O

Occidental Petroleum

Produces oil and gas and develops carbon capture

Lawyer / Counsel

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/15/2026
No salary listed
Senior
Bachelor's
Algiers [El Djazaïr], Algeria
In Person
LegalLegal Counsel & Legal Support

About the job

Requirements
  • Minimum of five years of experience working on international matters at a top-tier law firm or multinational oil and gas company.
  • Significant experience working in a civil law jurisdiction.
  • Experience in negotiations, management, and implementation of highly sophisticated contracts involving multiple parties, international and local government agencies, and interdisciplinary regulatory frameworks.
  • Experience in local Algerian employment and labor law, regulations, policies, and practices.
  • Experience working with the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the U.K. Anti-Bribery Act, sanctions, U.S. antiboycott requirements, export controls, and other compliance-related topics.
  • A law degree from a top-tier law school with excellent grades and a law license.
  • Fluency in English, French, and Arabic is required.
Responsibilities
  • Provide support to the Algeria business unit on legal matters as directed by the Managing Counsel.
  • Draft and negotiate, and advise on, exploration, development and production sharing agreements, joint venture agreements, operating agreements, operations contracts, drilling agreements, master services agreements, purchase orders, service orders, lifting agreements, marketing and sales agreements, plans of development, unitization agreements, joint facility agreements, confidentiality agreements, and other documents.
  • Provide legal advice and support to the business unit’s procurement, technical, human resources, finance, tax, information technology, compliance, and risk management departments as directed by the Managing Counsel.
  • Attend meetings and negotiations with SONATRACH, ALNAFT, ARH, international oil and gas companies, contractors, and other parties, and communicate in French, English, and Arabic as directed by the Managing Counsel.
  • Review and draft policies, standards, procedures, and guidelines for the Algeria business unit in French, English, and Arabic.
  • Review and draft templates of various types of agreements for the business unit.
  • Track, review, and advise the business unit regarding new Algerian laws affecting its interests; maintain relationships with outside counsel on these matters and regularly update the Managing Counsel and business unit.
  • Assist the business unit with presentations, minutes, and other matters relating to committees that manage or advise operations as directed by the Managing Counsel.
  • Support claims, disputes, mediations, litigation, and arbitration, including interfacing with outside counsel and attending court proceedings as directed by the Managing Counsel.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience working in international and/or Middle East and North Africa oil and gas matters is a plus.
  • A minimum of four years of top-tier law firm experience is desired.
  • Experience negotiating oil and gas contracts, particularly exploration, development and production sharing contracts, joint ventures, operating agreements, and operations contracts, is a plus.

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 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.

Yahoo Finance
Sep 9th, 2026
Trump's oil and gas holdings gained up to $4.4M during Iran war

President Donald Trump's nine largest oil and gas holdings gained between $1.5 million and $4.4 million in the first six months of the Iran war, according to a CNBC analysis of his financial disclosure and market data. The holdings include Chevron, ExxonMobil, and seven other energy companies. CNBC calculated gains using share-price movements from 27 February, the day before hostilities began, through 31 August. Trump's accounts showed at least 23 sell transactions across the nine stocks through 29 June. A White House spokesman said Trump plays no role in trading decisions, with all investments managed independently. Ethics watchdogs disputed this, noting Trump still knows his heavy energy investment positions. The nine firms posted combined second-quarter profits of $47.6 billion, triple the prior year's figure. US crude prices rose roughly 36% since the war started.