Manager, Subsurface Engineering & Operations

Western Midstream; Town Center (TX); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Western Midstream seeks an experienced Manager, Subsurface Engineering & Operations in The Woodlands, TX. You will lead a multidisciplinary team of subsurface engineers, geologists, and tech staff to drive disposal program design and execution.

You will guide technical direction, prioritize work, and ensure timely, defensible deliverables while interacting with commercial, operations, and finance leaders. The role emphasizes safety, compliance, and strategic capital planning.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Petroleum, Civil, Mechanical, Chemical Engineering, or related technical discipline.
• Minimum of twelve (12) years' experience in the oil and gas industry; experience with saltwater disposal or injection systems strongly preferred.
• Minimum of five (5) years directly supervising technical professionals, including performance management, development planning, and workload prioritization across disciplines.
• Minimum of six (6) years' combined experience in drilling, completions, or injection/disposal operations.
• Knowledge of industry standards for well design, completions, and workover operations.
• Functional knowledge of drilling engineering and drilling operations.
• Experience interfacing with state and federal regulatory agencies.
• Experience with well location planning and permitting.
• Working knowledge of production and reservoir engineering, subsurface characterization, or petrophysics a plus.
• Demonstrated ability to lead through others — setting direction and standards rather than performing the analysis personally.
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills, with the ability to present technical conclusions to non-technical stakeholders.
• Self-motivated with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.

Responsibilities

• Prioritize and allocate team resources across basins and competing project demands.
• Own the quality, consistency, and defensibility of subsurface deliverables — including injection interval selection, confining zone evaluation, and disposal capacity assessments.
• Review and approve SWD well design, workover procedures, and injection performance recommendations.
• Oversee preparation of early project scopes, estimates, and well location planning to support facility and gathering system design.
• Serve as the subsurface interface to project management, operations, commercial, permitting, and regulatory affairs; translate technical findings into clear business recommendations.
• Contribute to capital forecasting, AFE development, and project prioritization through high-quality early-phase deliverables.
• Provide subsurface due diligence support for acquisition and divestiture evaluations.
• Ensure work is executed in accordance with regulatory requirements (Texas Railroad Commission, New Mexico OCD, EPA UIC) and company safety and compliance standards.
• Champion a strong safety culture within the team and in all field interactions.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Organizational skills

Self-motivation

Multi-tasking

Team management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Petroleum, Civil, Mechanical, Chemical Engineering, or related discipline

Job description

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Manager, Subsurface Engineering & Operations

Location:

The Woodlands, TX, US, 77380

Our core assets provide services for customers in the Delaware Basin in West Texas and New Mexico, and the DJ Basin in northeastern Colorado, and the Powder River Basin in Northeast Wyoming. Additional assets and investments are located in South Texas, Utah, and Southwest Wyoming.

We’re engaged in the business of gathering, compressing, treating, processing, and transporting natural gas; gathering, stabilizing and transporting condensate, natural gas liquids (NGLs) and crude oil; and gathering, transporting, recycling, treating and disposing of produced water for our customers. In our capacity as a natural gas processor, we also buy and sell natural gas, NGLs, and condensate on our behalf and our customers under certain gas processing contracts.

Western Midstream (WES) is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol, WES.

Job Summary:

Western Midstream is seeking an experienced leader for the role of Manager, Subsurface Engineering & Operations, based in The Woodlands, Texas. This position leads a multidisciplinary team of subsurface engineers, geologists, and techsupporting new and existing infrastructure for Western Midstream's produced water disposal program.

Thesuccessful candidate will set technical direction, prioritize and allocate work across disciplines, develop team capability, and hold accountability for the quality and timeliness of the team's deliverables — relying on the team to execute detailed analysis and evaluation. The role also serves as the subsurface technical voice in acquisition and divestiture opportunity reviews and in capital planning discussions with commercial, operations, and finance leadership.

Responsibilities:

• Prioritize and allocate team resources across basins and competing project demands
• Own the quality, consistency, and defensibility of subsurface deliverables — including injection interval selection, confining zone evaluation, and disposal capacity assessments
• Review and approve SWD well design, workover procedures, and injection performance recommendations
• Oversee preparation of early project scopes, estimates, and well location planning to support facility and
• gathering system design
• Serve as the subsurface interface to project management, operations, commercial, permitting, and regulatory affairs; translate technical findings into clear business recommendations
• Contribute to capital forecasting, AFE development, and project prioritization through high-quality early-phase deliverables
• Provide subsurface due diligence support for acquisition and divestiture evaluations
• Ensure work is executed in accordance with regulatory requirements (Texas Railroad Commission, New Mexico OCD, EPA UIC) and company safety and compliance standards
• Champion a strong safety culture within the team and in all field interactions

Qualifications:

• Minimum of twelve (12) years' experience in the oil and gas industry; experience with saltwater disposal or injection systems strongly preferred
• Minimum of five (5) years directly supervising technical professionals, including performance management, development planning, and workload prioritization across disciplines
• Minimum of six (6) years' combined experience in drilling, completions, or injection/disposal operations
• Knowledge of industry standards for well design, completions, and workover operations
• Functional knowledge of drilling engineering and drilling operations
• Experience interfacing with state and federal regulatory agencies
• Experience with well location planning and permitting
• Working knowledge of production and reservoir engineering, subsurface characterization, or petrophysics a plus
• Demonstrated ability to lead through others — setting direction and standards rather than performing the analysis personally
• Excellent communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills, with the ability to present technical conclusions to non-technical stakeholders
• Self-motivated with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Petroleum, Civil, Mechanical,ChemicalEngineering, or a related technical discipline required
• Grade and salary will be commensurate with relevant education and experience

Travel Requirements:

• Up to 10% travel to field locations as needed

Work Schedule:

• This position is eligible for the 9/80 hybrid work schedule (four 9-hour days and half-day Fridays), with in-office work on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and remote work on Wednesday and Friday

Western Midstream does not offer sponsorship of employment-based nonimmigrant visa petitions for this role.

Western Midstream is an equal opportunity employer committed to diversity in recruiting, hiring, developing, compensating and promoting applicants and employees. All employment decisions are made without regard to sex, race, color, religion, national origin, citizenship, age, disability, marital or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other legally protected categories. This includes providing reasonable accommodation for employee's and applicant's disabilities or religious beliefs and practices.

To learn more about our Pay-for-Performance Compensation and our comprehensive benefits package,click here