Senior Staff Exploration Geologist – New Ventures

Job Summary

Continental Resources is seeking a Senior Staff New Ventures Geoscientist to evaluate new venture opportunities, develop new play concepts, and support our commercially focused exploration strategy through integrated subsurface interpretation and analysis.

You will integrate regional geology with well data (logs, core, cuttings, and production where available), geophysics, and applied conventional and unconventional petrophysics to build play evaluations, generate prospects, and design testing programs that de-risk opportunities and support investment decisions.

Work products are used closely with Land and Business Development to support entry strategy, acreage capture, and deal decisions. The work is fast-paced and team-based, with tight timelines and frequent decision points. In this Senior Staff role, you provide technical leadership on key evaluations and mentor developing geoscientists through fit-for-purpose, integrated workflows.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Lead prospect generation, evaluation, and maturation of new venture opportunities using integrated geological analysis, well log interpretation, applied petrophysics, geochemistry, and geophysical mapping to define play fairways and prospect risk.
• Develop basin-to-prospect interpretations by integrating stratigraphic/structural frameworks with well data (logs, core, cuttings) and 2D/3D seismic mapping to constrain structure, stratigraphy, thickness trends, and fairway geometry.
• Integrate conventional and unconventional petrophysics (core–log relationships, pay definition, fluid/rock effects, and rock property trends) into mapping, volumetrics, and uncertainty framing; ensure interpretations are consistent across wells, seismic, and analogs.
• Develop integrated subsurface models and risk assessments that link tectono-stratigraphic evolution, charge and migration, reservoir and seal effectiveness, and trap timing, document assumptions, key uncertainties, and value drivers.
• Partner with Land and Business Development to deliver clear, decision-ready evaluations that inform entry strategy, acreage capture, and deal decisions.
• Provide technical input to exploration well planning (log suites, coring, testing, and sampling plans) and subsurface data strategies (seismic acquisition/reprocessing and mapping workflows as needed); capture post-drill learnings to improve prospect ranking.
• Mentor developing geoscientists through technical coaching, peer reviews, and sharing best practices for integrated interpretation, uncertainty tracking, and concise technical communication.
• Stay current on emerging exploration technologies and contribute to external technical engagements with partners and service providers as needed.
• Other duties as assigned.

Skills and Competencies

• Integrated Interpretation – Integrates geology, geophysics, petrophysics, and geochemistry into clear play and prospect models.
• Geological Analysis – Advanced stratigraphic and structural interpretation; translates regional context into testable play and prospect concepts.
• Well Log Interpretation & Petrophysics – Interprets open-hole logs and integrates core/cuttings and production with applied conventional and unconventional petrophysics.
• Applied Geophysical Mapping – Proficient 2D/3D seismic structural and stratigraphic mapping.
• Petroleum Systems & Play Risking – Applied knowledge of source rock, charge/migration, timing, trap/seal, and scenario-based risking.
• Reservoir Characterization – Rock properties, petrophysics, and analogs to assess reservoir quality and distribution in conventional and unconventional settings.
• Communication & Leadership – Clear, concise technical communication for senior technical audiences; effective facilitation of peer reviews and decision forums.

• Collaboration – Works well across disciplines and turns inputs into recommendations.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s Degree in Geoscience or Earth Sciences from an accredited university (Ph.D. a plus).
• Minimum of ten (10) years of exploration experience with demonstrated success in new ventures and/or play evaluation, prospect generation, and subsurface risk assessment.
• Expertise in conventional and unconventional reservoirs, including play fairway mapping, prospect generation, and probabilistic resource assessments.
• Proficiency in industry-standard geoscience software (e.g., Geographix, Petrel, Kingdom, ArcGIS, PaleoScan, etc.).
• Strong capability in geological interpretation, well log analysis, and applied integration of conventional and unconventional petrophysical data.
• Experience supporting exploration well planning and execution and performing post-drill technical evaluation and lessons-learned capture.
• Understanding of and exposure to economic evaluation, value drivers, and risk-based framing to support exploration screening and deal decisions.
• An acceptable pre-employment background and drug test.

Preferred Qualifications

• International and/or new ventures exploration experience, including prospect maturation and exploration & appraisal program support.
• Experience applying remote sensing, surface imaging, or geospatial datasets as a complementary input to basin screening and integrated exploration workflows.
• Awareness of, and experience applying, AI-assisted workflows and emerging technologies to improve interpretation efficiency, and general AI literacy.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate structural geology, tectonic evolution, and basin-scale geodynamic frameworks into exploration strategies.
• Curious, keeps learning, and looks for better ways to evaluate plays and prospects.
• Positive, practical, and collaborative in high-uncertainty exploration work.
• Quantitative Interpretation - Exposure to rock physics/AVO and seismic inversion concepts.
• Professional proficiency in one or more languages in addition to English.
• Experience working with partners in international, JV, or PSC settings, including technical assurance and stakeholder communication.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions

• Requires prolonged sitting, some bending and stooping.
• Occasional lifting up to 25 pounds.
• Manual dexterity sufficient to operate a computer keyboard and calculator.

Continental Resources, Inc. provides equal employment and affirmative action opportunities to applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability.