James Wells
Petroleum Engineer
Executive Summary & Candidate Overview
James brings a wealth of experience as a business owner, strategic consultant, and asset manager in the oil and gas industry. His tenure at Zenith Oil & Gas, LLC and Marubeni Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. showcases his ability to oversee engineering and operations, manage significant interests in deepwater assets, and provide strategic recommendations for production optimization. James's expertise in reservoir engineering, completions, and well abandonment, combined with his strong leadership abilities, make him a valuable asset in any petroleum engineering role.
Accomplishments and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
James's achievements include successfully managing assets in the deepwater Western Gulf of Mexico with budgets exceeding $3.8 billion, securing funds exceeding $300 million annually for well work, and leading successful interventions and hydrate remediation projects in challenging offshore environments. He is recognized as an industry expert in nodal analysis and has contributed to industry guidelines for offshore well compliance post-Macondo. James's ability to evaluate reservoir development scenarios, assess risks, and recommend strategies for increasing reserves and production has led to significant successes in his career.
Location and Travel
Open to: On-Site, Hybrid, and Remote Roles.
Remote Roles: Open to discussing remote opportunities based on the specific position and requirements.
Compensation Seeking: Competitive salary aligned with industry standards and role expectations.
Position Seeking: Petroleum engineering roles.
Work Experience:
Petroleum Engineer (Consultant) Zenith Oil & Gas, LLC - Houston, TX May 2018 to Present
Served as Operations Engineering Consultant for Renascent Energy, evaluating geothermal technology to produce electricity from idle shale wells in Louisiana and Texas.
Provided petroleum engineering expertise for Infosys, working on BPX Energy assets/projects and quantifying value of automating certain processes within BPX Energy.
Owned and operated the Box Church Field in Limestone County, TX, managing production operations and strategic initiatives.
Asset Manager - Deepwater Western Gulf of Mexico Marubeni Oil & Gas (USA) Inc. - Houston, TX November 2011 to April 2018
Oversaw all engineering and operations for company properties in the deepwater Western Gulf of Mexico, managing diverse assets with significant interests.
Served as Qualified Individual (QI) on the Spill Management Team, managing non-operated interest in Heidelberg Field, and directed multidisciplinary teams.
Led budget coordination efforts, secured funds for well work, and managed subsea well plug and abandonment projects.
Senior Engineer - Gulf of Mexico / Dutch North Sea ATP Oil & Gas Corporation - Houston, TX September 2002 to October 2011
Played a vital role in senior engineering across ATP properties in the Gulf of Mexico and Dutch North Sea, managing production operations, and contributing to industry papers.
Led acquisition and development of MC 711 (Gomez) and managed production operations for multiple fields in the Deepwater Gulf of Mexico.
Recognized as industry expert in nodal analysis and contributed to industry guidelines for offshore well compliance post-Macondo.
Operations Production Engineer - Central Gulf of Mexico Unocal Corporation (Gulf Region, USA) - Sugar Land, TX June 2000 to June 2002
Optimized production through nodal analysis and proficiency in various well maintenance and intervention operations.
Education:
Texas Tech University – Lubbock, TX Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering - May 2000
Member of Pi Epsilon Tau Petroleum Engineering Honor Society
Member of Tau Beta Pi National Engineering Honor Society
Member of Golden Key National Honor Society
San Jacinto College – Houston, TX Associate of Arts Degree in Mathematics - May 1997
