O

Occidental Petroleum

Produces oil and gas and develops carbon capture

Production Technician

Full-Time
No salary listed
Entry
Mentone, CA, USA
In PersonField-based role with travel between production facilities; on-call rotation, overtime, and weekend work may be required.
Manufacturing & Production OperationsMachine & Process Operation

About the job

Requirements
  • A high school diploma or equivalent is required.
  • A valid driver's license with an acceptable driving record is required.
  • Ability to work in field environments, including exposure to varying weather conditions, is required.
  • Basic mechanical aptitude and troubleshooting capability are required.
  • Ability to follow established procedures and safety requirements is required.
  • Ability to lift, carry, and move equipment as required is required.
  • Ability to climb ladders, work at heights, and walk long distances in field conditions is required.
  • Ability to wear required personal protective equipment and perform duties safely in operational environments is required.
Responsibilities
  • Execute all work in compliance with company safety policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.
  • Operate and maintain assigned production facilities, including startups, shutdowns, and routine adjustments.
  • Monitor facility performance using field observations and surveillance tools; identify and respond to abnormal conditions.
  • Troubleshoot operational issues and implement corrective actions within the scope of responsibility.
  • Utilize digital surveillance tools, including SCADA, PI, and field mobility platforms, to optimize production and identify risk.
  • Maintain working knowledge of facility systems, including separation, compression, and flow paths.
  • Support artificial lift operations by understanding system impacts on surface performance.
  • Communicate through shift handovers, status updates, and escalation of issues.
  • Coordinate with cross-functional teams including IOC, maintenance, engineering, and vendors.
  • Complete required documentation, reporting, and data entry accurately and on time.
  • Prioritize daily activities based on safety, production impact, and operational risk.
  • Participate in continuous improvement efforts to enhance safety, reliability, and efficiency.
  • Engage in the T3 training program and actively progress through competency development levels.
Desired Qualifications
  • Previous oil and gas or industrial operations experience.
  • Familiarity with production facilities, compression, or artificial lift systems.
  • Experience with SCADA systems, PI, or other surveillance tools.
  • Technical certification or relevant vocational training.
  • Strong computer skills and experience with field mobility platforms.
  • Ability to work on-call rotations, overtime, and weekends as needed.

About the company

Occidental Petroleum produces and sells oil and natural gas to energy customers in the United States and overseas. Its portfolio spans the Permian Basin and the Rockies, offshore Gulf of America fields, and the Al Hosn Gas project in the United Arab Emirates. It earns revenue from selling these commodities, while its marketing business also buys third-party crude to make use of pipeline and export terminal capacity. Its subsidiaries 1PointFive and Carbon Engineering develop direct air capture technology and industrial projects to remove carbon dioxide from the air and store it underground. Founded in 1920, Occidental is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

IPO

Headquarters

Houston, Texas

Founded

1920

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Eligible full-time non-union employees build retirement savings immediately: Oxy's 7% 401(k) match vests upon hire.
  • Technical specialists have advancement options: STEP gives technical contributors a career ladder without moving into management.
  • Debt pressure eased: August 2026 results reported a $1.9 billion reduction in principal debt, to $11.8 billion.

What critics are saying

  • Field employees face physical hazards: Occidental identifies blowouts, fires and explosions among risks to its workforce.
  • Budgets depend on oil prices: Occidental says its capital allocation adapts to commodity fluctuations.
  • Chemical liabilities outlast ownership: Occidental retained legacy OxyChem claims and expects remediation spending over many years.

What makes Occidental Petroleum unique

  • Carbon recovery runs on established infrastructure: Oxy lists 2,500 miles of CO2 pipeline access and eight recycling plants.
  • Field power includes dedicated solar: the 16-megawatt Goldsmith plant directly powers Texas oil recovery operations.
  • Water logistics use pipelines: Oxy's Colorado Water on Demand system supplies field operations while avoiding truck deliveries.

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Benefits

  • Professional Development Budget
  • Conference Attendance Budget

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

6%

1 year growth

6%

2 year growth

6%
Yahoo Finance
Oct 14th, 2026
Occidental's 7.8% free cash yield tops the S&P 500's 4.4%, but is $4.8B sustainable?

Occidental Petroleum generates free cash flow equal to 7.8% of its market value a year, against 4.4% for the median S&P 500 company. Adjusted for net debt, the yield is 6.7%. Over the last twelve months, operations brought in $11.0 billion and capital projects took $6.2 billion. Free cash flow of $4.8 billion is down from $6.1 billion a year earlier and $8.4 billion three years ago. Operating margin rose to 27.1% from 17.8% two years earlier. The company cut principal debt by $1.5 billion to $11.8 billion, and aims to reach $10 billion. Operating profit covers interest 5.7 times. Commodity prices and a roughly 25% annual decline in existing wells threaten cash generation. Management targets slowing that decline to 20% by 2030, but has not yet achieved it.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 13th, 2026
Occidental stock moved against the S&P 500 last year, but with 35.3% volatility

Occidental Petroleum (OXY) shares have moved against the S&P 500 over the past year, though only since March 2026. Before that, and over five years, the stock mostly moved with the market. On an average day when the index gained 0.65%, a $10,000 Occidental holding lost about $30. On an average down day of 0.6%, it gained about $67. Even so, the stock fell on each of the index's three worst days; on the worst, it dropped 5.3% against the index's 2.7%. Occidental's volatility was 35.3% over the past year, against 13.0% for the index. Over five years it returned 15.6% a year versus 14.1% for the S&P 500, but its return per unit of volatility was 0.41, against 0.82 for the index. Oil and gas brought in $20.9 billion of its $21.6 billion fiscal 2025 revenue. Principal debt has fallen to $11.8 billion, the lowest since the second quarter of 2019.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 13th, 2026
Chevron vs Occidental: $184.4B revenue giant or higher-margin value play for 2026?

Chevron and Occidental Petroleum offer investors different bets on energy in 2026. Chevron is a fully integrated giant; Occidental focuses on exploration and production, with a push into carbon capture. In FY 2025, Chevron's revenue fell about 4.6% to nearly $184.4 billion, with net income near $12.3 billion and free cash flow of about $16.6 billion. Occidental's revenue dropped about 20.3% to nearly $21.6 billion, with net income of about $2.4 billion and free cash flow near $4.1 billion. Occidental has the edge on valuation, with a forward P/E of 9.4x against Chevron's 12.7x. It also posted a five-year average operating margin of 38%, versus 16.5% for Chevron. Chevron offers a 3.4% dividend yield and 39 straight years of increases. Occidental yields 1.8%.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 12th, 2026
Occidental shifts focus from CrownRock to $4B cash flow plan by 2030

Occidental Petroleum has shifted its message from acquisitions to cash flow. On its fiscal Q2 2026 earnings call in August, management outlined a plan to add more than $4 billion of annual sustainable cash flow by 2030. Two years ago, it led with the integration of CrownRock. Part of the plan relies on advanced recovery projects that extract more oil from existing fields. Management expects sustaining capital to fall by $900 million and interest costs to drop as debt shrinks. It said about 85% of the improvement should hold even at lower prices. Principal debt stood at $11.8 billion, with a near-term target of $10 billion. Occidental has already cut annualised interest by about $630 million, against roughly $740 million in expected savings at that level. Its stock trades at 8.3 times earnings, against 21.9 for the S&P 500.

Yahoo Finance
Oct 8th, 2026
Occidental Petroleum trades at 8x earnings despite 31% stock gain and 50% revenue-to-cash conversion

Occidental Petroleum trades at 8.0 times earnings as of October 2026, a steep discount to the S&P 500's 21.5 multiple. The oil and gas producer converted 50.6% of revenue into operating cash flow over the past twelve months, with a 27.1% operating margin exceeding the S&P 500's 18.5%. However, revenue fell for three consecutive years through fiscal 2025 before rebounding 7.3% in the last twelve months. The current low valuation also includes a one-time $3.2 billion after-tax gain from selling its OxyChem business to Berkshire Hathaway. Without this gain, the stock would trade at roughly 14 times earnings. Management is prioritising debt reduction, targeting $10 billion in principal debt, and aims to generate over $4 billion in additional annual sustainable cash flow by 2030.