Drilling Engineer Duties & Responsibilities

The role and function of a Drilling Engineer includes the following duties and responsibilities:

Establishing and administering drilling and service contracts;
Preparing well data sheets;
Designing and selecting well-head equipment;
Designing directional well paths (horizontally or multi-laterally, as appropriate);
Contributing to conceptual field development design;
Working with multidisciplinary professionals to evaluate the commercial viability of the well and monitor progress during drilling;
Coordinating and supervising the work of the drilling team;
Undertaking engineering design and the planning of wells (including development work);
Obtaining relevant data, carrying out engineering analysis on site and recommending necessary actions and writing up reports;
Monitoring the daily progress of well operations;
Managing operations on behalf of small clients;
Drawing up drilling programmes, taking account of desired production flow rates;
Adhering to environmental protection standards, in some cases through direct discussion with local governments to ensure compliance with legislative requirements;
Monitoring safety and ensuring the good maintenance of the well;
Returning the site to its natural environmental setting if drilling is not to be pursued.
Keeping track of current daily costs, comparing actual costs with expenditure proposals and recommending cost-effective changes;
Liaising with specialist contractors and suppliers, such as cement companies or suppliers of drilling fluids;

Note that this is not an exhaustive list of Drilling Engineer duties and responsibilities. Job functions for specific Drilling Engineer roles may vary, depending on the industry and type of employer.

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