Well Engineer Specialist, HPHT & Exploration Drilling Port Harcourt

WTS Energy - Our client, a leading exploration and production company in Nigeria, is  recruiting to fill the position below:  Job Title: Well Engineer Specialist, HPHT & Exploration Drilling

Location: Port Harcourt, Rivers

Employment Type: Full-time Job Summary

To provide technical authority and assurance for high-risk well projects, ensuring safe, compliant, and cost-effective well delivery.

Lead the planning and technical assurance of HPHT, exploration, appraisal, and other high-exposure wells through comprehensive engineering reviews and risk-based design methodologies, to ensure safe and successful well delivery. Review and validate well designs, casing programs, pressure management strategies, and drilling philosophies to ensure compliance with HPHT standards and operational requirements. Validate casing design, mud-weight windows, BOP specifications, wellhead systems, and critical well control equipment to ensure integrity throughout the well lifecycle. Provide expert technical input during peer reviews, design verification processes, and operational readiness reviews to identify and mitigate technical risks before execution. Recommend advanced drilling technologies, methodologies, and engineering solutions that optimize well performance, reduce technical uncertainty, and enhance value creation.

Well Control, Risk Management and Operational Support:

Provide technical leadership during well control events, abnormal pressure encounters, and other critical operations through real-time advisory support and structured decision-making processes, to protect personnel, assets, and the environment. Lead risk assessments, contingency planning workshops, HAZIDs, and operational reviews to ensure critical well risks are identified, assessed, and effectively mitigated. Maintain oversight of barrier management strategies and pressure management programs throughout well execution to sustain well integrity and operational safety. Support operational teams with expert guidance during drilling, testing, and evaluation activities in complex HPHT and exploration environments to improve operational outcomes. Maintain proficiency in well control technologies, HPHT operational practices, and emerging industry developments to support continuous enhancement of operational assurance.

Well Integrity, Safety and Regulatory Compliance Management:

Ensure all HPHT and exploration well designs, procedures, and operational activities comply with THE COMPANY’S well integrity requirements, industry standards, and regulatory obligations, to maintain safe and compliant operations. Provide technical oversight of safety-critical equipment and barrier verification activities to ensure effective management of operational risks. Participate in operational audits, technical assurance reviews, and compliance assessments to verify adherence to established standards and best practices. Promote operational excellence by integrating safety, environmental stewardship, and risk management considerations into all engineering recommendations and decisions. Ensure lessons learned from incidents, near misses, and operational reviews are incorporated into future well planning and execution activities to strengthen organizational resilience.

Technology Development, Performance Improvement and Cost Optimization:

Identify, evaluate, and promote deployment of best available technologies applicable to HPHT and exploration wells to improve drilling performance, reliability, and operational efficiency. Review and challenge cost estimates associated with HPHT-specific equipment, services, and operational programs to ensure cost-effective well delivery and resource utilization. Benchmark well performance against industry standards and peer operations to identify opportunities for performance improvement and technology enhancement. Recommend optimization strategies to minimize HPHT-related non-productive time (NPT), reduce drilling risks, and enhance overall well economics. Drive implementation of industry lessons learned, emerging technologies, and innovative engineering approaches that improve technical and commercial outcomes.

Technical Leadership, Stakeholder Engagement and Capability Development:

Provide technical mentoring, coaching, and development support to Well Engineers, Well Supervisors, and drilling teams to strengthen organizational capability in HPHT and exploration well delivery. Drive knowledge-sharing initiatives, technical workshops, and lessons-learned sessions across the Wells organization to enhance competency and continuous improvement. Serve as the primary HPHT technical interface between THE COMPANY’S management, project teams, contractors, and external stakeholders to ensure alignment on well objectives and risk management strategies. Represent THE COMPANY’S in technical peer reviews, industry forums, workshops, and assurance reviews to promote technical excellence and adoption of best practices. Collaborate with subsurface, drilling, completions, production, HSE, and contractor teams through integrated planning and execution activities to optimize delivery of exploration and HPHT objectives.

Qualifications and Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related Engineering discipline.

IWCF or IADC Well Control Supervisor Level Certification. Training in Completion and Well Integrity Design (SPE, IADC, or equivalent). BOSIET (Basic Offshore Safety Induction and Emergency Training) Certification. COREN Registration and membership of relevant professional bodies (preferred).

10 - 15 years of drilling engineering experience, with significant exposure to HPHT and exploration wells. . Demonstrated experience supporting high-risk and technically complex well delivery projects. Significant experience in offshore, onshore, exploratory drilling, and HPHT operations.

HPHT and exploration well design, planning, and execution. Management of complex and high-risk drilling operations. Well control management and advanced drilling technologies. Safety leadership, environmental stewardship, and operational excellence. Technical mentoring, coaching, and leadership of multidisciplinary teams. Risk assessment, contingency planning, and well integrity assurance.

Any Additional Qualifications / Certifications or Experience (Desirable but not Essential):

Master’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering, Drilling Engineering, or related discipline. Specialized training in HPHT well design and operations. Experience in deepwater exploration and frontier basin drilling. Experience with Managed Pressure Drilling (MPD), advanced pore pressure prediction, and real-time drilling optimization systems.

Not Specified. Method of Application

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