Background

The Natural Resources Trust Authority (NRTA) was created by Act 727 of 2024 as a financial arm within the State Mineral and Energy Board (SMEB). The NRTA’s mission is to develop and manage financial instruments that secure obligations related to oil-field site restoration — particularly the plugging and abandonment of orphaned wells. The Authority assumed responsibility for the administration of financial security mechanisms previously managed by the Louisiana Oilfield Restoration Association.

As the fiduciary body responsible for holding and managing state resources tied to plugging and abandonment obligations, the NRTA must operate independently and at arm’s length from any agency or individual. Louisiana statutes place the Authority under the oversight of the SMEB and require coordination with the State Bond Commission and State Treasury. Public finance laws mandate treasury deposits, expenditures only through legislative appropriation, and full collateralization of balances. Ethical and fiduciary rules further require impartiality, segregation of duties, and transparent governance. These safeguards protect public funds, uphold legal compliance, and ensure the NRTA acts only with explicit authorization from the SMEB.

Scope and Purpose

The NRTA is responsible for designing, implementing, and managing financial assurance mechanisms that reduce the state’s fiscal exposure and provide long-term environmental protection. These mechanisms include pooled financial assurance programs, site-specific trust accounts, alternatives to traditional surety instruments for oil and gas operators, and decommissioning funds for renewable energy facilities. As Louisiana expands its portfolio of energy development, the Authority’s work ensures that long-term liabilities associated with resource extraction, restoration, and environmental remediation are financially secured and responsibly managed.

Within this framework, the Finance Officer serves as C&E’s lead specialist for financial assurance, ensuring that all financial security instruments required for environmental and energy regulatory programs are properly established, validated, tracked, enforced, and aligned with statutory and policy requirements. This role protects the State’s natural resources and taxpayers by ensuring adequate financial guarantees exist to cover site restoration, decommissioning, closure, or long-term liability across a diverse regulatory portfolio.

Position Summary

The Finance Officer serves as the Department’s lead specialist for financial assurance programs, managing instruments that safeguard Louisiana’s natural resources and minimize fiscal exposure to the state. This role oversees the full lifecycle of financial instruments—including bonds, letters of credit, cash escrows, and other financial guarantees—across regulatory programs such as oil and gas site restoration, renewable energy decommissioning, carbon sequestration, and other environmental or infrastructure closure activities.

The Finance Officer ensures that all financial obligations are accurately documented, legally enforceable, and aligned with permitting conditions. This position collaborates extensively with operators, financial institutions, and departmental program offices, providing strategic financial oversight, risk mitigation, and fund stewardship.

This role requires independent judgment, precise financial documentation, and proactive coordination with operators and financial institutions.

• A bachelor's degree in finance, business administration, economics, or a closely related field Advanced degrees or certifications (e.g., CFA, CPA, CTP) are strongly preferred.
• Five (5) years of progressive experience in financial analysis, banking, public finance, or regulatory financial assurance.
• Demonstrated experience with financial instruments such as surety bonds, letters of credit, and escrow agreements in either public or private sector roles.
• Familiarity with government processes related to fund collection, bonding, and permitting compliance is highly desirable.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills with attention to financial detail and regulatory context.
• Proficiency in spreadsheet modeling and data platforms; experience with ERP, workflow, or financial tracking systems is a plus.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interface across technical, administrative, and external stakeholders.

The Finance Officer supports the Natural Resources Trust Authority in managing the Authority’s financial assurance programs. This role provides expert oversight of financial instruments, ensures compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, and helps safeguard the state’s fiscal and environmental interests.

• Administer and oversee financial assurance instruments across all regulated program areas.
• Evaluate and validate financial instruments for statutory and regulatory compliance.
• Maintain and update all instruments in SONRIS, tracking active, pending, and expiring instruments.
• Monitor expirations and renewals, coordinating with operators and financial institutions to prevent coverage lapses.
• Manage collections and enforcement, including calling defaulted instruments, submitting claims, and supporting formal enforcement actions.
• Reconcile bank and custodial accounts, verify fund flows, and investigate discrepancies.
• Generate and track invoices for financial assurance fees, maintain receivables logs, and escalate delinquent accounts.
• Collaborate with various C&E offices and divisions to align financial assurance with project timelines and compliance.
• Prepare monthly financial reports and dashboards for the NRTA Board and SMEB.
• Identify and implement process improvements, including digitization, workflow automation, and template standardization.

Position-Specific Details
Appointment Type: Unclassified
Work Schedule: Work hours are flexible.
Compensation: $75,000 - $110,000 annually

The final salary will be determined based on the selected candidate’s qualifications and experience.

How to Apply

To apply for this vacancy, click on the “Apply” link above and complete an electronic application, which can be used for this vacancy as well as future job opportunities. Applicants are responsible for checking the status of their application to determine where they are in the recruitment process. Further status message information is located under the Information section of the Current Job Opportunities page.

For further information about this vacancy contact:

Email: _DCE-Recruiting@la.gov
Human Resources Division
Department of Conservation and Energy
PO Box 94396
Baton Rouge, LA 70804-9396

Louisiana is a State As a Model Employer (SAME) that supports the recruitment, hiring, and retention of individuals with disabilities.

Benefits
Louisiana State Government represents a wide variety of career options and offers an outstanding opportunity tomake a difference through public service. With an array of career opportunities in every major metropolitan center and in many rural areas, state employment provides an outstanding option to begin or continue your career.

As a state employee, you will earn competitive pay, choose from a variety of benefits, and have access to a great professional development program:

• Louisiana State Employees Retirement System (www.lasersonline.org). LASERS has provided this video to give you more detailed information about their system
• Teacher's Retirement System of Louisiana (www.trsl.org),
• Louisiana School Employees Retirement System (www.lsers.net), among others