Drilling Engineer

This role provides senior-level drilling engineering expertise to safely and efficiently deliver wells in Alaska, including horizontal and extended-reach designs. The Drilling Engineer is accountable for well construction planning, permitting support, and operational execution, with a strong focus on managing drilling risks associated with narrow margins, ECD, and torque and drag in complex well profiles.

• Own the engineering design of wells from concept through execution
• Develop detailed well plans and drilling programs, including:
• Casing and liner design
• Cementing strategies
• BHA and bit selection
• Incorporate Alaska-specific considerations such as remote logistics, seasonal constraints, and Arctic operating conditions
• Provide AFE inputs and technical justification for well costs and schedules

• Provide engineering inputs required for well permitting and regulatory submissions
• Ensure well designs meet federal, state, and company requirements
• Maintain defensible engineering documentation, calculations, and approvals

• Plan and execute horizontal and/or extended-reach wells
• Design well trajectories with consideration for:
• Hole cleaning
• Apply best practices to reach TD safely while minimizing non-productive time
• Apply a strong working knowledge of Equivalent Circulating Density (ECD) and pressure management
• Evaluate and interpret torque and drag models to support:
• Trajectory optimization
• Operational limits and contingencies
• Identify and mitigate risks related to stuck pipe, excessive torque, and inability to reach target depth

• Provide real-time engineering support during drilling operations (office and field as required)
• Support troubleshooting and management of change during execution
• Capture lessons learned and drive continuous improvement across drilling campaigns

• Review and approve technical programs from drilling contractors and service companies
• Monitor service quality, performance, and compliance with well objectives
• Participate in post-well reviews and performance evaluations

• Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline
• Minimum 10 years of oil and gas drilling engineering experience
• Demonstrated expertise in:
• Well construction and drilling engineering fundamentals
• Development of detailed well plans
• Horizontal and/or extended-reach wells
• ECD management
• Torque and drag analysis
• Strong ability to work across disciplines and support field operations

• Alaska or Arctic operating experience
• Experience with complex or narrow-margin wells
• Familiarity with drilling engineering and modeling software