Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Upstream Project Specialist

🎯 Role Definition

The Upstream Project Specialist is responsible for planning, executing and optimizing upstream oil & gas projects across exploration, appraisal, and production phases. This role combines project controls, technical coordination with drilling, reservoir and production teams, vendor & contract management, HSE oversight, and stakeholder engagement to deliver safe, cost-effective and timely project outcomes. The specialist acts as a subject-matter expert to translate technical requirements into executable plans, drive cross-functional alignment, and ensure compliance with regulatory and company standards.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Junior Project Engineer (Upstream / Drilling)
Reservoir/Production Engineer transitioning to project coordination
Field Operations or Wellsite Supervisor with project exposure

Advancement To:

Senior Upstream Project Manager
Portfolio Manager / Program Manager (E&P)
Capital Projects Manager — Offshore/Onshore

Lateral Moves:

Asset Manager (Production Operations)
HSE / Risk Manager for upstream assets
Contracts Manager — upstream services

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead planning and execution for upstream projects (exploration, appraisal, development and production optimization), developing detailed project schedules, critical path analysis, and integrated master schedules to ensure milestones are met on time and within budget.
Manage project cost control and forecasting: prepare and maintain cost estimates, budgets, monthly forecasts, and change control processes; identify cost drivers and recommend value engineering and cost-savings opportunities.
Coordinate cross-discipline technical input (drilling, completions, reservoir engineering, production, subsea, facilities, geoscience) to create integrated project execution plans, interfaces matrices and risk mitigation strategies.
Oversee contractor and vendor selection, procurement scopes, tender packages and evaluation; establish contractual terms, performance KPIs, and ensure contractual compliance throughout execution.
Serve as the project lead for well delivery campaigns: define well objectives, drilling and completion programs, logistics and materials, as well as oversee well testing, logging and post-drill reporting.
Drive HSE and regulatory compliance for all project activities: perform risk assessments, ensure permit-to-work compliance, implement HAZOP/HAZID recommendations, and monitor contractor HSE performance.
Prepare and present regular project status reports, technical summaries and executive briefings describing progress, risk profile, mitigation actions and financial performance to stakeholders and steering committees.
Develop and maintain project risk registers and perform quantitative and qualitative risk assessments; lead implementation of mitigation plans and contingency allocation.
Implement project controls systems including schedule control, earned value management (EVM), change management, and configuration management to ensure transparency and governance.
Manage commissioning, start-up and handover activities for new facilities and wells: develop commissioning plans, acceptance criteria, and coordinate mechanical completion and system integration testing.
Lead field mobilization and logistics planning for offshore and onshore operations: manage spares, critical long‑lead items, vessels, rigs, platform access and supply chain coordination.
Optimize production uplift initiatives by coordinating subsurface simulations, well intervention strategies, artificial lift design and production testing to maximize recovery and ramp-up rates.
Ensure technical integrity through document control: review engineering deliverables, P&IDs, design scopes, well programs and ensure alignment with company technical standards and regulatory requirements.
Support reservoir management by integrating subsurface data, production forecasts and decline analysis into project scopes to align development plans with reservoir performance.
Facilitate stakeholder engagement and communications including joint venture partners, regulators and internal asset teams to secure approvals, funding, and align project objectives.
Lead lessons-learned workshops and continuous improvement initiatives to capture best practices and improve delivery on future upstream projects.
Coordinate subsea and topside interface management for tiebacks, flowlines and umbilicals including FEED input, supplier integration and testing protocols.
Drive digital enablement and data management for projects: champion use of project dashboards, real-time monitoring, drilling optimization tools and centralized data repositories to improve decision-making.
Oversee quality assurance and inspection activities during fabrication, installation and commissioning to ensure assets meet performance, safety and integrity standards.
Manage technical approvals, permits, and basis of design documents; ensure alignment with environmental impact assessments and local regulatory conditions.
Lead contingency planning and emergency response coordination related to drilling incidents, well control events or major equipment failures, ensuring rapid mobilization and stakeholder notification.
Coordinate multi-discipline engineering reviews (e.g., Design Review, Safety Review, Technical Interchange Meetings) to validate designs and maintain schedule discipline.
Support budget preparation for annual and multi-year capital plans, including justification packages, sensitivity analysis and cost-benefit assessments for executive approval.
Provide mentorship and guidance to junior project engineers and field staff, promoting technical development and adherence to standardized project delivery methodologies.
Manage subcontractor performance and claims: review progress claims, extensions of time, technical clarifications and negotiate commercial resolutions to minimize project disruptions.

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 document control and archiving of project records, ensuring audit readiness and regulatory compliance.
Provide subject-matter advice during regional exploration or reserve certification processes.
Coordinate training and competency assessments for project teams in upstream operational processes.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Upstream project management — planning, scheduling (MS Project, Primavera P6), and project controls including earned value management (EVM).
Well lifecycle knowledge — drilling programs, completions, well testing, well control and interventions.
Reservoir engineering concepts — decline analysis, material balance, simulation input and production forecasting.
Subsea and topside interface management — tiebacks, flowlines, umbilicals and subsea systems integration.
Cost estimation and financial analysis — CAPEX/OPEX budgeting, cost control, forecasting and optimization.
Contracts, procurement and vendor management — tendering, bid evaluation, commercial negotiation and KPI development.
HSE and regulatory compliance — HAZOP/HAZID, permit-to-work systems, environmental permits and local regulatory frameworks.
Technical documentation and QA/QC — P&ID review, mechanical completion, commissioning plans and inspection regimes.
Risk management tools and methodologies — risk registers, FMEA, probabilistic risk assessment and mitigation planning.
Digital tools for upstream projects — real-time drilling analytics, project dashboards, data repositories and BI tools (Power BI, Tableau).
Familiarity with industry standards and codes — API, ISO, NORSOK, IEC and company technical standards.
Engineering software literacy — basic understanding of reservoir simulators, well modeling tools and CAD/3D models.
Logistics and supply chain coordination — long-lead item tracking, shipping, customs and offshore logistics.
Permit and regulatory submission preparation — environmental impact statements and well licensing processes.

Soft Skills

Strong stakeholder management and negotiation skills, able to align operators, JV partners and contractors toward common objectives.
Excellent written and verbal communication — crafting executive summaries, technical reports and presentations for multi-level audiences.
Problem-solving and critical thinking with a practical, solutions-focused mindset under operational pressure.
Leadership and team coaching — ability to lead cross-functional teams and mentor junior staff.
Organizational skills and attention to detail — managing multiple concurrent project streams with competing priorities.
Adaptability and resilience in high-risk, remote and fast-paced upstream environments.
Cultural sensitivity and diplomacy for international project teams and local community interactions.
Decision-making under uncertainty, leveraging data and expert judgment to drive timely actions.
Collaborative mindset and influence without direct authority across matrixed organizations.
Time management and ability to deliver against tight milestones and regulatory windows.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Geoscience, or a closely related engineering discipline.

Preferred Education:

Master's degree in Petroleum Engineering, Project Management, MBA or an advanced technical degree; professional certifications (PMP, APMP, Prince2) are highly desirable.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Petroleum Engineering
Mechanical/Chemical/Production Engineering
Geoscience / Reservoir Engineering
Project Management / Business Administration

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

5–12+ years of upstream oil & gas project experience, with progressive responsibility in project delivery, well operations, or asset development.

Preferred:

Prior experience delivering offshore or onshore development projects (FPSO, platform, tieback, subsea), managing drilling campaigns, and working within joint venture (JV) environments.
Demonstrated history of successful budget control, contract negotiations, and leading multidisciplinary teams through execution to handover.
Relevant safety and technical certifications (e.g., BOSIET, Well Control, HAZOP facilitator training) and experience working in high‑risk operational environments.

Keywords: Upstream Project Specialist, E&P Project Management, drilling and completions, reservoir optimization, subsea tieback, project controls, cost control, HSE compliance, vendor management, well delivery, production ramp-up, oil & gas projects, CAPEX planning, JV stakeholder management, commissioning and start-up.