Drilling Operations Lead – Staff
DRILLING OPERATIONS LEAD – PERMANENT POSITION – ABERDEEN
Assist the Well Engineering Manager in the management of operated and non-operated well operation activities within the BU, to ensure compliance with the company Engineering Management System (Corporate Well Engineering Standards), HSE Risk Management Standard, wells personnel competency, Government Regulations and local industry guidelines / best practices with due regard for health, safety and the environment. Cover as Wells Technical Authority (TA) and emergency Well Control Response as required.
Key Accountabilities
Responsible for technical support and influencing both operated and non-operated drilling operations and projects. Specifically:
• Monitor operations, ensure safety incidents are investigated / closed-out and shared across asset / functional teams;
• Ensure all NCRs are satisfactorily closed out with lessons learned captured and shared across asset / functional teams;
• Provide a weekly summary of operations (including non-ops) to the relevant management teams;
• Chair, lead and issue minutes for the bi-monthly drilling scheduling (with Well Engineering and Asset Managers in attendance) meeting;
• Perform offshore / harbour rig / vessel assurance visits as required.
Responsible for reviewing and technically assuring / signing-off drilling operational documentation including:
• The basis of design for all wells.
• Reviewing/signing off all drilling programmes.
• Assuring the casing, wellhead and tree designs and their compliance with company policies, standards and procedures.
• To include reviewing and assuring / signing off all related MoC requests.
Responsible for ensuring well activity compliance with Government Regulations and Standards. Where applicable, follow industry guideline / best practice documents (ie HSE, OGA, OPRED, O&GUK etc). Act as company representative and influence relevant workgroups, workshops and conferences related to the above organisations.
Assist Well Engineering Manager to review and technically assure / sign-off on all wells / drilling related cost estimates (ie scoping, budget, draft and final AFE).
Will also be responsible for generating well cost estimates and operational programme details as required.
Responsible for managing the Well Delivery Process and ensuring correct gates and assurance levels are applied and executed in a suitable time frame to meet project delivery dates (includes liaising with Group Well Engineering & Decommissioning Manager and various Asset / Project Managers as required). Update schedule on regular basis and pass onto project / well lead team members / Group Well Engineering and Decommissioning Manager.
Responsible for Wells contract management as follows; working with Well Engineering Manager and Completions Team Lead, in reviewing and technically assuring the workscopes for all wells related contracts / ITTs (etc). Assist in reviewing technical content of bids and technically support the recommendations made. Responsible as the role of Technical Lead/Contract Sponsor for Tier One contracts (as per the Contract Management Plan (CMP)). Also influencing contractor to provide optimal results for the company.
Assist the Well Engineering Manager in maintaining the drilling / well engineering team at the appropriate strength to manage ongoing and planned future activity. To include recruitment, competency assurance and development of any Well Engineering personnel through Casmax, Sawmax, IWCF (etc) and where identified, attendance at training / industry courses. Includes both staff and contracted personnel.
Cover as delegate for Well Engineering Manager in the role of Wells Technical Authority (TA) for the well design, construction and abandonment phase. Liaise with the Completions and Well Integrity Team Lead to ensure seamless transition between the construction and operational phase; and assist in the compliance with their Technical Authority (TA) duties. Liaise with asset teams and assist in resolving any potential conflict with the Well Examiner. To include well control issues and operations.
Provide cover, including Accountability, for the Well Engineering Manager role; for all drilling related and other duties as required during absences through holiday, sickness etc. Also, to assist in covering for the Completions and Well Integrity Team Lead as required.
Collate and provide updates on an annual basis to the Well Engineering Management Standard (WEMS), perform a gap analysis to ensure compliance between this document and relevant Well Engineering Processes and Procedures, update these documents as required.
Update and generate Well Engineering processes, procedures and guidelines as required to align with legislation, OGUK Guidelines and Premier Standards; either as author, reviewer or approver of these documents.
Major Challenges
• Influencing direct reports and partners to adopt best practices.
• Build relationships within the company to ensure consistent application of standards and procedures are applied to all well engineering activities from planning to execution.
• Build and influence contractor relationships to provide a high level of service quality, ensuring cost effective solutions and best in class industry practices.
• Build and influence relationships with the Well Examiner, the Regulator (ie HSE & OGA) and Industry Bodies (ie O&GUK).
Financial Accountability and Dimensions
• Drilling cost estimates scoping / budget / AFEs to be accurately prepared in the company format.
• Assist in defining all drilling KPIs.
• DOA level 4 proposed (cover for Well Engineering Manager as required).
Management Relationships
• Senior Drilling Engineer / Drilling Engineers.
Indirect
• HS&E Advisors, QAQC Advisors, Drilling Superintendents / Project Team Leads.
• Well Examiner, OPRED & HSE Inspectors (etc).
Qualifications
• Relevant degree preferred, but appropriate training and development with a known operator acceptable (minimum 15 years industry experience with 5-10 year operator).
• IWCF Level 4 Drilling Well Control (Combined) Certificate.
• Medical and relevant offshore certification to allow offshore travel UK North Sea.
Skills / Experience
• Extensive experience in drilling and well operations; to include Wells Team Lead / Drilling Superintendent and Day Drilling Supervisor experience.
• Experience working with a known Operator preferred.
• Preferred experience in Technical Authority role but not essential.
• Proven track record of operational design, planning and executional delivery for exploration, appraisal and development wells.
• Proven experience with completions, workovers and well intervention well work.
• Proven knowledge and track record for HS&E delivery.
• Experience in leading incident investigations.
• Technically competent and knowledgeable / experienced on drilling equipment, all rig types and well control situations and associated well kill equipment.
• Experience of taking on new rigs, commissioning / upgrades, and taking rigs and new crews out from harbour.
Knowledge (eg systems, software, procedures, regulations):
• Good working knowledge of the UK North Sea Regulations including Well Examination Schemes, WONS, CAP, PETS, etc.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Office software.
• Experience with Maximo system preferred but not essential.
• Good working knowledge of drilling planning, casing / well design and well construction best practices.
• Ideally experienced with managing / operating with semi-submersible, jack up, LWIVs and fixed platform operations in the UK North Sea.
• A strong networking relationship with other UK Operators, UK Regulators (HSE, OGA, O&GUK etc), drilling contractors and service suppliers.
Attributes and Behaviours:
• Communicates persuasively with senior members of the company and with individuals at all levels across the BU and outside the wider Oil and Gas industry.
• Proven ability to influence and convince with strong technical argument.
• Develops and maintains existing partnerships.
• Builds teams and identifies means of enhancing their effectiveness.
• Demonstrates a willingness to take difficult strategic decisions and an ability to resolve complex problems.
• Provides direction on how to manage conflicting priorities and tensions.
• Takes a strategic view and creates long-term plans for the organization / area of responsibility.
• Promotes a shared vision for the company.
• Encourages and facilitates the learning and development of others; demonstrates enhancement of individual and team potential through giving clear direction, guidance and feedback on performance.
• Supports, promotes and implements change; encourages the adoption of new technology / methods and overcomes barriers to acceptance.
• Strong HS&E ethos and delivering best practices across all relevant operations.
Additional Role Requirements
Expectations:
• Provide effective communication and consultation between stakeholders.
• Ensure risks are identified, assessed, evaluated and managed to ALARP.
• Promote team awareness and a safe working culture.
• Verify the well work programme and equipment being used.
• Provide strong and visible leadership through his behaviours and actions.
The above is intended to provide a description of the ACCOUNTABILITIES of the role. Duties and responsibilities attached to roles may change from time to time without changing the general character of the duties or the level of responsibility entailed.
