Careers at ConocoPhillips
Mission
ConocoPhillips produces, transports, markets and sells crude oil and natural gas, as well as other related products, for use across multiple industries worldwide.
Business segments
ConocoPhillips’s operations are managed through six operating segments, which are primarily defined by geographic region:
- Alaska, comprising the Company’s exploration, production, transportation, and marketing of crude oil and natural gas across Alaska’s Greater Prudhoe, Greater Kuparuk, Western North Slope, and Cook Inlet regions;
- Lower 48, comprising the Company’s oil and gas operations across the Lower 48 US states and exploration activities in the Gulf of Mexico;
- Canada, principally comprising the Company’s operations at natural gas fields in western Canada and oil sands developments in the Athabasca Region of northeastern Alberta;
- Europe and North Africa, comprising the Company’s operations and exploration activities in Norway, the UK and Libya;
- Asia Pacific and Middle East, comprising the Company’s exploration and production operations in China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia, its producing operations in Qatar and Timor-Leste, and its exploration activities in Brunei; and
- Other International, comprising the Company’s exploration activities in Colombia, Angola and Senegal.
History
ConocoPhillips has its roots in three oil companies established more than 100 years ago during the US oil rush: Continental Oil and Transportation, Marland Oil Company, and Phillips Petroleum.
The Company traces its origins back to the establishment of Continental Oil and Transportation in 1875 by Isaac Elder Blake (“Blake”), who began importing kerosene by railroad from Colorado to Utah, and in 1880 oversaw the construction of the first pipeline in California, stretching from Pico to Ventura. In 1911 Marland Oil Company was founded by E W Marland following his discovery of an oil well. This was followed shortly by the establishment in 1913 of Phillips Petroleum by brothers Frank and L E Phillips.
In 1929 Continental Oil and Transportation, by then a leading marketer of oil and oil products, merged with oil producer Marland Oil Company, forming Continental Oil Company (“Conoco”). Both Conoco and Phillips Petroleum continue to grow through the 20th Century, expanding their activities and diversifying their operations and offerings.
In 1997, Conoco separated from DuPont which had acquired the company in 1981. Conoco went public a year later, listing shares on the New York Stock Exchange, raising $4.4 billion in what was then the largest ever initial public offering. In 2001 Conoco and Phillips Petroleum agreed to merge, creating ConocoPhillips as it is today. The Company continues to trade shares publicly and has a current market capitalisation of $52.30 billion.
Benefits at ConocoPhillips





Business model of ConocoPhillips
Customer Segments
ConocoPhillips markets crude oil, natural gas, natural gas liquids, liquefied natural gas and bitumen to customers worldwide. This principally comprises medium and large businesses operating within the energy, utility, and petroleum industries, including private and state-owned entities.
ConocoPhillips provides oil and gas to a number of high-profile companies, including British multinational oil and gas company BG Group, China’s state-controlled PetroChina, and Malaysia’s government-owned Petroliam Nasional.
ConocoPhillips serves a global customer base, recording sales across numerous jurisdictions including Australia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Norway, and the UK. The Company’s largest market, however, is its native US, which in 2015 accounted for around 55% of total sales revenue for the year.
Value Propositions
ConocoPhillips provides value to its customers in the following ways:
- Its industry standing and brand recognition, with the Company an established and well-respected name within the oil and gas industry, serving a range of high-profile companies;
- Its track-record for reliable project and product delivery, with the Company having successfully completed numerous projects and delivering a range of products over the course of more than 100 years;
- Its global sales and operational reach, with the Company serving customers and participating in exploration and production projects across the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and other jurisdictions worldwide; and
- Its experience and technical expertise, with the Company employing specialist staff across its across its various departments and operational locations, including experienced industry executives.
Channels
ConocoPhillips operates a website at www.conocophilips.com, where it provides information to customers on in activities, services, and operating locations. The nature of the Company’s operations, however, does not allow for the operation of an online sales channel.
ConocoPhillips primarily makes sales through its own direct sales teams, which are organised by geographic location. The Company also collaborates directly with customers on certain projects through its own operating teams and equipment.
ConocoPhillips transports oil and natural gas using pipelines, tankers, trucks and rail to connect its supply to customers worldwide, with the chosen delivery method depending on the project, location, economics, accessibility and environmental considerations.
Customer Relationships
ConocoPhillips does not provide products or services to its customers on a self-service basis. Instead, the Company’s business model requires that customers consult directly with members of the ConocoPhillips sales and operations teams in order to establish a clear brief and an understanding of deliverable requirements.
The Company’s personal care extends to various support and assistance services provided to customers during projects and after sales. Customers are able to contact ConocoPhillips directly through an online contact form, receiving tailored responses to queries, concerns and enquiries.
ConocoPhillips provides its customers with information on company developments and activities through its Newsroom portal, which includes news releases, presentations, and information. Customers can also interact directly with the Company through its social media accounts, including with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.
Key Activities
ConocoPhillips is an oil and gas exploration and production company. It locates, produces, transports and markets crude oil, bitumen, natural gas and liquefied natural gas to customers across the petrochemical, utility, energy sectors. ConocoPhillips operates through six operating segments, which are defined principally by geographic region: Alaska; Lower 48; Canada; Europe and North Africa; Asia Pacific and Middle East, and Other International.
The Company's has ongoing production projects across the US, Norway, the UK, Canada, Australia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, China, Malaysia and Qatar, and includes in its operational portfolio unconventional assets in North America, oil sands assets in Canada, various other international developments, and an inventory of global conventional and unconventional exploration prospects.
Key Partners
ConocoPhillips collaborates with a range of companies throughout the process of producing and distributing its oil and gas products. These partners can be divided into the following principal categories:
- Joint-Venture Partners, primarily comprising oil and gas operators with which the Company collaborates on exploration and production products through jointly-owned operating entities that typically operate on a regional basis;
- Supplier Partners, comprising suppliers of resources, equipment, tools and services, as well as contracting firms, that support the Company’s exploration, production and distribution activities; and
- Shipping and Distribution Partners, comprising companies that assist in the transportation of the Company’s products, including shipping, logistics and pipeline operators.
ConocoPhillips has joint-venture partnerships with a number of high-profile companies, including Total, Sinopec, Qatar Petroleum, and Origin Energy. The Company also has a partnership with SEMCO Maritime for the development of telecommunication systems at the Norwegian oil fields Ekofisk and Eldfisk.
Key Resources
ConocoPhillips’s key resources are its technologies and intellectual properties, its project equipment and tools, its supply chain, its physical logistics and storage infrastructure, its sales and distribution channels, its partnerships, and its personnel.
At the end of 2015, ConocoPhillips held a total of 1,012 active patents in 58 countries worldwide, including 387 active US patents. During 2015, the Company received 46 patents in the US and 85 foreign patents. The Company does not consider the overall profitability of any business segment to be dependent on any single patent, trademark, or licence.
Cost Structure
ConocoPhillips incurs costs in relation to its research and development activities, the purchase and maintenance of equipment, the acquisition of supplies, the operation of active project assets, the storage and transportation of oil and gas, the management of its partnerships, and the retention of its personnel.
In 2015 ConocoPhillips largest expense related to its purchase of commodities, which amounted to $12.43 billion. This was followed by production and operating expenses in the amount of $7.01 billion, and exploration costs in the amount of $4.19 billion.
Revenue Streams
ConocoPhillips primarily generates revenue through the sale of crude oil, bitumen, natural gas, liquefied natural gas, natural gas liquids and other related items. In 2015 the Company’s revenue was recorded at $30.94 billion, down considerably on the $55.52 billion generated by the Company in 2014. The Company attributed this principally to a 44% decrease in sales and operating revenue as a result of lower prices across all commodities.
ConocoPhillips’s sales of crude oil were its largest revenue generator in 2015, amounting to $12.83 billion, while sales of natural gas amounted to $11.89 billion. The Company’s Lower 48 segment was its most lucrative, generating $11.98 in sales revenue for the year, more than 38% of the Company’s total annual revenue.
Our team
info: Ryan (“Lance”) has served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ConocoPhillips since 2012. He also chairs the Company’s Executive Committee. Outside of ConocoPhillips, Lance is also Chairman of the American Petroleum Institute, a member of the board of directors for the Montana Tech Foundation, and a member of the advisory council of the University of Texas Energy Institute. Lance has more than 30 years of experience within the oil and gas industry, including a number of technical and senior leadership positions at ConocoPhillips, and at its predecessor Phillips Petroleum, which he joined in 2001 as General Manager of Lower 48 and Canadian operations. He has since held a number of senior executive posts, including roles that saw him oversee international exploration and production, regional operations across Asia, Africa, the Middle East and North America, and responsibility for technology, major projects, downstream strategy, integration and specialty functions. Prior to joining ConocoPhillips, Lance was a long-serving employee of ARCO, including positions in Alaska, California and Texas.
info: Don (“Wallette”) has served as Executive Vice President of Finance and Commercial and Chief Financial Officer at ConocoPhillips since 2012. Wallette has been with ConocoPhillips since 1981, when he joined the Company as a staff drilling engineer. He went on to hold a number of project development roles in England and the Southern Gas Basin, as well as serving as Oklahoma Region Manager for the Company’s midstream business, Manager of Corporate Planning and Development, and Production and Process/Transportation Manager in Norway. Wallette has also provided management consulting services to Russian oil giant Lukoil. His former senior executive functions include spells as Executive Vice President of Commercial, Business Development and Corporate Planning, President of Asia Pacific and President of Russia/Caspian.
info: Matt (“Fox”) has served as Executive Vice President of Strategy, Exploration and Technology since 2016, taking responsibility for, among other things, strategic planning, exploration, business development and resource base management. Fox first joined ConocoPhillips in 1983 as a reservoir engineer in London and Aberdeen. He served in senior reservoir engineering roles in Dubai and Houston, before being named Chief Reservoir Engineer in the Company's Reservoir Technology Division. Fox has since been entrusted with a number of executive positions, including Executive Vice President of Exploration and Production, President of ConocoPhillips Canada, Senior Vice President of Oil Sands in Canada, and Manager of North Slope Development in Alaska. In between roles with ConocoPhillips, Fox also served briefly as Executive Vice President of International for Nexen.