Project Development Engineer

Danos, LLC; Spring (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Danos, LLC in Spring, Texas seeks a Project Development Engineer to front-end integrator for green & brownfield upstream locations. You will translate objectives into clear scopes, coordinate across multiple teams, and shape projects for safe, efficient execution. Strong communication and stakeholder management are essential to drive early planning and decision quality.

Qualifications

• BS degree in engineering or related technical studies.
• Experience in Project Development, Execution and Planning activities (upstream unconventional preferred).
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office programs.

Responsibilities

• Lead front-end project development and scope definition for wells and facilities.
• Coordinate across Business Unit, Global Operations, Wells, Project Execution, Central Engineering, Surface Land, Regulatory, Project Controls, and Supply Chain.
• Develop and steward pre-Gate 3 technical basis, layouts, site requirements, and planning assumptions.
• Identify process gaps and contribute to tools and workflows to improve scope quality and execution readiness.

Skills

Strong communication

Stakeholder management

Education

BS degree in Engineering

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

The Project Development Engineer serves as the front-end integrator for green & brownfield upstream unconventional well locations, facilities, and infrastructure by translating business objectives, operational needs, and technical inputs into clear, aligned, execution-ready scopes. This role builds trusted partnerships across stakeholders and helps shape projects that deliver safe, efficient, and value-focused execution.

Responsibilities

Front-End Project Development and Scope Definition

• Lead early planning and scoping for well pads, tank batteries, well pad facilities, flowlines, and related infrastructure from inception through design basis readiness.
• Translate business objectives, operational needs, and technical inputs into clear, aligned, execution-ready scopes.
• Support business unit development planning milestones including decision quality assurance reviews (Roadmaps) and drill unit reviews (DUR) ensuring smooth transition into project execution.

Lead Integrator Across Stakeholders

• Serve as the front-end integrator across Business Unit, Global Operations (GO), Wells (D&C), Project Execution, Central Engineering, Surface Land, Regulatory, Project Controls, and Supply Chain.
• Build trusted partnerships and align stakeholders early to reduce rework, clarify handoffs, and improve decision quality.
• Frame tradeoffs & options for stakeholders when scope, schedule, cost, risk, and stakeholder expectations are in tension.

Value Creation and Decision Quality

• Develop & evaluate infrastructure options to support capital-efficient, value-focused project recommendations for development scenarios to inform subsurface decisions.
• Partner with business, reservoir, operations, and project controls teams to support informed scoping and investment decisions.

Technical Basis, Planning, and Execution Readiness

• Develop and steward pre-Gate 3 technical basis, project layouts, site requirements, permitting strategies, planning assumptions, and standard design alignment.
• Coordinate early input for regulatory, land, permitting, constructability, equipment demand, inventory forecasting, and execution planning.
• Provide stewardship and coordination to enable smooth project handoff into execution.

Continuous Improvement and Team Effectiveness

• Contribute to a collaborative team culture built on clarity, ownership, constructive challenge, and trusted partnership.
• Identify process gaps, interface issues, and rework drivers across the front-end development process.
• Support development of tools, workflows, and standards that improve scope quality, consistency, and execution readiness.

Key Relationships / Interfaces

The Project Development Engineer works across a broad set of stakeholders, including:

• Subsurface / Development Planning:Development concepts/priorities, well sequencing, resource plans, and economics
• Global Operations:Facility operational requirements, constraints, operability, and maintenance considerations
• Surface Land / Regulatory:Site planning, permitting strategy, access, constraints, and regulatory readiness
• Integrated Operations Planning & Scheduling (IOPS):Drilling & Completions well timing, planning task milestone compliance
• Wells (Drilling / Completions):Well planning interfaces, development timing, pad / facility coordination, and execution sequencing
• Project Execution:Handoff readiness, constructability, execution planning, schedule assumptions, and scope clarity
• Central Engineering:Standard design verification, technical basis support, and engineering guidance
• Project Controls:Cost, schedule, and capital efficiency support
• Procurement / Supply Chain:Equipment demand/planning and inventory requirements

What Success Looks Like

• Be recognized as a trusted front-end integrator across the organization.
• Develop clear, aligned scopes that reduce downstream rework and improve execution readiness.
• Create stakeholder alignment before projects move into execution.
• Help the business make better development decisions through option evaluation, capital efficiency, and value-based tradeoffs.
• Bring clarity to ambiguous problems and help move the team from uncertainty to executable plans.

Qualifications

• Must have a BS degree in Engineering or related technical studies
• Prior experience in Project Development, Execution and Planning activities (upstream unconventional is preferred)
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills.5
• Proficient in Microsoft Office programs