At a mining, oil-and-gas, or geophysical-survey operation, you lead the geophysics function — managing geophysicists, overseeing seismic, gravity, magnetic, or electrical-survey programs, and the technical management work behind geophysics-driven exploration.
Most weeks revolve around survey planning, technical review, and exploration-team coordination — planning seismic or geophysical-survey campaigns, reviewing data interpretations from staff geophysicists, working with exploration leadership on target generation, engaging with vendors on survey-acquisition contracts. Survey-program productivity, interpretation quality, and target-generation outcomes shape the visible measures.
The harder part is often the cost-benefit calibration of geophysical work — modern surveys carry significant cost, and managers calibrate when expensive acquisitions are warranted against cheaper alternatives. Variance across employers is sharp: major oil and mining companies run with substantial geophysical organizations; junior explorers run with leaner geophysical resources, often contracted.
The role tends to fit folks who carry deep geophysical expertise, comfort with seismic-data and other geophysical methods, and supervisory craft. MSc or PhD in geophysics plus industry experience anchors advancement. The trade-off is the technical-leadership dimension that geophysical management carries and the cyclical employment realities of extractive industries.
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Roles like this one sit within a broader occupational category. The numbers below reflect that full landscape — helpful for context, but your specific experience will depend on level, specialty, and where you work.
At a mining, oil-and-gas, or geophysical-survey operation, you lead the geophysics function — managing geophysicists, overseeing seismic, gravity, magnetic, or electrical-survey programs, and the technical management work behind geophysics-driven exploration.
Median pay for a Geophysical Manager is about $161K nationally, with the field ranging roughly from $80K to $208K depending on experience, employer, and metro (BLS).
Core skills for this role include Science, Monitoring, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, and Critical Thinking.
Most people in this role hold a bachelor's degree.
Employment in this field is projected to grow about 3.7% through 2034, with roughly 100,870 people working in it today (BLS).
Closely related roles include Laboratory Operations Director (Lab Operations Director), Natural Resources Manager, and Gravity Manager.
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