Engineer - Petroleum Scientist , or ; Permitting & Compliance

Office of Permitting & Compliance – Engineering

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.

A bachelor’s degree in a geoscience field or engineering.

The official job specifications for this role, as defined by the State Civil Service, can be found here.

This Petroleum Scientist 1, 2, or 3 position is located within the Engineering Division of the Office Permitting & Compliance and is domiciled in Baton Rouge, LA. This position reports to the Petroleum Scientist Supervisor. This position will ensure waste disposal practices regulated by the division do not result in the introduction of contaminants into surface waters, subsurface geologic strata containing underground sources of drinking water, or endanger mineral resources of the state.

This position performs highly responsible work of an administrative and technical nature pursuant to the Louisiana UIC program and exploration and production waste management activities permitted under Title 43, Parts XVII and XIX of the Louisiana Administrative Code.

Duties include, but are not limited to the following:

• Reviews permit applications and amendments for injection wells (drilling, conversion, and workover) and commercial facilities by identifying existing environmental resources, assessing project impacts, and ensuring regulatory compliance.
• Coordinates agency inspection and enforcement personnel during periodic field investigations to assess sites and collect data at commercial E&P waste treatment, disposal, and transfer facilities, in accordance with permit compliance review provisions.
• Evaluate applications for plugging and abandonment of injection wells, ensuring procedures meet state and federal environmental protection standards.
• Coordinates implementation of injection well and E&P Waste Management Program activities such as permitting, compliance reporting reviews, certifications, quality assurance/quality control, etc.
• Provides oversight in the evaluation of injection well and commercial facility technical assessments, closure plans, and insurance requirements.
• Analyze well integrity and construction methods to ensure proper isolation of underground sources of drinking water (USDW).
• Maintain accurate records and files for waste disposal wells and site operations, and provide training or guidance to staff as needed.
• May perform other duties as assigned.

Appointment Type: Probational

Career Progression: This position does participate in a Career Progression Group Petroleum Scientist 1, 2, or 3.

Work Schedule: Work hours are flexible.

Compensation: The salary offered will be determined based on qualifications and experience. This position is eligible for premium pay of up to $2.00 per hour for licensed employees. A Special Entrance Rate (SER) is offered to qualified applicants.

• Petroleum Scientist 1 – Engineering Degree (Non‑Petroleum/Geoscience)
  • Pay Level: TS-312
  • SER Hourly Range: $27.65 – $43.28
  • SER Monthly Range: $4,792.67 – $7,502
  • SER Annual Range: $57,512 – $90,022
• Petroleum Scientist 2 – Engineering Degree (Non‑Petroleum/Geoscience)
  • Pay Level: TS-314
  • SER Hourly Range: $30.55 – $49.55
  • SER Monthly Range: $5,295.33 – $8,589
  • SER Annual Range: $63,544 – $103,064
• Petroleum Scientist 3 – Engineering Degree (Non‑Petroleum/Geoscience)
  • Pay Level: TS-316
  • SER Hourly Range: $33.76 – $56.73
  • SER Monthly Range: $5,851.73 – $9,833
  • SER Annual Range: $70,220.80 – $117,988
• Petroleum Scientist 1 – Petroleum Engineering Degree
  • Pay Level: TS-312
  • SER Hourly Range: $28.85 – $43.28
  • SER Monthly Range:…