Vaulted is a waste management company that removes carbon. We take organic waste that can pollute our environment above ground and safely inject it ultra deep underground—permanently removing carbon from the atmosphere while protecting local land, air, and water. Vaulted is based in Houston, San Francisco, and Kansas.
With a growing team of 70+ people across the country, Vaulted signed the second largest carbon removal offtake ever with Microsoft in July 2025 and is rapidly expanding to new sites.
Vaulted's proprietary technology builds on decades of expertise to deliver safe, durable carbon and waste management solutions now, at scale.
Landman
Reports to: Director of Commercial | Location: Houston, TX | Level: Senior
Position Summary
Vaulted Deep develops, constructs, owns, and operates deep well injection facilities that permanently remove carbon from the atmosphere by injecting organic waste — manure, treated sewage, paper sludge, and agricultural byproducts — below confining geology. The Landman secures the surface and subsurface land rights every project depends on: well-pad sites, pipeline rights-of-way, pore space, and the water and disposal rights tied to injection operations. The role runs land title, negotiates and closes the agreements that give the company control of a site, and delivers clean, defensible land positions to Development and Legal.
This is a negotiation and land-rights role, not a records-only or title-clerk function. The Landman is accountable for site control — that the agreements underpinning a project are signed, enforceable, and free of defects that surface at Final Investment Decision.
Why This Role Matters
Site control is a gating condition at every capital approval. A project cannot advance past Concept Select without land access, and cannot reach Final Investment Decision without clear title and secured rights-of-way. This role retires that risk across a growing, multi-project pipeline: 10+ opportunities in origination, 3 in active development, targeting three-plus projects under construction within two years.
Pore-space, produced-water, and waste-injection rights are less standardized than conventional oil & gas leasehold. Getting them right early determines whether a site is developable and at what cost.
Primary Responsibilities
– Negotiate and close land agreements — surface leases and purchases, pore-space agreements, pipeline and utility rights-of-way, and access easements
– Secure well-pad sites and the associated subsurface rights required for injection operations
– Run and clear land title; identify and resolve encumbrances, gaps, and competing claims before FID
– Structure and negotiate water-sourcing and produced-water / disposal rights where applicable
– Build and maintain the land position of record for each project, in partnership with Legal
– Provide land inputs to commercial term sheets and to project economics
– Coordinate third-party landmen, title companies, and outside counsel; own QA/QC of their work
– Maintain landowner relationships through negotiation, execution, and ongoing operations
Leadership Responsibilities
Individual-contributor role reporting to the Director of Commercial. Directs contract landmen, title agents, and outside land counsel on a project-by-project basis. Works closely with Legal on title and agreement structure, with Geoscience and Engineering on siting and rights-of-way, and with Commercial on term-sheet land inputs. Presents land-position readiness at stage-gate and Final Investment Decision reviews.
Required Experience
– 10–15 years of land experience, including direct negotiation and closing of land agreements. Oil & gas land experience preferred; oil & gas production experience is not required.
– Demonstrated experience securing well pads, pipeline rights-of-way, and related surface, subsurface and access rights
– Track record running and clearing land title on capital or development projects
– Experience negotiating with landowners, counterparties, and counsel from first contact through signed, enforceable agreement
– Bachelor's degree, or equivalent land experience
Preferred Experience
– Experience securing pore space, produced-water, waste-injection, or similar subsurface rights
– AAPL affiliation or Registered Professional Landman (RPL / RL) credentials
– Experience across multiple states and regulatory regimes
– Familiarity with UIC-permitted or disposal-well land requirements
Technical Competencies
– Land title examination, curative work, and chain-of-title analysis
– Pore-space, mineral, and surface-estate rights and their interactions
– Pipeline and utility right-of-way routing, width, and easement terms
– Water-sourcing and produced-water rights relevant to injection operations
– Recording, regulatory, and county-level land requirements
Commercial & Business Competencies
– Negotiates land agreements start to finish, not from fixed templates
– Translates land terms into cost, schedule, and risk impact for project economics
– Structures option, lease, and purchase terms that preserve project optionality
– Coordinates land inputs to commercial term sheets alongside Commercial & Land