Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Upstream Technician Supervisor

🎯 Role Definition

As an Upstream Technician Supervisor you will lead and coordinate a team of field technicians and contractors to safely execute day-to-day upstream oil & gas operations, production and well interventions. You are accountable for achieving production targets, maintaining equipment reliability, enforcing HSE and regulatory standards, optimizing well performance, and translating operations and maintenance plans into clear, safe, and measurable field activities. This role requires hands-on operational expertise, strong leadership, and effective stakeholder communication across operations, engineering, logistics and compliance functions.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Upstream Technician / Lead Field Technician
Wellsite Technician or Production Technician with supervisory experience
Drilling or Completions Technician promoted to team lead

Advancement To:

Operations Supervisor / Field Operations Manager
Upstream Operations Manager
Asset Manager or Drilling/Completions Superintendent

Lateral Moves:

HSE Supervisor (specializing in field operations)
Reliability or Maintenance Supervisor
Well Testing and Completions Coordinator

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Supervise, coach and lead multi-disciplinary field technician crews during drilling, completion, workover and routine production operations to meet production and safety KPIs while minimizing downtime and operating costs.
Plan, prioritize and assign daily and shift tasks for upstream technicians, ensuring clear handover between shifts and adherence to permit-to-work procedures and operational checklists.
Ensure compliance with all company HSE policies, industry regulations and local legislative requirements by conducting pre-job risk assessments, toolbox talks, incident trend analysis and enforcing corrective actions.
Coordinate and oversee well intervention operations including wireline, coiled tubing, slickline, well testing, and kill/kill operations, maintaining close liaison with service providers and on-site engineers.
Deliver and document wellsite surveillance, production monitoring and troubleshooting, including pressure, flow, and chemical injection adjustments to optimize well performance.
Lead root-cause analysis and corrective action plans for equipment failures (pumps, ESPs, separators, meters, valves), working with maintenance teams to apply preventive and predictive maintenance strategies.
Manage rigging, lifting and equipment mobilization/demobilization, ensuring certified lifting plans, load calculations and equipment inspections are completed before operations commence.
Supervise downhole and surface pressure control operations, validate BOP and choke system integrity, and ensure qualified personnel maintain well control certifications and emergency preparedness.
Execute commissioning, start-up and shutdown activities for upstream facilities and production equipment while ensuring safe work sequencing and permit execution.
Interface with production operations and reservoir engineering to implement production improvement plans, artificial lift changes, and stimulation campaigns, delivering timely feedback from the field.
Conduct crew competency assessments, maintain training matrices, and develop individualized training plans to raise technical capabilities and ensure certification currency (IWCF, BOSIET, H2S, First Aid).
Maintain accurate operations, maintenance and incident records using CMMS, SCADA or field reporting tools; produce shift reports, handover logs and KPI summaries for operations leadership.
Manage relationships and performance of third-party service providers and contractors on site, including scope definition, quality assurance, safety compliance and cost control.
Monitor spare parts inventory and consumables usage, forecast needs for critical long-lead items, and coordinate with logistics to avoid operational delays.
Implement and maintain integrity programs for wellheads, valves, tubing, flowlines and surface facilities, including corrosion monitoring and mitigation practices.
Drive continual improvement through lessons learned, post-job reviews and process optimization initiatives that improve operational efficiency and reduce OPEX.
Execute emergency response and incident management activities on site, lead evacuation or well control actions when required, and coordinate with corporate emergency teams.
Ensure accurate measurement and reporting of volumes, pressures and temperatures for production accounting and regulatory submissions, supporting meter calibration and verification procedures.
Prepare and manage operational budgets for assigned crews and activities, tracking labor hours, contractor spend and cost variances against targets.
Enforce environmental protection measures on site including spill prevention, waste management, produced water handling and adherence to permit conditions.
Champion reliability improvement projects such as artificial lift upgrades, remote monitoring deployments and automation enhancements to reduce manual intervention and improve safety.
Support field engineering data collection programs (well tests, fluid samples, pressure transient data) and ensure timely handover to engineering for reservoir and production optimization studies.
Act as the primary on-site representative for operations during audits and inspections, ensuring all documentation, permits and safety artifacts are current and accessible.

Secondary Functions

Participate in cross-functional meetings to translate field observations into engineering requirements and capital project scopes.
Support development and maintenance of standard operating procedures (SOPs), job hazard analyses (JHAs), and field manuals to capture best practices.
Mentor junior technicians and help onboard new hires through structured on-the-job training and competency checks.
Assist in piloting new tools, equipment and technologies (e.g., digital monitoring, remote sensing) to evaluate fit-for-purpose solutions for upstream operations.
Support fleet and asset performance reviews and contribute to strategic maintenance and reliability plans.
Coordinate with supply chain and procurement to expedite critical spares and service mobilizations when production risk is identified.
Provide input to shift scheduling and workforce planning to ensure 24/7 coverage and rotational rest compliance.
Contribute to community and stakeholder engagement activities when operations impact local areas or landowners.
Lead small capital or modification projects at the site level, ensuring safe execution and documentation close-out.
Maintain a clean, organized, and inspection-ready worksite and ensure that all tools and equipment are calibrated and certified.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Well control and pressure management (IWCF or equivalent certification; practical BOP/choke experience).
Hands-on knowledge of artificial lift systems (ESP, rod pump, gas lift) and field troubleshooting.
Experience with well intervention procedures: wireline, slickline, coiled tubing and well testing operations.
Mechanical and electrical fault-finding for surface and downhole equipment, including pumps, motors, starters and control panels.
Strong understanding of production facilities: separators, heaters, dehydrators, gas handling and produced water systems.
Proficiency with SCADA systems, real-time monitoring dashboards, and basic PLC troubleshooting.
Experience using Computerized Maintenance Management Systems (CMMS) and digital field reporting tools.
Knowledge of metering, instrumentation and flow measurement (pressure, temperature, differential, meter calibration).
Permit-to-work and confined space entry processes, rigging & lifting planning, and ergonomic risk controls.
Competence in interpreting P&IDs, electrical schematics, and basic engineering drawings for safe operations.
Familiarity with environmental compliance, spill response procedures, and produced water handling regulations.
Contractor and vendor management skills including scope, performance metrics and contract compliance.
Ability to execute root cause analysis (RCA), FMEA or reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) activities.
Experience in emergency response management, incident investigation and corrective/preventive action tracking.
Working knowledge of well integrity principles, corrosion control, and tubing/tubing head maintenance.

Soft Skills

Strong leadership and people management — able to motivate crews, delegate effectively and hold teams accountable.
Clear, concise oral and written communication for shift handovers, reporting and stakeholder engagement.
Excellent decision-making under pressure with calm crisis management and prioritization skills.
Problem-solving and analytical mindset to rapidly diagnose operational issues and implement pragmatic fixes.
Coaching and mentoring ability to develop technician skills and sustain competency standards.
Stakeholder management and negotiation skills to coordinate internal teams and external contractors.
High attention to detail with a focus on audits, inspections and regulatory compliance.
Time management and organizational capability to manage multiple concurrent field activities.
Cultural sensitivity and adaptability to work in diverse teams and remote environments.
Continuous improvement orientation with ability to capture lessons learned and drive operational change.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or equivalent with relevant technical/tailored trade certification (e.g., Machining, Electrical, Instrumentation, Mechanical Fitter, Petroleum Technology).

Preferred Education:

Associate degree or Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering Technology, Operations Management or related discipline.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Petroleum Engineering / Petroleum Technology
Mechanical or Electrical Engineering Technology
Industrial Maintenance / Instrumentation
Process Operations / Production Technology
Occupational Health & Safety / Environmental Science

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–12+ years of progressive upstream field and wellsite experience, with at least 2–4 years in a supervisory or team-lead capacity.

Preferred:

Prior experience supervising multi-disciplinary crews on drilling, completions, workovers and production operations.
Demonstrated track record of improving production uptime, optimizing artificial lift, and reducing operating costs.
Current certifications such as IWCF, BOSIET/HELMET or equivalent offshore/onshore safety training, H2S Alive, First Aid/CPR, NEBOSH or Company Safety Qualifications.
Experience with digital monitoring tools (SCADA), CMMS platforms, and familiarity with basic data reporting for operational KPIs.