Principal Exploration Geoscientist

Exploration Growth in West Africa

Energi Talent Resourcing has been retained by a high-profile indigenous upstream exploration and production company to identify a Principal Exploration Geoscientist who will play a defining role in expanding reserves, maturing drilling opportunities, and strengthening a multi-asset subsurface portfolio across Nigeria’s most prospective basins.

This is a rare opportunity to join a technically ambitious E&P organization with producing assets, near-term development opportunities, and frontier exploration upside, supported by strong regional expertise and international technical capability.

If you are motivated by prospect maturation, reserves growth, and portfolio expansion in a high-impact operating environment, this role offers genuine influence at asset-strategy level.

The Role

As Principal Exploration Geoscientist, you will lead integrated geological and geophysical interpretation programs that directly shape drilling decisions, development planning, and portfolio growth strategy.

You will operate at the centre of subsurface decision-making—working alongside asset leadership, wells teams, and senior technical advisors to convert opportunity into executable value.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading integrated subsurface interpretation across exploration and appraisal assets
  
• Identifying and maturing drilling prospects and development opportunities
  
• Delivering volumetrics, reserves estimation, and risk assessments
  
• Supporting field extension strategies to increase recovery and asset value
  
• Planning seismic acquisition, processing, and interpretation programs
  
• Contributing geological input into well planning and drilling risk mitigation
  
• Supporting opportunity screening across new basins and licence positions
  
• Coordinating multidisciplinary subsurface studies to strengthen portfolio quality
  

What Makes This Role Different

This is not a routine interpretation role.

You will help shape:

• exploration strategy
  
• drilling readiness decisions
  
• basin entry thinking
  
• reserves growth pathways
  
• portfolio expansion opportunities
  

You will work inside a technical team known for rapid asset progression from discovery to production and disciplined subsurface execution in complex Nigerian geology.

Candidate Profile

We are interested in senior geoscientists who combine deep technical rigour with commercial awareness and leadership credibility.

Typical requirements include:

• Degree in Geoscience, Geology, Geophysics, Physics, or related discipline
  
• Master’s degree required (PhD advantageous)
  
• 16–20 years’ upstream subsurface experience within an E&P environment
  
• Minimum 6 years leading multidisciplinary subsurface teams
  
• Strong experience in:
  
  • seismic interpretation
    
  • regional geology
    
  • play maturation
    
  • volumetrics
    
  • reserves evaluation
    
  • basin screening
    
• Working knowledge of well planning and drilling integration workflows
  
• Strong proficiency in Petrel (Kingdom advantageous)
  
• Experience supporting asset growth in frontier and producing environments
  

Leadership Capabilities We Value

Successful candidates typically demonstrate:

• strategic subsurface judgement
  
• exploration creativity grounded in technical discipline
  
• ability to influence drilling investment decisions
  
• cross-functional collaboration across wells, operations, and development teams
  
• coaching and mentoring capability within multidisciplinary environments
  

Why This Opportunity Matters

This role sits at the intersection of technical leadership and asset value creation inside an operator actively expanding its reserves base and exploration footprint across Nigeria’s most promising hydrocarbon basins.

For the right individual, this is a platform role—not just a technical position.