Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for a **Hot Oil Analyst**

🎯 Role Definition

As our Hot Oil Analyst, you will be the analytical engine driving the efficiency and effectiveness of our well maintenance programs. You are the critical link between raw field data and strategic operational decisions. Your core mission is to delve deep into production and treatment data to optimize our hot oiling schedules, minimize well downtime, and reduce operating expenditures. By identifying trends, evaluating treatment performance, and providing actionable insights to Production Engineers and Field Operations teams, you will directly impact asset profitability and ensure the long-term health of our wells. This position is perfect for a detail-oriented analyst who thrives on solving complex problems and wants to see their work translate into tangible results in the field.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Production Technician
Field Data Analyst
Junior Production Engineer

Advancement To:

Senior Production Analyst
Production Engineer
Operations Supervisor / Foreman

Lateral Moves:

Data Scientist (Energy Focus)
Completions Analyst
Reservoir Engineering Technician

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Conduct in-depth analysis of historical hot oil treatment data to optimize treatment frequencies, fluid volumes, and temperatures for different well types and reservoir conditions.
Monitor, track, and interpret real-time and historical well performance data (production rates, pressures, temperatures) using SCADA and other production systems to identify wells requiring intervention.
Develop and maintain comprehensive dashboards and reports using data visualization tools like Spotfire or Power BI to communicate treatment effectiveness and production uplift to management.
Perform economic analysis, including calculating payout times and return on investment (ROI), for each hot oil job to ensure cost-effectiveness and justify program expenditures.
Collaborate directly with Production Engineers and Field Superintendents to build and manage the forward-looking hot oil treatment schedule, balancing operational constraints with analytical recommendations.
Act as the primary point of contact for analyzing failures or suboptimal results from treatments, performing root cause analysis to drive continuous improvement in procedures.
Build and refine predictive models to forecast paraffin deposition rates and proactively schedule treatments before significant production losses occur.
Generate and present detailed "lookback" reports that compare pre- and post-treatment production performance to quantify the value and success of the hot oil program.
Manage and ensure the integrity of the hot oil treatment database, meticulously recording job details, costs, and results in systems like Wellview or internal databases.
Identify and flag underperforming wells or trends of declining treatment effectiveness, initiating deeper investigation and proposing alternative solutions like chemical treatments or mechanical interventions.
Create Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to benchmark the efficiency of the hot oil fleet, vendors, and overall program performance against internal targets and industry standards.
Liaise with the chemical team to analyze the interaction between hot oiling and other chemical treatment programs, ensuring compatibility and optimizing the total well-maintenance strategy.
Support the asset team with budget forecasting and accruals related to well servicing and chemical expenses, providing data-backed projections.
Utilize SQL and other query languages to extract, manipulate, and analyze large datasets from various production and financial databases.
Systematically review and validate field-captured data for accuracy and completeness, working with field personnel to correct discrepancies and improve data quality at the source.
Prepare compelling presentations and technical summaries for multidisciplinary team meetings, clearly articulating findings and influencing operational strategy.
Stay current with industry best practices and emerging technologies in paraffin mitigation and well intervention to recommend innovative improvements.
Coordinate with logistics and field personnel to ensure the efficient dispatch and utilization of hot oiler units, minimizing travel time and non-productive hours.
Analyze failure trends (e.g., rod parts, tubing leaks) in relation to treatment schedules to identify potential correlations and recommend preventative actions.
Provide analytical support for AFE (Authorization for Expenditure) generation for well workovers and other intervention projects.
Develop standardized analytical workflows and reporting templates to improve the efficiency and consistency of the production analysis function.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis from engineering, geology, and management teams.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap by identifying data gaps and suggesting improvements.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements for the data platform team.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering and analytics team.
Mentor junior analysts or field technicians on data best practices and the use of analytical tools.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Data Querying & Manipulation: Advanced proficiency in SQL for extracting and transforming data from relational databases.
Data Visualization: Expertise in creating insightful dashboards and reports using tools like TIBCO Spotfire, Power BI, or Tableau.
Advanced Excel: Mastery of Excel for data analysis, including pivot tables, complex formulas, Power Query, and VBA macros.
Oil & Gas Production Software: Hands-on experience with industry software such as Wellview, PRODVIEW, Cygnet, or similar production data management systems.
Economic Analysis: Ability to perform cost-benefit analysis, ROI calculations, and build basic economic models.
Production Operations Knowledge: Strong understanding of upstream oil and gas operations, including artificial lift systems (rod pump, ESPs), wellbore components, and failure mechanisms.
SCADA Systems: Familiarity with interpreting data from SCADA systems to understand real-time well behavior.
Statistical Analysis: Foundational knowledge of statistical methods to identify trends, correlations, and outliers in datasets.

Soft Skills

Analytical & Problem-Solving: A deep-seated curiosity and a structured approach to dissecting complex problems and finding data-driven solutions.
Communication: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical analysis into clear, actionable insights for non-technical audiences.
Collaboration & Teamwork: Proven ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary teams, including engineers, field staff, and management.
Attention to Detail: Meticulous and thorough in data validation, analysis, and reporting to ensure accuracy and reliability.
Initiative & Self-Direction: A proactive and independent worker who can manage multiple priorities and deadlines with minimal supervision.
Influence & Persuasion: Confidence in presenting findings and defending recommendations to stakeholders to drive change.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field OR equivalent combination of technical training and direct industry experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Data Science, or a related quantitative discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Petroleum Engineering
Data Science / Analytics
Geology
Mathematics / Statistics
Chemical Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

3-7 years of experience within the upstream oil and gas industry, specifically in a production analysis, data analysis, or production engineering role.

Preferred:

Direct experience analyzing well intervention programs (hot oiling, chemical treatments, workovers).
Prior experience working closely with field operations and an understanding of the practical challenges of well servicing.