Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Upstream Assistant

🎯 Role Definition

The Upstream Assistant supports day‑to‑day upstream operations, including wellsite logistics, production monitoring, well testing, data capture and validation, and cross‑functional coordination with drilling, reservoir, and production engineering teams. The role is responsible for accurate collection and management of operational and reservoir data, implementing HSE requirements on site, and producing concise operational reports and KPI summaries that drive production optimization and safe execution of field activities.

Keywords: Upstream Assistant, production operations, wellsite support, reservoir surveillance, well testing, drilling logistics, SCADA, production data, HSE compliance, upstream data analyst.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Field Technician / Production Tech
Petroleum Engineering Intern or Graduate Trainee
Drilling Fluids or Wellsite Services Technician

Advancement To:

Production Engineer / Upstream Engineer
Reservoir Engineering Analyst
Senior Field Supervisor / Operations Coordinator

Lateral Moves:

Drilling Coordinator
HSE Advisor (Field Safety)
Asset Data Analyst

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Coordinate and execute wellsite support activities including rig moves, well service crews, logging and perforating operations, ensuring adherence to the work program and well construction plan while maintaining clear communication with the drilling contractor and service providers.
Perform production surveillance by monitoring SCADA and field instrumentation feeds, logging trends for pressure, temperature and flow, detecting anomalies in real time, and escalating incidents to production engineers to minimize downtime and lost production.
Collect, validate, and upload well test data, flowback records, pressure transient tests, and well completion reports into the company’s production databases (e.g., OFM, PI, OpenWells, SAP), ensuring data integrity for reservoir and production modeling.
Prepare detailed daily, weekly and monthly operational and production reports, including KPI dashboards, variance analyses, and explanatory notes for the asset manager, operations manager, and regulatory reporting.
Assist reservoir and production engineers with reservoir surveillance tasks by providing cleaned datasets, well history files, PVT and sample logs, and by performing initial QC and basic analysis to support reservoir simulation and decline-curve forecasting.
Support routine well integrity checks, pressure monitoring, leak detection, and tubing/pump surveillance; coordinate remedial well interventions, NDT inspections, and well maintenance activities with field service companies.
Execute and supervise well testing campaigns (including MDT, wireline, DST) and surface flowback operations; ensure proper sampling, labeling, chain-of-custody and delivery of fluid and core samples for laboratory analysis.
Manage and maintain field inventory for critical spares, chemicals, and downhole tools; coordinate logistics, dispatch equipment, and track vendor deliveries to support continuous operations.
Support drilling and completion planning by preparing permit packages, material lists, job hazard analyses, and ensuring regulatory and internal compliance before mobilization.
Maintain and update GIS layers, wellbore schematics, lease maps, and field asset registers; produce accurate well location documentation and as-built drawings for multi‑disciplinary teams.
Administer CMMS and work order systems for routine maintenance tasks, ensuring timely scheduling, cost tracking, and close-out of maintenance activities with proper documentation.
Perform basic data analytics using Excel, SQL or Python scripts to identify production trends, run simple decline curve analyses, calculate volumetrics and provide actionable recommendations to improve recovery.
Coordinate with HSE teams to implement and enforce safety procedures on site, lead toolbox talks, participate in incident investigations, and maintain compliance with environmental permits and regulatory inspections.
Liaise with geology and seismic interpretation teams to ensure wireline logs, core descriptions, and seismic tie data are captured and delivered for reservoir modeling efforts.
Oversee vendor and contractor performance on site, including daily briefings, monitoring scope compliance, verifying invoices against service records and ensuring quality of delivered services.
Assist in the preparation of budgets and expenditure tracking for field campaigns, recording costs against job codes, identifying variances and supporting procurement of services and materials.
Support emergency response plans and on-call rosters; act as the field focal point during well control events and coordinate communication with the incident command and stakeholders.
Implement and maintain standardized data entry templates, metadata standards, and quality control procedures to support enterprise data governance initiatives across upstream teams.
Conduct routine equipment calibration checks (pressure gauges, flowmeters, temperature sensors) and coordinate third‑party calibration services to ensure measurement accuracy for production and fiscal reporting.
Facilitate cross‑functional meetings (operations, HSE, reservoir, drilling, commercial) to prepare for well interventions, ensure alignment on objectives, and produce concise action items and post‑job summaries.
Provide onsite mentorship to junior field staff and trainees on safe work practices, proper data collection protocols, and use of field software tools to build operational capability in the asset team.
Prepare and submit regulatory and stakeholder reports as required (production reports, flaring/venting declarations, sampling logs), ensuring timely submission and accurate recordkeeping.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Production monitoring & surveillance (SCADA systems, PI, SCADA historian extraction, alarms management).
Well testing and flowback operations expertise, including pressure transient interpretation basics and sample handling protocols.
Strong data management skills: experience with upstream databases (OFM, OpenWells, PHDWin or equivalent) and ETL principles.
Familiarity with wellsite systems and logs: wireline logs, mud logs, core sample management and basic petrophysical interpretation support.
Proficient in Microsoft Excel (advanced formulas, pivot tables, VBA macros) and experience with data visualization tools (Power BI, Tableau).
Basic scripting and data query skills (SQL, Python or R) for data cleanup, aggregations, and quick analytics.
Working knowledge of ERP/CMMS systems (SAP, Maximo, Infor) for work orders, inventory and procurement tracking.
Understanding of HSE management systems, permit-to-work processes, and incident reporting workflow.
Experience with pressure/flow measurement devices and calibration procedures, and familiarity with fiscal metering concepts.
GIS and mapping skills (ArcGIS, QGIS) and the ability to produce accurate location and lease maps.
Exposure to reservoir engineering concepts (material balance, decline curve analysis, volumetrics) and the ability to prepare inputs for simulation models.
Competency with document control, versioning, and preparing regulatory submissions and compliance documentation.
Familiarity with well integrity systems, tubing and casing schematics, and basic mechanical understanding of downhole equipment.
Knowledge of drilling/completion operations, rig equipment, and contractor interfaces to support mobilization and demobilization.

Soft Skills

Clear and professional communication — able to produce concise technical reports and present findings to multidisciplinary stakeholders.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to data accuracy and quality control.
Problem-solving and analytical mindset with the ability to prioritize actions under tight operational timelines.
Team player who collaborates effectively with engineers, geoscientists, HSE practitioners and contractors.
Adaptability and resilience to work in field environments, including offshore or remote onshore locations.
Time management and organizational skills to coordinate multiple concurrent field activities and documentation tasks.
Proactive ownership and accountability for safety and operational outcomes.
Cultural sensitivity and stakeholder management for cross‑regional or cross‑functional operations.
Continuous learning orientation to keep pace with new field technologies and upstream data management practices.
Conflict resolution and negotiation skills when coordinating with vendors and internal customers.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Geoscience, or related technical discipline; or equivalent technical diploma with relevant upstream field experience.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s in Petroleum Engineering, Geology/Geophysics, or equivalent plus certifications in well control (IWCF/WellCAP), HSE management, or data analytics coursework.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Petroleum Engineering
Geology / Geophysics
Mechanical or Chemical Engineering
Data Science / Applied Statistics
Environmental Science (for HSE-related upstream roles)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 1–4 years of relevant upstream oil & gas field or office experience supporting production, drilling or reservoir teams.

Preferred:

2–5 years working on upstream production or drilling projects with hands‑on experience in wellsite operations, well testing, production surveillance, or reservoir data workflows.
Demonstrated history of coordinating with vendors and contractors on site, managing production databases, and executing HSE procedures.