O

Occidental Petroleum

Produces oil and gas and develops carbon capture

Automation Specialist

Full-TimeUpdated on 10/23/2026
No salary listed
Senior
Bachelor's, Associate's
Hobbs, NM, USA
In PersonBased in Denver City, Texas; travel to unassigned job areas may be required as needed.
Electrical EngineeringControls & Automation Engineering

About the job

Requirements
  • Expert-level understanding of automation and electrical design principles.
  • Understanding of PSSRs and MOCs.
  • Extensive expertise in EOR safe work systems.
  • Extensive expertise in electrical and automation construction codes and practices.
  • Extensive knowledge of material specifications and their application.
  • Understanding of regulatory guidelines.
  • Strong leadership and mentoring skills.
  • Ability to perform under pressure and work effectively within a team environment.
  • Advanced computer skills, including MS Office Suite and Oxy proprietary software.
  • Knowledge of tagging conventions, programming simulation, and testing.
  • Strong time management, written, oral, and project management skills.
  • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
  • Knowledge of DCS and PLC, including digital and analog I/O, programming, and troubleshooting.
  • A two-year technical degree or equivalent working experience is required.
  • Expert knowledge of oil and gas automation systems.
  • Competent knowledge of oil and gas process facilities.
  • At least five years of oil and gas experience.
  • At least two years of oil and gas automation experience.
  • Intermediate knowledge of well RTU designs, programming, and troubleshooting.
  • Intermediate knowledge of analog and discrete instrumentation and serial and Ethernet communication protocols.
  • Intermediate knowledge of technical standards and guidelines, including API, NEC, NFPA, IEEE, and ISA.
  • Basic knowledge of maintaining PLC programs in function block, ladder logic, and structured text.
  • Basic knowledge of maintaining local HMI operator interfaces.
  • Ability and willingness to travel to unassigned job areas as needed.
  • Ability to work safely around instrumentation and electrical systems with limited supervision.
Responsibilities
  • Perform local maintenance activities and directly manage maintenance vendors and support services.
  • Represent the Automation team in plant maintenance-related correspondence.
  • Understand the plant process, equipment, and design that best support the Plant team.
  • Perform corrective and predictive maintenance on all automation equipment.
  • Track and report maintenance costs.
  • Provide accurate quotes for automation and maintenance projects.
  • Ensure PM documentation for all automation equipment is accurate, complete, and stored centrally.
  • Provide operational and maintenance support for plant analyzers, including GCs, CEMS, Dewpoint, and O2.
  • Communicate all maintenance activities with the Plant Planner and Scheduler Team.
  • Mentor and train junior Automation Technicians on process flow and troubleshooting PLCs, HMIs, and end devices.
  • Respond to outages and provide automation support.
  • Work from the assigned schedule and maintain no out-of-compliance work orders.
  • Provide plant DCS and PLC troubleshooting support.
  • Provide analytical support on plant problems and input on new technologies.
  • Ensure plants are maintained in an orderly manner, including proper management of PLC programs, PLC panel wiring, and cleanliness of automation equipment.
Desired Qualifications
  • A bachelor's degree in Automation, Electrical Engineering, or a related discipline is preferred.
  • At least five years of oil and gas experience with a strong electrical background and a state-accredited license.
  • At least one year of upstream oil and gas automation experience.
  • Experience with Allen-Bradley and Rosemount equipment.
  • Ability to read and understand Cause & Effects, P&IDs, wiring diagrams, and control narratives.
  • Basic ability to troubleshoot control networks for well sites, well pads, tank batteries, saltwater disposal, and compressor stations, including ControlNet, Ethernet I/P, network switches, fiber optics, and RF communications.
  • Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to work effectively with management, technical, and field personnel.

About the company

O

Occidental Petroleum

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Website

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

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.