulence.
The future job market is part of this equation.
We are advising our clients to continue to recruit the best talent,
and we tell candidates to keep eyes and ears open as new opportunities
arise. Changes in the
business environment will require the talent to adapt to new situations. Please keep us in mind if changes in your organization have
you concerned about whether you have the right talent on staff.
We will be happy to assist you. Your friends at Collarini
Hiring:
What Will Affect It A good friend of mine just told me that he had
recently canceled a horse-back riding weekend trip to west Texas.
The reason: gasoline has gotten too expensive, and a trip with a
pick-up truck and horse-trailer would not be cheap.
That reminded me of a statement Rex Tillerson, CEO of ExxonMobil,
made recently, that within ExxonMobil, $4 per gallon gasoline has been
seen as the critical number when consumers would change their behavior. We are not too far off from the $4, so there may be
something to what Mr. Tillerson is saying.
Focusing on crude oil for the moment, the Short-Term
Energy Outlook of the U.S. Energy Information Administration includes a
couple of interesting facts that might give hints of things to come: • The EIA p around 3% growth in GDP for the U.S. economy for 2011 and 2012. Internationally the number is closer to 4% • A further projection is that $4
mark at the pump will be reached this year. Recent
increases in crude oil prices have not made their way through the pipeline
to your gas station yet, so additional increases have to be expected • Global oil consumption grew at a
record pace in 2010, compared to prior years, by 2.4million bbl/d.
That is the second largest increase in a single year within the
last 30 years. The
expectations are for the next two years to see increases at or over 1.5
million bbl/d . The largest
demand for the oil will come from China, Brazil, and the Middle East
What can we make of these numbers, and what can we
expect in terms of hiring trends? What
this means is more of the same. Our
industry has learned well to deal with uncertainty as we continue the
process of providing hydrocarbon resources to the world. Consumption, price, and market developments will play a large
role, but at the end of the day the oil is still needed to make the
world's economies run and grow. Our practice has seen an increase in activity and a call for expert professionals. Here they are with some possible explanation to the grown demand: • Risk management and HSE experts: The increase in demand is certainly in response to new regulation and forthcoming rules, and some companies see the need to strengthen their internal talent pool • Solid production, completions, and workover professionals: Mature assets are still being looked at harder to enhance existing value • Explorationists with solid international experience are needed to identify the next generation of large opportunities • Professionals with a background in the trading business: organizations are seeing the value that individuals with this particular background can bring to help understand markets and pricing trends • Bank engineers: there is still new capital flowing into the
industry. A&D activity is
still high, as seen at the recent NAPE convention, and somebody has to
handle and evaluate the transactions
Whatever business cycle your company happens to be in right now, chances are that you should position yourself for more, not less, activity and seek out and attract the talent you need in the future now.
The following
biographies are just a small sampling of the kind of talent available in
our talent pool of over 19,000 experts. Please call our placement
managers if you are interested in learning more about these
professionals, or check out our website for more candidates. Geophysicist with
a Ph.D. in geophysics, a master's degree in geodesy, and 29 years of
experience working for midsized independent oil and gas and service
companies in exploration, exploitation, and development.
Expert in 3D and magnetic field modeling. Additionally experienced in designing gravity and magnetic
surveys, depth conversion, technical writing, and geophysical
interpretation. Geographic
areas worked include the Texas and Louisiana Gulf coast and the Gulf
of Mexico. Software
proficiency in ArcGIS, Fugro-LCT, Geosoft, GeoGraphix, HIS PI/Dwights, and
SMT Kingdom. Ask for GG393.
Geophysicist with an MBA, a bachelor's degree in geophysics, and over 30 years of
experience working for major operating companies. Expert in 3D mapping, modeling, and interpretation.
Geographic areas worked include the Permian Basin, Williston basin,
San Joaquin basin, Ecuador, Colombia, Yemen, Iraq, and offshore Spain.
Software proficiency in Landmark Seisvision, Landmark 3D, Geoquest IESX
3D, and SMT. Ask for GP1001. HSE
Manager with a bachelor's degree in petroleum safety engineering and
18 years of experience in the oil and gas industry. Experienced in the development of standards and management of
safety environmental management systems, safety case development, and the
creation and implementation of emergency response procedures.
Additionally experienced in managing HSE senior advisors and field
coordinators, conducting safety audits, and staff training.
Geographic areas worked include Texas, Louisiana, and Kazakhstan.
Ask for HS859.
HSE Manager with over 25 years of offshore and onshore experience working
for major drilling and service companies. Experienced in program implementation, incident analysis and
compliance. Additionally
experienced in designing and implementing HSE policies and training and
supervising safety managers and representatives.
Geographic areas worked include offshore Nigeria, Trinidad, the Gulf of
Mexico, Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi, onshore Alaska, and the
Marcellus Shale. Ask for
HS864.
Engineering Manager with a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering and 27
years of experience working for small to large independents and a major
operator. Experienced in budgeting, cash flow analysis, contract
negotiations, partner relations, and economic analysis. Additionally
experienced in reserve reporting, production monitoring and optimization,
acquisition evaluation, and remedial well work. Geographic areas worked
include Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, the Gulf of Mexico shelf
and deepwater, Brazil, and Indonesia. Ask for P542.
Drilling and Production Manager with a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering and
35 years of oil and gas experience working for mid-sized to large
independents and a major oil and gas company. Experienced in the
management and operation of drilling and production departments,
facilities design, safety, regulatory and environmental compliance,
workover and completion design, and well troubleshooting. Geographic areas
worked include Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mississippi, Kansas,
Colorado, and the Gulf of Mexico. Ask for DP280.
Reservoir Engineer with a master's degree in petroleum engineering and 24 years
of experience in the oil and gas industry; with 15 years working for major
E&P companies. Experience includes reservoir characterization, dynamic
simulation, production forecasting, reserves analysis, project management,
and field development. Geographic areas worked include the deepwater Gulf
of Mexico, the Gulf of Mexico shelf, west Texas, China, the Netherlands,
and Nigeria. Computer skills include proprietary simulation software,
BOAST, MBAL, Prosper, GAP, NODAL, PIPESIM, PIE Well Testing Tool, and
Landmark SGM. Ask for R260.
Engineering Technician with 15 years of experience working for a large independent
oil and gas company. Experienced in loading and analyzing integrated sales
volumes, processing monthly allocations and regulatory reports, processing
monthly prior period adjustments, preparing annual state reports,
coordinating with Sarbanes-Oxley auditors, streamlining reporting
processes, and training and coaching junior analysts. Geographic areas
worked include Texas, Louisiana, and the offshore Gulf coast. Software
proficiency in Oracle P2. Ask for TE511.
Project Engineer with a master's degree in mechanical engineering and 11 years
of experience working for major and large independent oil and gas
companies and engineering and construction firms. Experienced in
coordinating engineering design activities, setting up construction
support functions, and defining the scope, quality, cost, and schedule
controls for FPSO facilities, gas gathering and compression facilities,
and offshore production platforms. Additionally experienced in tankage and
fluid transport systems, and refinery, petrochemical, and chemical process
facilities. Geographic areas worked include California, Texas, Louisiana,
Kansas, Nebraska, and Nigeria. Ask for F1512.
Flow Assurance Engineer with a master's degree in subsea engineering and 12
years of deepwater experience in the oil and gas industry. Expert in flow
assurance and operability including steady state and transient thermal
hydraulic analysis and subsea processing, including separation and
boosting. Experienced in subsea system design with economic analysis, well
optimization including enhancement and management techniques, economic
forecasting, and project interface management. Geographic areas worked
include the Gulf of Mexico, Angola, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates.
Software proficiency in PIPESIM, Multiflash, PVTsim, OLGA
2000 and OLGA 5, and FieldPlan. Ask for F1732.
Outlook
for Explorationists: On the way up! According
to simplyhired.com, the number of jobs for exploration geologists has
increased 142% since July 2009! And
according to the AAPG,
between the years 2009 and 2010, geologists with 25 years of
experience or more reported an 8.8% increase in salary.
This indicates the desire of companies to increase and maintain
their staff levels for experienced and proven explorationists. Recent
surveys by the AAPG have shown that the salary ranges for geologists
with zero to five years of experience showed little change. This is probably a result of the hiring surge for recent
graduates and the subsequent cooling off period combined with a down
economy.
And with a number of companies cutting costs and reducing
manpower, most explorationists have chosen to stay with the same
employer. This
information is based on a survey of U.S. salaries only, which due to its size and
concentration of personnel working in the U.S. is still a good
bellwether for the oil and gas
industry. In Houston, one
of the main activity centers, geologists are paid slightly lower than
the national average. This
seems to indicate that energy companies are momentarily shifting away
from exploration in the Gulf of Mexico due to the uncertainty
surrounding the new rules and regulations yet to come, coupled with a
surge in personnel demand in other parts of the country where
unconventional production prevails. Today's
list of major projects includes new areas that have yet to touch the
job market for exploration professionals.
There are many international opportunities
coming down the pipeline. Recent
major deals, such as the one BP struck with Russian giant Rosneft,
will have a positive impact on the job market for exploration experts.
In this example, both companies plan to explore for natural gas
and oil off the Russian Arctic continental shelf.
This gives BP access to a new area, and many job opportunities
for exploration and development professionals will be one outcome.
With
the price of oil rising rapidly by the day, and with exploration and
production renewal in the Gulf still in question, companies are
looking at many other areas of opportunity.
Natural gas and shale production is continuing to grow quickly
throughout the beginning of 2011.
While natural gas exploration is currently increasing, crude
oil prices on the other hand are likely to show more strength relative
to natural gas, which in turn will affect the demand for further oil
exploration. Companies
have a newly found focus for 2011, and onshore and offshore
international and domestic exploration play a big part.
Job
opportunities for explorationists are on the rise, and that is
especially true for proven oil finders.
Connecting the Industry's Experts...
Guiding
Careers to the Next Level...
Collarini
Career Management
applies its deep understanding of the career paths of
technical professionals in the E&P and EPC communities to help
companies and professionals build successful organizations and careers. We
leverage Collarini's unique combination of industry knowledge and
technical expertise to guide companies and individuals during transition,
training existing employees for high performance, and designing customized
technical training plans for companies and individuals.
Visit us on the web!
|
|