Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Upstream Project Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Upstream Project Coordinator is responsible for coordinating and supporting planning, execution and delivery of upstream oil & gas projects (drilling, completions, production initiatives and small capital projects). This role acts as the central point for project administration, schedule control, cost monitoring, document control, contractor/vender liaison, permits and HSE compliance — ensuring timely, safe and cost-effective execution aligned to technical and commercial requirements. Ideal candidates combine upstream operations knowledge (drilling, completions, well services, production), strong project administration skills, and excellent stakeholder communication.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Project Administrator / Project Assistant
Field Coordinator / Operations Technician
Junior Project Engineer or Engineering Assistant

Advancement To:

Project Engineer / Senior Project Coordinator
Project Manager (Upstream Projects)
Drilling & Completions Superintendent / EPCM Lead

Lateral Moves:

Operations Coordinator / Production Coordinator
HSE Advisor or HSE Project Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Coordinate day-to-day upstream project activities (drilling, completions, workovers, production tie-ins), ensuring alignment with the master schedule, resource plans, and budget forecasts while proactively escalating potential delays or cost overruns.
Prepare, maintain and communicate detailed project schedules using Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project; update critical path, milestones, and rolling 90-day plans to support field execution teams and stakeholders.
Track project costs and commitments by maintaining budget trackers, validating contractor invoices and purchase orders, reconciling against forecasts, and providing monthly cost-to-complete and variance analysis to project management.
Manage document control for project deliverables: maintain revision-controlled engineering packages, scopes of work, drawings, permits, well programs and HSE documentation using SharePoint, Aconex or equivalent systems.
Coordinate procurement and expediting activities including preparing RFQs, tracking vendor lead times, verifying material delivery against packing lists, and coordinating customs or logistics for onshore/offshore shipments.
Support contract administration and vendor management: maintain contract registers, track insurance certificates, review contractor deliverables for compliance, and coordinate vendor performance reviews and SOW clarifications.
Facilitate cross-functional communications between drilling engineers, production engineers, asset managers, procurement, HSE, finance and operations to ensure timely decision-making and removal of execution blockers.
Prepare and distribute daily / weekly operational reports, KPI dashboards, HSE incident reports and executive summaries for stakeholders and steering committees.
Assist in the development and maintenance of risk registers, change management logs and mitigation plans; support project risk assessments and implement closure actions for identified risks.
Coordinate permitting and regulatory submissions (well licenses, work permits, environmental permits) and liaise with regulatory authorities to ensure project compliance to local and national regulations.
Support well planning and execution by collating well programs, testing/formation evaluation requirements, bit and BHA orders, and ensuring alignment with logistics and supply chain availability.
Monitor and enforce HSE and QA/QC requirements on projects: support toolbox talks, pre-job safety meetings, audit preparation and follow-up on corrective actions with contractors and operations teams.
Coordinate onshore and offshore mobilization/demobilization logistics including crew movements, equipment mobilization, vessel/helicopter scheduling and accommodation arrangements.
Maintain and update the lessons learned database by documenting execution challenges, near misses and best practices and ensuring dissemination across the business for continuous improvement.
Support commissioning and handover activities for production facilities, ensuring mechanical completion documentation, punch-lists, test packs and O&M manuals are complete for asset transfer.
Provide administrative support for project governance: schedule steering committee meetings, prepare agendas, capture minutes, and track action items to closure across project stakeholders.
Support the preparation of capital authorization packages, change requests and budget submissions by compiling technical and commercial justification materials.
Liaise with finance to ensure timely accruals, cost coding and capital vs. expense classification, and to support month-end project reporting and forecasting processes.
Coordinate subcontractor scope definition and field execution plans, including onsite supervision interfaces and verification of contractor competency and certifications.
Manage field data collection and as-built records: ensure accurate capture of well logs, daily drilling reports, site surveys and instrumentation calibration records for auditability.
Monitor spare parts and critical inventory levels required for drilling/completions campaigns, coordinate requisitions and ensure supply continuity to avoid operational downtime.
Drive schedule recovery plans for delayed activities by identifying alternate resource solutions, reprioritizing workstreams, and coordinating resequencing with stakeholders.
Support the integration of digital tools and data analytics into project reporting and monitoring (Power BI dashboards, Excel models), enabling data-driven decision making.

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 with stakeholder training on project tools, document systems and HSE requirements to promote consistent use and compliance.
Provide back-up support for other project coordinators during peak campaign periods, travel requirements or site rotations.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Primavera P6 scheduling and critical path analysis — create, update and analyze integrated project schedules.
Microsoft Project, Excel (advanced: pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, macros) and Power BI for reporting and KPI dashboards.
Project cost control and forecasting — budget tracking, invoice validation, cost-to-complete estimation and variance reporting.
Procurement and contract administration — RFQ management, PO systems (SAP/Oracle preferred), vendor performance tracking.
Document control systems — Aconex, SharePoint, Documentum or similar for revision control and distribution.
Knowledge of upstream drilling and completions processes, well programs, drilling fluids, tubulars, and rig operations.
Regulatory permitting and compliance — experience preparing submissions and interfacing with local authorities.
HSE management systems and incident reporting — permit-to-work processes, JSA/JHA facilitation, and support for audits.
Familiarity with field logistics and mobilization planning (vessels, helicopters, heavy lifting) and customs clearance processes.
Risk management and change control — maintaining risk registers, implementing mitigation plans and managing scope changes.
CMMS/asset management basics and experience with work order systems for commissioning and maintenance handover.
Basic data analysis and visualization skills (SQL familiarity is a plus) to support operational insights and reporting.

Soft Skills

Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional communication with technical and commercial teams.
Excellent written and verbal communication — clear status briefs, minutes, and executive summaries.
Problem solving and decision-making under pressure in field and operational contexts.
Organization, time management and the ability to prioritize conflicting deadlines.
Detail-oriented with strong follow-through on action items and documentation.
Adaptability to change and willingness to work in a dynamic upstream environment (onshore/offshore).
Team player with collaborative mindset and ability to work with multicultural and distributed teams.
Negotiation skills for vendor clarifications, scope changes and logistics coordination.
Proactive attitude and initiative to identify improvements and process streamlining opportunities.
Confidentiality and professional integrity when handling commercial and technical information.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Geosciences, Project Management or equivalent technical discipline.

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s plus professional certification(s) such as PMP, Prince2 Foundation/Practitioner, or NEBOSH (for HSE awareness).
Training in Primavera P6, SAP procurement, or advanced Excel / Power BI courses.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Petroleum Engineering
Mechanical or Civil Engineering
Project Management
Geosciences / Earth Sciences
Industrial Engineering

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 3–7 years of progressive experience supporting upstream oil & gas projects, drilling/completions campaigns or production facility projects.

Preferred:

5+ years working in upstream E&P environments with direct exposure to drilling or completions operations, offshore campaigns, or EPCM project teams.
Demonstrated experience with scheduling tools (Primavera P6), procurement/contract systems (SAP/Oracle), and robust document control practices.
Proven track record coordinating multidisciplinary teams, managing contractor interfaces and supporting capital projects from planning through commissioning.