Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Upstream Drilling Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

As an Upstream Drilling Specialist you will lead the technical planning and operational execution of drilling activities across a portfolio of wells. You will own well design, drilling program development, risk and mitigation planning, and day‑to‑day support of rig operations, liaising closely with geoscience, completions, HSE, procurement and contractors. The role requires a pragmatic engineer with hands‑on rig experience, strong well control competence, and a proven track record of reducing non‑productive time (NPT) while maintaining best‑in‑class HSE and regulatory compliance.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Drilling Engineer (Wellsite / Operations)
Senior Field Drilling Supervisor / Company Man
Petroleum/Drilling Technician with offshore rig experience

Advancement To:

Senior Drilling Engineer / Drilling Team Lead
Drilling Manager / Well Delivery Manager
Head of Wells / Asset Manager

Lateral Moves:

Completions Engineer / Completions Team Lead
Reservoir/Production Engineer
HSE or Integrity Specialist (Well Integrity focus)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, review and approve detailed well programs and drilling plans (including trajectories, casing points, cementing, BHA design and drilling fluids program) ensuring technical robustness, cost efficiency and adherence to regulatory and company standards.
Lead pre‑spud technical reviews and risk assessments (e.g., HAZID, What‑If, Bowtie) and implement mitigation measures to minimize operational and subsurface risks throughout the drilling campaign.
Design and optimize bottom hole assemblies (BHA), drill bit selection, motor and rotary steerable tool configurations for both vertical and directional wells to maximize ROP and reduce mechanical issues.
Perform hydraulics and mud program design, including cuttings transport, equivalent circulating density (ECD) analysis and hole cleaning studies to avoid wellbore problems and stuck pipe incidents.
Conduct torque and drag, load, and buckling analyses for complex well trajectories and deepwater operations and recommend tailored casing and tubular running procedures.
Ensure all well control and emergency response plans are current and that personnel maintain appropriate certifications (IWCF/WellCap/WellSharp); lead well control drills and readiness audits.
Monitor drilling performance in real time using KPIs (ROP, mechanical specific energy, cost/day, NPT), identify root causes for underperformance and implement corrective actions with rig teams and service providers.
Oversee casing, cementing, and pressure integrity operations; interpret cement returns, validate cement jobs and confirm wellbore isolation meets design requirements.
Provide onshore and offshore technical support during drilling operations, including troubleshooting downhole tool failures, stuck pipe scenarios and wellbore instability with clear operational directives.
Manage vendor relationships for drilling services (mud companies, directional drillers, bit vendors, wireline services), evaluate technical proposals and oversee contractor performance against SLAs.
Prepare and review technical bid packages, scopes of work and procurement specifications for drilling equipment and specialized services, ensuring cost‑effective sourcing while safeguarding technical standards.
Coordinate cross‑disciplinary well planning inputs from geoscience, completions, production and HSE to align objectives and ensure timely permit submissions and regulatory compliance.
Lead post‑well lessons learned and drilling optimization studies to capture performance gains and incorporate best practices into future well programs and standards.
Develop and maintain well integrity verification plans, pressure testing protocols and barrier management documentation for the lifecycle of the well.
Design and implement interventions and contingency plans (e.g., sidetracks, fishing, remedial cement jobs) to address unexpected downhole issues while controlling incremental costs and schedule impacts.
Manage well cost forecasting and variance analysis throughout the drilling campaign; propose value engineering opportunities to reduce scope or optimize sequencing without compromising safety.
Ensure compliance with local and national regulatory requirements, including well permits, environmental obligations and reporting associated with drilling operations.
Apply digital tools and real‑time monitoring platforms (e.g., Landmark, WellView, OpenWells, drilling automation suites) to improve decision making, anomaly detection and remote collaboration.
Mentor and train junior drilling engineers and rig teams on best practices, well control, technical standards and company drilling procedures to build internal capability.
Support mechanical integrity and QA/QC during rig mobilization / demobilization including pre‑job equipment checks, tubular tracking and post‑run inspections to prevent failures and rework.
Contribute to development of emergency response plans and participate in incident investigation and corrective action implementation following any HSE or operational event.
Lead rigless operations and workovers planning (including P&A planning and execution), defining kill fluids, rig requirements and intervention sequences to safely restore or abandon wells.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives for drilling processes, standardization of well delivery playbooks and implementation of digital workflows for data capture and analytics.

Secondary Functions

Provide technical support for asset-level well programs, including budget input, scheduling and resource planning.
Collaborate with data teams to standardize drilling data capture and support analytics initiatives for KPI tracking and predictive maintenance.
Participate in tender evaluations and technical clarifications during contracting and vendor selection phases.
Support cross‑functional incident investigations, generating technical reports, root‑cause analysis and corrective action plans.
Advise on tubular selection, wellhead configuration and pressure containment solutions to optimize long‑term well performance and integrity.
Engage in stakeholder communications, including internal leadership updates and liaison with regulators, partners and joint venture stakeholders.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Well planning and design for onshore and offshore wells, including directional and extended reach drilling (ERD).
Proficiency in well control principles and certified competence (IWCF, WellSharp, WellCap preferred).
Familiarity with drilling engineering software and platforms: Landmark (WellPlan, Oasis), WellView/OpenWells, Schlumberger Drilling software, Pason/Drilling Information Systems.
BHA, motor and bit selection; experience with rotary steerable systems and MWD/LWD tool management.
Hydraulics, cuttings transport, ECD/LCM planning and mud systems design for diverse formations.
Torque & drag, load and buckling analysis; use of simulation tools to validate tubular running and casing programs.
Cementing and casing design knowledge, including primary and remedial cement job design and interpretation of cement evaluation logs.
Strong understanding of well integrity, barrier design and pressure testing protocols.
Contract and vendor management experience for drilling services, with ability to write technical scopes and evaluate bids.
Data analysis and drilling performance optimisation skills: KPI development, trend analysis and cost control.
Familiarity with regulatory compliance and permitting processes in international and local jurisdictions.
Practical rig‑site experience including supervisory or company man roles on drilling rigs and workover units.
Experience with P&A planning and execution, fishing operations, and downhole intervention techniques.
Capability to apply digital monitoring tools, telemetry and remote operations platforms to support real‑time decision making.

Soft Skills

Clear, persuasive communication for cross‑disciplinary coordination and executive reporting.
Strong leadership and team development: mentoring, coaching and building field capability.
Problem solving and structured troubleshooting under operational pressure.
Decisive, safety‑oriented decision making with a bias for action.
Stakeholder management: contractors, JV partners and regulatory bodies.
Adaptability to changing operational environments and operational tempo.
Project management and planning skills with attention to schedule and cost discipline.
Cultural sensitivity and ability to work in multinational teams and remote locations.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering, Drilling Engineering, Mechanical Engineering or equivalent technical discipline.

Preferred Education:

Master’s degree in Petroleum Engineering, Drilling & Completions, or MSc in Offshore Engineering.
Professional certifications in well control (IWCF/WellSharp), Project Management (PMP) or Leadership programs considered an advantage.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Petroleum Engineering
Drilling & Completion Engineering
Mechanical or Offshore Engineering
Geoscience (for candidates with strong drilling experience)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5 – 15 years of progressive drilling engineering and rig operations experience with at least several wells planned and executed under your technical leadership.

Preferred:

8+ years in upstream drilling roles with demonstrated offshore and onshore well delivery experience.
Proven history of reducing NPT, delivering wells on schedule and within budget, and effective vendor management.
Experience working in international operating environments and familiarity with local regulatory frameworks where operations are conducted.