At Murphy Oil Corporation, we believe the rich experiences and backgrounds of our employees strengthen our Company, create a productive workforce, and drive our success. We encourage you to apply for the positions for which you meet the qualifications.

Job Summary

Murphy is committed to providing energy that empowers people and positively impacts lives. To further this commitment, we are seeking an experienced Director of Emerging Technology to build, lead, and scale our innovation program, shaping how new ideas translate into real business impact. The Director of Emerging Technology will be responsible for driving strategic evaluation, adoption, and integration of transformative technologies to unlock competitive advantage and sustainable innovation. This senior leadership role bridges technical expertise with business value creation, ensuring the organization stays ahead of technological shifts while managing risk and driving measurable outcomes. Driving innovation and growth by identifying new opportunities, fostering a culture of innovation, and implementing new ways of working, processes and technologies that enhance capital efficiency, safety, and sustainability across our operations. The Director of Emerging Technology is responsible for continuously scanning the technology horizon, identifying high-impact opportunities, and orchestrating cross-functional initiatives that translate emerging technologies into business value. This role leads proof-of-concept efforts, builds stakeholder alignment, and ensures that innovative investments deliver ROI while adhering to governance and risk standards. The director operates at the intersection of strategy, execution, and enablement—championing technologies that redefine operations, products, and business models. The ideal candidate is a visionary leader who can leverage emerging technologies partnerships and industry trends to maintain our competitive edge in the fast-paced, evolving environment.

of upstream oil and gas.

The Director of Innovation will report to the CTO in our Houston Corporate office and may work two (2) days a week remotely.

Responsibilities

Technology Strategy and Vision

Define and maintain a rolling multi-year emerging technology roadmap aligned with business objectives
Continuously scan industry trends, competitive movements, and technological breakthroughs to connect trends to business opportunities and competitive positioning to inform strategic priorities
Strategic thinker with comfort navigating ambiguity with the ability to translate vision of complex technologies into compelling narratives for executive, technical and operational stakeholders with actionable plans and measurable results.

Evaluation and Prioritization

Lead research and assessment of emerging technologies using structured frameworks
Conduct risk-benefit analyses that balance innovation potential against technical, organizational, and business risks
Prioritize opportunities based on maturity, ROI timeline, and strategic fit – honoring failing fast and distinguishing hype from genuine business impact,

Proof of Concept and Pilot Management

Expertise in agile methodologies, design and execute POCs and pilot projects that validate technical feasibility and business value
Set clear success criteria, time limits, and handover processes to ensure scalable implementation
Partner with business sponsors to assess readiness for production deployment and secure executive commitment

Cross-Functional Leadership

Break down silos by coordinating multidisciplinary teams—combining technical experts with domain specialists
Proven ability to influence without authority and build coalitions across IT/OT, security, infrastructure, technical and business leaders to embed emerging tech into enterprise architecture
Experience managing multidisciplinary relationships and driving cultural change towards innovation and continuous improvement

Communication and Change Management

Build an adoption program with focus on measuring, learning, adopting then educate stakeholders across the organization on technology potential, risks, and use cases through demos, presentations, and immersive experiences
Act as an evangelist for technology-driven innovation, building trust and momentum for adoption while addressing overenthusiastic expectations and resistance by grounding conversations in realistic scenarios and business outcomes
Implement and adhere to a change management methodology.

Talent Development and Ecosystem Building

Develop and manage strategic partnerships with government, universities and research labs
Represent Murphy in industry consortia and multi-party collaborations (e.g., standards bodies, pre-competitive research groups, shared testbeds) (example Darcy Partners)
Build an external innovation network across: Startups, incubators/accelerators, venture capital partners to bring back innovative solutions in house (ex - Surfactant Pilot)
Engage Government agencies, national labs, and other grant programs for funding sourcing for strategic operational initiatives.
Empower individuals to be creative and innovative by providing an environment to test ideas and quickly apply learnings, fostering a culture of continuous improvement, fast learning cycles, experimentation, and technical literacy across the organization to drive long term invocation

Value Realization and Performance Measurement

Define KPIs and success metrics for emerging technology initiatives—tracking ROI, efficiency gains, and strategic impact
Document lessons learned and transition successful pilots into production teams with clear ownership and integration plans
Demonstrate business value through quantified outcomes to justify ongoing investment and scale initiatives

Intellectual Property (IP), Legal & Governance

Collaborate with Legal/IP teams to structure agreements covering:
IP ownership, licensing, publication review, confidentiality, background vs. foreground IP
Establish governance for external collaborations: Contract templates, review gates, compliance requirements, and reporting

Qualifications/ Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Natural Sciences, Mathematics, Geosciences or related technical field (required)
Advanced degree, preferred (PhD or MBA)

Minimum 15 years’ experience in Operations, Engineering, Technology or relevant field with responsibilities focused on innovation management, emerging ops tech research, digital transformation, or organization transformation at scale within the oil and gas sector

Proven track record of successfully evaluating, piloting, and scaling emerging technologies in a diverse enterprise environment
Experienced business acumen, creative problem-solving, and stakeholder influence
Background in influencing strategic planning, operational technology, or digital transformation at scale

Desired/Preferred Qualifications

Strong understanding of subsurface and exploration, drilling and completions, or upstream production operations is preferred.
Proven innovator, driving adoption of new technologies to deliver business value

The individual is required to follow all applicable safety precautions. Work is performed almost entirely in a controlled (i.e., inside) environment and does not typically subject the incumbent to any hazardous/extreme elements; some positions may require regularly moving or transporting items weighing up to 25 lbs. around the office for various needs. The successful candidate must be able to complete all essential physical requirements of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.

#LI-Hybrid
PURPOSE

We believe in providing energy that empowers people.

MISSION

We challenge the norm, tap into our strong legacy and use our foresight and financial discipline to deliver inspired energy solutions.

VISION

We see a future where we are an industry leader who is positively impacting lives for the next 100 years and beyond.

VALUES & BEHAVIORS

Do Right Always

Respect people, safety, environment and the law

Follow through on commitments

Make it better

Think Beyond Possible

Offer solution

Step up and lead

Don’t settle for “good enough”

Embrace new opportunities

Stay With It

Show resilience

Lean into challenges

Support each other

Consider the implications

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Murphy Oil Corporation participates in the Department of Homeland Security U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' E-Verify program. Please read the E-Verify Notice-English / E-Verify Notice-Spanish and Right to Work Notice before proceeding with your job application.

For additional information, you may also visit the USCIS website .

Murphy Oil Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, and status as a protected veteran, or any other category protected by federal, state or local laws.
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