Production Analyst

The Production Analyst works independently and as part of a cross-functional team to analyze production trends, track variances, and support financial and operational decision-making for the company's oil and gas assets. This role provides advanced analytical support to the Production Engineering and Operations teams through data management, KPI reporting, downtime tracking, variance analysis, and cost engineering services. The Production Analyst develops workflows, builds and maintains databases, and delivers actionable insights to engineers, operations, and management.

Primary Job Responsibilities

Production Analysis & Variance Tracking

• Monitor and analyze production trends across all operated assets, identifying variances from forecasts and budgeted volumes.
• Develop and maintain production downtime tracking systems; categorize, quantify, and report downtime events by cause and frequency.
• Support production forecasting efforts by assembling, validating, and reconciling data from internal systems (e.g., Aries, Excalibur, AVM) and third-party sources.
• Assemble and analyze data from various internal systems and state regulatory/production databases.
• Generate monthly and ad-hoc production reports following standard procedures to ensure data accuracy and performance tracking.

KPI Tracking & Reporting

• Facilitate schedule tracking and performance KPI metrics for capital and production projects.
• Format data analytics for inclusion in presentations to management.
• Support project managers and internal stakeholders with custom reporting and special project requirements.
• Conduct project post-appraisals to collect actual versus estimated data for the purpose of refining estimating assumptions and processes.
• Develop and maintain dashboards in Power BI, Spotfire, or equivalent tools to visualize operational and financial performance.

Financial Analysis & Cost Engineering

• Apply cost engineering principles including budgeting, forecasting, change management, earned value systems, and contingency allocation.
• Manage AFE creation and review processes for the Production Engineering team.
• Provide cost engineering services for projects including estimate reviews and cost tracking.
• Assist in explaining variances from the budget and support accrual updates at the required company cadence (monthly, quarterly, annually).
• Work with internal stakeholders to prepare financial outlook assumptions and capital budget inputs.
• Perform moderate calculations and preliminary analyses of data in support of engineering and financial studies.

Data Management & Process Development

• Build and maintain company databases and processes for production staff analysis.
• Develop improved processes and tools to support department responsibilities and optimize workflows.
• Advise on methods for data collection, retrieval, loading, manipulation, and management for use across engineering and operations teams.
• Initiate and develop more accurate and reliable data analysis and reporting methodologies.
• Manage internal project controls processes for all areas of project execution and reporting.
• Review and ensure accuracy of data and reporting, leveraging public sources such as Enverus and regulatory agencies as needed.
• Support other functions as needed with skillset background.

Knowledge / Skills / Competencies

• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office programs (Excel, Access, Power BI) and oil and gas industry tools (Spotfire, SiteView, AFE Navigator, Execute, OpenInvoice, Aries).
• Proficiency in SQL and/or Python for data querying, pipeline development, and analysis.
• Experience with ETL processes and data pipeline design to support accurate and scalable analytics.
• Strong understanding of production accounting, cost engineering, and financial reporting principles.
• Excellent time management and prioritization skills to efficiently manage multiple concurrent tasks and changing priorities with minimal supervision.
• Effective communication skills to collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, relay technical information, and report findings or issues to management.
• Self-motivated and comfortable working autonomously while remaining an active team contributor.
• Ability to anticipate the analytical and data needs of engineering and operations staff.
• Ability to work collaboratively with engineers, operators, and other analysts to achieve facilities, production, and construction goals.
• Experience with data governance, data quality best practices, and change release processes.

Computer / Software Applications

• Required: Microsoft Excel (advanced formulas, Power Pivot, PivotTables), Power BI, Spotfire
• Required: SQL for data querying and analysis
• Preferred: Python (data analysis and scripting), Aries, Alteryx, Access
• Preferred: AFE Navigator, SiteView, OpenInvoice, Excalibur, Procount, Enverus
• Cloud platforms (Azure, AWS, or Snowflake) a plus

Education & Experience

• Minimum of 5 years of experience in a technical analytical support role within an Oil and Gas Operator environment.
• Bachelor's degree required
• Demonstrated proficiency in Spotfire and/or Power BI.
• Experience with production data systems and regulatory data sources preferred.

SM Energy offers competitive compensation and benefits programs which include, but are not limited to, variable pay, health care coverage, retirement plan, protection coverage, time off and leave programs, training and development opportunities and a range of allowances connected to specific work situations. Details are available at Careers :: SM Energy Company (SM) (sm-energy.com).

Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.