POSITION DESCRIPTION – SENIOR DRILLING ENGINEER (ONSHORE)

Job title: Senior Drilling Engineer (Onshore / Planning)

Reporting to: Drilling & Completions Manager

Job Family: Drilling & Completions

Location: Nairobi with regular field visits

Job Ref No. PD/DC/SDE/2026

Job Summary

Lead planning and optimization of onshore drilling campaigns to deliver safe, efficient, and cost‑effective well construction while meeting technical, schedule and regulatory requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop basis of designs and well designs (casing, cementing, mud, BHA, drillstring, directional plan) for onshore wells.
• Create workpack(s) and well construction scopes for tendering and execution, including drilling schedules, critical path analysis and resource plans.
• Perform technical risk assessments (HAZID/HAZOP, drilling hazards, well control), identify mitigation measures and incorporate them into plans.
• Generate cost estimates and schedule baselines; support budgeting, tender evaluation and contractor selection.
• Coordinate with subsurface, production, HSE, logistics, procurement, and land/permits teams to align well objectives and constraints.
• Specify and verify required drilling equipment, services and materials; review contractor work systems and performance.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, environmental and company HSE standards and well control procedures.
• Provide technical guidance during execution, support problem-solving (e.g., stuck pipe, lost circulation, well control incidents) and participate in post‑job reviews and continuous improvement.
• Maintain and validate well construction data and documentation (as‑built diagrams, well files, reports).

Qualifications

• Degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years’ drilling engineering experience on onshore operations (or equivalent combination of experience and education); experience in planning role preferred.
• Professional certification or registration (preferred where applicable).

Technical Skills & Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of drilling engineering: well design, casing/cementing programs, hydraulics, torque & drag, hole cleaning, well control, directional drilling and BHA design.
• Proficiency with industry tools/software: well planning and simulation (e.g., Landmark Drillbench/WellPlan, Compass, WellCat, Drillbench, OpenWells), directional planning (e.g., Landmark, Schlumberger), basic use of MS Project/Primavera for scheduling and Excel for cost/sensitivity analyses.
• Understanding of onshore rig types, drilling contracts, logistics, permits, and land access issues.
• Competence in risk assessment methodologies and HSE management systems.

Behavioural & Interpersonal Skills

• Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management; ability to coordinate cross‑functional teams.
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt plans to changing field conditions.
• Leadership and contractor management skills.

Experience & Conditions

• Proven track record delivering onshore wells from planning to execution.
• Experience managing drilling contractors and working in remote onshore environments.
• Willingness to travel to field sites for pre-job planning, mobilization and drilling support.

Performance Indicators

• On-time and on-budget well delivery against plan baseline.
• Rate of NPT (non-productive time) attributable to planning/design issues.
• Variance between planned and actual well construction metrics (days, cost, materials).
• Quality and completeness of well documentation and post-job lessons learned.

Desirable

• Knowledge of cementing/fluid engineering, formation evaluation, and directional drilling optimization.
• Experience with integrated project teams, well integrity management and digital well planning tools.
• Certification in well control (IWCF) and relevant local regulatory approvals.

• Develop basis of designs and well designs (casing, cementing, mud, BHA, drillstring, directional plan) for onshore wells.
• Create workpack(s) and well construction scopes for tendering and execution, including drilling schedules, critical path analysis and resource plans.
• Perform technical risk assessments (HAZID/HAZOP, drilling hazards, well control), identify mitigation measures and incorporate them into plans.
• Generate cost estimates and schedule baselines; support budgeting, tender evaluation and contractor selection.
• Coordinate with subsurface, production, HSE, logistics, procurement, and land/permits teams to align well objectives and constraints.
• Specify and verify required drilling equipment, services and materials; review contractor work systems and performance.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory, environmental and company HSE standards and well control procedures.
• Provide technical guidance during execution, support problem-solving (e.g., stuck pipe, lost circulation, well control incidents) and participate in post‑job reviews and continuous improvement.
• Maintain and validate well construction data and documentation (as‑built diagrams, well files, reports).

• Strong knowledge of drilling engineering: well design, casing/cementing programs, hydraulics, torque & drag, hole cleaning, well control, directional drilling and BHA design.
• Proficiency with industry tools/software: well planning and simulation (e.g., Landmark Drillbench/WellPlan, Compass, WellCat, Drillbench, OpenWells), directional planning (e.g., Landmark, Schlumberger), basic use of MS Project/Primavera for scheduling and Excel for cost/sensitivity analyses.
• Understanding of onshore rig types, drilling contracts, logistics, permits, and land access issues.
• Competence in risk assessment methodologies and HSE management systems.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making skills.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management; ability to coordinate cross‑functional teams.
• Ability to work under pressure and adapt plans to changing field conditions.
• Leadership and contractor management skills.

• Degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
• 10+ years’ drilling engineering experience on onshore operations (or equivalent combination of experience and education); experience in planning role preferred.
• Professional certification or registration (preferred where applicable).
• Knowledge of cementing/fluid engineering, formation evaluation, and directional drilling optimization.
• Experience with integrated project teams, well integrity management and digital well planning tools.
• Certification in well control (IWCF) and relevant local regulatory approvals.