Lead Drilling Engineer

Job Purpose:

Responsible for supporting the planning, execution, and delivery of offshore exploratory and development drill-ing operations. This role will assist in ensuring technical integrity, safety, and efficiency across all drilling activities while managing a team of engineers and coordinating with subsurface teams. The position will play a pivotal role in ensuring compliance with HSSE standards, optimizing well designs, and leading contractor performance. The position demands a thorough technical understanding of well engineering and offshore drilling operations, as well as strong leadership and interpersonal skills.

Roles & Responsibility:

HSSE Leadership:

• Exhibit a strong personal commitment to HSSE by setting an example and fostering a safety-first culture.Ensuring that all drilling activities are conducted in accordance with the highest level of safety and environ-mental standards.

Drilling Engineering and Operations Management:

• Supervise the technical integrity and assurance of well designs, ensuring full integration between subsurfaceand wells teams during planning.
• Collaborate with the subsurface team to develop and maintain the Drilling Basis of Design (BoD).
• Conduct front-end planning for development wells, optimizing well designs, casing, cementing, and fluidprograms.
• Perform technical risk assessments, contingency planning, and develop mitigation strategies for all drillingactivities.
• Evaluate existing well designs and recommend optimizations to enhance operational efficiency.
• Lead and coordinate the execution of offshore drilling operations, including horizontal wells, multi-laterals,and sidetracks.
• Ensure comprehensive delivery of detailed field development drilling engineering.

Cost and Resource Management:

Prepare cost estimates for drilling projects.

• Review and optimize the Schedule of Rates and drilling programs.

Contracting & Vendor Management:

• Oversee the entire contracting process, from preparing scopes of work to selecting rigs, well equipment,and services.
• Ensure alignment of all technical elements and commercial recommendations with the company's operational goals.
• Serve as the primary contact for well planning issues and contractor coordination.
• Lead contractor performance management, ensuring high standards from rigs, equipment, and well service providers.

Team Leadership & Coordination:

• Manage and mentor a team of drilling engineers, providing guidance and technical authority throughout drilling operations.
• Ensure seamless coordination between in-house technical support and external drilling service providers.

Regulatory & Audit Compliance:

• Ensure that drilling operations adhere to national and international regulations and standards.
• Participate in audits of rig/well sites and service bases to ensure compliance with international standards.

Reporting & Stakeholder Management:

• Prepare and present regular reports on drilling operations, cost estimates, and project progress to senior management.
• Communicate with key internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment on operational objectives.

Education:

Bachelors / Master’s Degree in Petroleum, Mechanical, Chemical En-gineering etc.

Experience:

• Minimum 15 years of experience in drilling engineering with an emphasis on offshore projects.•Demonstrated experience in designing and executing well plans.Skills: •Expertise in well design, directional drilling, and advanced drilling en-gineering software (e. g. , Landmark suite).
• Knowledge of well control and blowout prevention techniques.•Understanding of completion engineering, including gravel packcompletions, is a plus.