Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Upstream Intern

🎯 Role Definition

The Upstream Intern supports multidisciplinary upstream oil & gas teams (reservoir, production, drilling, and geoscience) by assisting with data analysis, field operations, technical modelling, reporting, and HSE-compliant activities. This position provides hands-on exposure to reservoir engineering, well planning, production optimization, geophysical and petrophysical workflows, and technical software tools (e.g., Petrel, Techlog, Eclipse, Python). The Upstream Intern must demonstrate strong analytical skills, attention to safety, and the ability to communicate technical results to engineers and geoscientists.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Undergraduate or recent graduate in Petroleum Engineering, Geology, Geophysics, Mechanical or Chemical Engineering
Co‑op or previous industry internship (production/reservoir/drilling internship)
Technical diploma or certificate in oil & gas operations or subsurface technologies

Advancement To:

Graduate/Junior Petroleum Engineer (Reservoir, Drilling, or Production)
Assistant Reservoir Engineer / Petrophysicist
Field Engineer / Wellsite Engineer

Lateral Moves:

Data Analyst (Upstream datasets, SQL/Python)
Geoscience Analyst (Seismic interpretation, Petrel)
HSE Coordinator (field safety & compliance)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Assist reservoir engineering teams by compiling, QC-ing, and normalizing production and well test data (rate, pressure, PVT, and completion information) to support reserve estimation, decline curve analysis, and deliverability studies.
Support drilling engineering and well planning activities by preparing well schematics, basic casing and cement programs, and performing pre-drill checklists and torque/drag or hydraulics sensitivity runs under supervision.
Conduct geoscience interpretation support: digitize and QC well logs, assist with seismic horizon picking, create structural maps and simple isopach maps in Petrel, Kingdom, or equivalent tools.
Perform basic petrophysical analysis including log interpretation, porosity/permeability estimation, and core-log correlation using Techlog, Excel, or Python notebooks to summarize reservoir intervals.
Contribute to reservoir simulation workflows by assembling input datasets, gridding properties, running pre-processing tasks, and assisting in history match iterations using Eclipse, CMG, or similar simulation packages.
Analyze well test and pressure transient data with guidance to estimate permeability, skin, and reservoir boundaries and prepare concise well test summary reports for the engineering team.
Monitor field production data and assist production engineers in daily/weekly production surveillance, identify anomalies, suggest diagnostic tests, and support artificial lift troubleshooting.
Prepare and maintain well and field technical documentation: well files, completion summaries, daily drilling/production reports, and standardized reporting templates for management and regulatory submissions.
Assist with sampling and laboratory coordination: log core descriptions, handle fluid samples, arrange PVT/core analysis tests, and document sample chain-of-custody and results.
Build and maintain upstream data integrity in corporate systems (OpenWorks, Quorum, Petra, upstream databases) through data entry, metadata tagging, and routine QA/QC procedures.
Implement simple data-driven automation (Python scripts, VBA macros, or MATLAB) to streamline routine reporting tasks, generate dashboards, or automate data extraction from SCADA/production systems.
Support economic and reserves evaluation tasks by preparing input spreadsheets, cash flow sensitivities, and baseline production forecasts using standardized corporate templates.
Participate in field site visits and rig/site operations to observe drilling, completion, and production activities; collect measurements and photographs; and ensure data capture aligns with engineering needs.
Coordinate with vendors and service providers for logging, coring, and well testing services: assist in preparing scope, receiving field logs, and validating delivered datasets.
Assist cross-functional HSE activities by participating in pre-job safety assessments, toolbox talks, and ensuring field procedures and isolation logs follow company HSE standards.
Provide technical input to multi-disciplinary meetings, record action items, and follow up on data requests between geoscience, reservoir, production, and drilling teams to keep projects on schedule.
Prepare visual, executive‑level summaries and technical slides for senior management, investment committees, or partner meetings highlighting key reservoir metrics and operational risks.
Support regulatory reporting and contractual documentation by compiling required upstream data sets and evidence for regulatory filings, royalty calculations, and joint venture sharing.
Conduct simple reservoir and production performance analytics (decline curve modeling, type curve generation) to support monthly production reviews and KPI tracking.
Assist with seismic data QC, annotation, and basic interpretation tasks; help manage seismic deliverables and metadata for correlation with well data.
Participate in continuous improvement initiatives: propose small process improvements, help pilot new digital tools, and document updated SOPs for upstream workflows.
Support ad-hoc technical requests from senior engineers, such as sensitivity analyses, quick-turn modelling, and literature reviews for novel techniques or equipment.

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.
Assist in preparing training materials and internal knowledge-base entries for standard upstream processes and software use.
Help coordinate joint-venture data exchanges and ensure partner datasets meet format and QC expectations.
Participate in audits and internal reviews by gathering required documentation and resolving data discrepancies.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Familiarity with upstream software tools: Petrel, Techlog, Kingdom, OpenWorks, or Petra for geology/petrophysics tasks.
Basic reservoir simulation and modelling exposure: Eclipse, CMG, or equivalent (data preparation and simple runs).
Well test and production analysis fundamentals: decline curve analysis, deliverability concepts, and well test interpretation basics.
Drilling and completion basics: ability to read well programs, understand casing, tubing, completion types, and basic mud/hydraulics concepts.
Practical data manipulation and automation: Python (pandas, Jupyter), MATLAB, or R for data cleaning and simple scripts.
Spreadsheet proficiency: advanced Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, advanced formulas, VBA macros) for economic and reserves analyses.
Database and data querying skills: SQL or experience with data warehouses for upstream datasets.
Experience with visualization and dashboard tools: Spotfire, Tableau, Power BI, or equivalent for communicating production/reservoir KPIs.
Well log interpretation and petrophysical workflows, including basic use of Techlog or equivalent log analysis tools.
Basic understanding of PVT, fluid sampling, and core analysis procedures and how results feed engineering models.
Familiarity with industry HSE standards, permit to work processes, and field safety protocols.
Version control and documentation practices: ability to maintain clear metadata, data lineage, and technical reports.

Soft Skills

Clear technical communication — able to summarize complex subsurface results for engineers and non‑technical stakeholders.
Strong analytical mindset and critical thinking for troubleshooting production and data quality issues.
Attention to detail and commitment to data quality and reproducibility.
Team player — works effectively with multidisciplinary upstream teams (geoscience, reservoir, drilling, production).
Time management and prioritization under competing deadlines.
Proactive learning orientation — quickly acquires new technical tools and upstream domain knowledge.
Adaptability in field and office environments; comfortable with occasional field travel and shift schedules.
Problem-solving under supervision — able to propose hypotheses and test approaches with senior guidance.
Stakeholder management and professional behavior in vendor and partner interactions.
Written technical reporting skills — produces concise, structured reports and slide decks.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree (or current enrollment) in Petroleum Engineering, Geological Sciences, Geophysics, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related STEM discipline.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree or postgraduate coursework in Petroleum Engineering, Reservoir Engineering, Geoscience, or Energy Data Science.
Certifications or coursework in subsurface software (Petrel/Techlog), well testing, or production operations.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Petroleum Engineering
Geology / Geoscience / Geophysics
Mechanical or Chemical Engineering
Data Science / Applied Mathematics (with energy focus)
Environmental Engineering (for HSE-focused rotations)

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

0–2 years (internship, co‑op, or entry-level prior work in upstream operations or subsurface analytics)

Preferred:

1+ prior internship(s) or co‑op placements in upstream oil & gas, field operations, reservoir engineering, or geoscience roles
Hands‑on coursework projects using Petrel, Techlog, Eclipse, Python, MATLAB, or Excel for upstream problems

Keywords: Upstream Intern, petroleum engineering intern, reservoir intern, drilling intern, production intern, geoscience intern, Petrel, Techlog, Eclipse, Python, data analysis, well test, production optimization, HSE, upstream data management.