This is a promotional opportunity for current LA Department of Conservation and Energy employees who have permanent status and are ready to advance in their career.
Office of Permitting & Compliance – Geology
The Office of Permitting and Compliance (OPC) oversees all permitting and regulatory functions within the Department, ensuring clarity, consistency, and regulatory integrity. By streamlining processes, accelerating permitting timelines and enhancing data-driven decision-making, the Office ensures compliance with environmental standards while supporting responsible economic development.
OPC centralizes all permitting and compliance functions, aligning engineering, geology, ecology, design, and compliance divisions into a single workflow. Its structure includes integrity and production audits, UIC and storage regulation, groundwater protection, coastal permits and mitigation, and reservoir and legacy site management.
This Petroleum Scientist Administrator serves as the Geology Division Director within the Office of Permitting and Compliance and is responsible for managing, directing, and coordinating all activities of the Division. This position is the Department’s principal geological authority on subsurface and stratigraphic matters, co-leading interdisciplinary reviews with the Ecology Director, Engineering Director, and Permitting Director to ensure that permits and compliance decisions are evidence based, legally defensible, and consistent statewide.
This position reports to the Executive Director. This position provides strategic leadership for the Division’s programs and operations, ensures compliance with applicable state and federal laws, and serves as the primary advisor to the Executive Director on matters affecting the Division’s mission, programs, and personnel. The Geology Director operates in a cross-disciplinary team environment alongside the Engineering Director and Ecology Director to ensure rigorous and practical review of permit applications.
A bachelor’s degree in a geoscience field or engineering plus six years of experience in the evaluation of oil and gas drilling, oil and gas production and/or oil and gas transportation, mining engineering or geology; OR
A master's degree in a geoscience field or engineering plus five years of the required specialized experience; OR
A doctorate in a geoscience field or engineering plus four years of the required specialized experience.
The official job specifications for this role, as defined by the State Civil Service, can be found
here.Job Duties:
Duties include, but are not limited to the following:
Directs and oversees all Division programs, initiatives, and activities, including federally funded programs, ensuring alignment with departmental goals.
Advises the Executive Director and executive leadership on programs, policies, strategic priorities, and related budgetary or personnel matters.
Ensures full compliance with applicable state and federal laws, regulations, and administrative codes across all Division operations.
Develops, implements, and evaluates strategic goals, performance measures, and program effectiveness, promoting best practices and continuous improvement.
Provides leadership to Division staff by establishing priorities, setting performance standards, and fostering efficiency, innovation, and stakeholder-centered service delivery.
Manages the Division’s budget in coordination with Fiscal staff and performs additional duties as assigned by executive leadership.
Position-Specific Details:
Appointment Type: Promotional. This position will be filled by way of an internal promotion with a current Department of Conservation & Energy employee.
Location: This Petroleum Scientist Administrator position is located within the Geology Division of the Office Permitting & Compliance and is domiciled in Baton Rouge, LA.
Work Schedule: Work hours are flexible.
Compensation: The salary offered will be determined based on qualifications and experience.
**Note regarding the advertised pay range: The Petroleum Scientist Administrator has an established special entrance rate (SER) that is set above the minimum of the pay level and the advertised minimum. The maximum amounts listed are the maximum salary amounts a person can make at each level over their career and not the amount we are allowed to pay a new hire.
Louisiana is a State As a Model Employer (SAME) that supports the recruitment, hiring, and retention of individuals with disabilities.
How to Apply:
No Civil Service test score is required in order to be considered for this vacancy.
To apply for this vacancy, click on the “Apply” link above and complete an electronic application, which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities. Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process. Further status message information is located under the Information section of the Current Job Opportunities page.
* Information to support your eligibility for the position must be included in the application (i.e., relevant, detailed experience/education). Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completed education and experience sections. Applications may be rejected if incomplete.
For further information about this vacancy contact:
Human Resources
Department of Conservation & Energy
PO Box 94396
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9396
Email: DCE-Recruiting@la.gov
