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Responsible for leading the technical development, refinement, validation, and implementation of the Reservoir Contact Index (RCI) methodology within ProFrac’s Machina well optimization platform. This position will own the continued development of RCI as it evolves into a validated, basin-calibrated, real-time production framework. The Reservoir Engineer / Geomechanics Lead will work closely with internal engineering and business teams, external engineering firms, and micro seismic and diagnostic technology partners to develop product-ready technical methodologies and capabilities.
This position will lead efforts to develop real-time, in-stage RCI precursor scoring aligned with Machina’s existing Uniformity Index (UI) milestones, enabling automation to respond to reservoir-quality signals during hydraulic fracturing operations. The role requires expertise in reservoir engineering, geomechanics, micro seismic data interpretation, statistical modeling, and unconventional completions, as well as the ability to translate early-stage technical methodologies into commercially deployed product capabilities.
Essential Responsibilities:
- Own and continue refining the Reservoir Contact Index (RCI) component-weighting methodology, including the evaluation of candidate geomechanical parameters, such as orientation to maximum horizontal stress and stress-shadow reversal, alongside existing fracture-network components, including stimulated reservoir volume (SRV), height containment, fracture complexity, event density, and cross-stage uniformity.
- Lead the architecture, development, and validation of a real-time, in-stage precursor scoring capability for RCI, aligning interim RCI values with the same 10 rate-drop milestones utilized for the Uniformity Index (UI).
- Develop methodologies that enable Machina’s automation capabilities to respond to reservoir-quality signals during a stage rather than solely relying on post-stage diagnostic results.
- Work directly with micro seismic event catalogs and partner-provided data, including moment tensor inversion, focal mechanism classification, and event location and density data, to derive and validate new diagnostic components.
- Evaluate the behavior, accuracy, and reliability of diagnostic components when utilizing partial or in-progress micro seismic event catalogs.
- Lead basin-specific calibration of RCI utilizing statistical and quantitative modeling methods, including Bayesian updating or equivalent methodologies.
- Develop and evaluate methodologies addressing cross-well calibration and within-stage precursor-to-final RCI convergence.
- Collaborate with ProFrac engineering teams and micro seismic data partners to evaluate processing latency and define technical requirements for real-time data delivery.
- Design and develop confidence-floor logic to determine when precursor signals are sufficiently reliable to inform automated operational responses.
- Serve as ProFrac’s internal technical counterpart to external engineering firms engaged during the initial methodology refinement and validation phases.
- Review external technical analyses, evaluate and stress-test assumptions, and ensure findings and recommendations are supported by field data and operational realities.
- Collaborate with ProFrac engineering and Machina business teams to translate technical methodologies into product-ready specifications, grading thresholds, system requirements, and customer-facing technical materials.
- Maintain current knowledge of published research and developments related to completion diagnostics, reservoir engineering, geomechanics, hydraulic fracturing, and unconventional reservoir development.
- Identify emerging technologies, methodologies, and research findings relevant to the continued development of Machina’s UI, RCI, and future diagnostic capabilities.
- Support technical due diligence and evaluation of micro seismic and diagnostic technology partnerships as Machina’s data partnerships and capabilities evolve.
- Provide technical expertise and documentation to support internal engineering, business, customer, and executive leadership discussions regarding RCI and Machina capabilities.
- Travel periodically to field operations and basin sites as business and operational needs require.
- Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned.
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering, Geophysics, Geomechanics, or a related technical field required.
- Direct experience interpreting micro seismic data associated with unconventional completions, including event location analysis and stimulated reservoir volume (SRV) or fracture-network characterization.
- Working knowledge of geomechanics principles relevant to hydraulic fracturing, including in-situ stress states, stress-shadow effects, and fracture propagation mechanics.
- Experience utilizing statistical or quantitative modeling methodologies, such as Bayesian calibration, regression, and sensitivity analysis, with field data.
- Demonstrated ability to independently manage ambiguous, early-stage technical problems and produce clear, technically defensible documentation.
- Experience with moment tensor inversion or focal mechanism classification from micro seismic data preferred.
- Familiarity with real-time or streaming data processing and latency-constrained system design preferred.
- Prior experience working in the Permian Basin and/or Montney formation preferred.
- Familiarity with hydraulic fracturing diagnostic technologies beyond micro seismic analysis, including distributed fiber optic sensing, tracers, and ISIP or pressure analysis, preferred.
- Programming proficiency in Python, R, or similar programming and data-analysis tools preferred.
- Master’s degree or Ph.D. in Petroleum Engineering, Geophysics, Geomechanics, or another relevant technical discipline preferred.
- Prior experience translating research-stage technical methodologies into deployed commercial products preferred.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Operates in a professional and/or business casual office environment.
- Routinely uses standard office equipment such as laptops, photocopiers/scanners, and smartphones.
- Evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand.
- Ability to fluently read, write, understand and communicate in English.
- Ability to lift up to 15 pounds
- Must be able to adhere to process protocol
- Strong work ethics of integrity and honesty striving for excellence in all activities employing accompanying communication.
This job description should not be interpreted as an exhaustive list of responsibilities or as an employment agreement between the employer and employee. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification and is subject to change as the needs of the employer and requirements of the job change. Any essential functions of this position will be evaluated as necessary should an employee/applicant be unable to perform the functions or requirements due to a disability as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Reasonable accommodation for the specific disability will be made for the employee/applicant when possible.
We are an equal opportunity employer and do not make employment decisions based on a person’s race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, veteran status, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.
