Production Operations Engineer - Oil and Gas

ADNOC Abu Dhabi UAE; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

ADNOC Group in Abu Dhabi is seeking an experienced Production Operations Engineer to oversee safe, reliable, and efficient operation of oil and gas production, processing and export facilities. You will coordinate production activities, optimize plant performance and support water/gas injection and CO2 distribution systems.

The role requires strong data analysis, field testing, shutdown planning and incident response capabilities, with collaboration across operations, engineering and reservoir

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering or equivalent.
• Minimum 8 years of professional experience, incl. 4+ years in oil and gas.
• Experience in production operations, plant optimization and safety.
• Strong coordination, data analysis and troubleshooting skills.

Responsibilities

• Review production data against targets and plant conditions.
• Coordinate alarm management and KPI adherence.
• Plan Field Technical Rate (FTR) and Field Capacity Tests (FCT).
• Coordinate production and injection adjustments to meet KPIs.
• Support shutdown planning and startup activities.
• Lead root cause analysis of major equipment failures.
• Ensure compliance with HSE Management System.
• Collaborate with engineering, reservoir development and projects.
• Participate in Ready for Commissioning and field trials.

Skills

Production monitoring

Data analysis

Process optimization

Field testing

Operational planning

Troubleshooting

Root cause analysis

HSE risk assessment

Emergency response

Shutdown planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering

Tools

PIES system

Job description

Production Operations Engineer - Oil and Gas Job Snapshot - Role: Production Operations Engineer - Oil and Gas - Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates - Industry: Oil and Energy - Function: Operations-Plant Management - Experience: Minimum 8 years, including at least 4 years in the oil and gas industry - Job Type: Full Time - Work Arrangement: On-site Position Overview ADNOC Group is seeking an experienced professional to oversee the safe, reliable and efficient operation of oil and gas production, processing and export facilities in Abu Dhabi. The role involves coordinating production activities, optimizing plant performance and supporting the operation of water injection, gas injection, gas lift, Electrical Submersible Pump (ESP) wells and CO2 injection and distribution systems. The position focuses on maintaining operating efficiency, protecting surface and subsurface facility integrity, troubleshooting operational abnormalities and ensuring compliance with the HSE Management System. The successful candidate will work with operations, engineering, reservoir development and project teams to achieve production and injection targets while supporting continuous operational improvement.

Job Details

• Country: United Arab Emirates
• City: Abu Dhabi
• Industry: Oil and Energy
• Function: Operations-Plant Management
• Salary: Not disclosed
• Gender: No Preference
• Candidate Nationality: Not specified
• Job Type: Full Time
• Work Arrangement: On-site

Key Accountabilities

Production Performance and Operational Optimization

• Review production and operating data against planned targets, historical performance, prevailing plant conditions and laboratory analysis results.
• Identify significant deviations from Design Operating Envelopes and recommend corrective measures to maintain safe and efficient operations.
• Coordinate alarm rationalization and alarm management activities with relevant stakeholders, ensuring compliance with established alarm management KPIs.
• Plan and conduct Field Technical Rate (FTR) and Field Capacity Tests (FCT) to identify facility bottlenecks, assess potential operational problems and establish optimum operating parameters.
• Coordinate production and injection adjustments to achieve mandated oil production and gas, water and CO2 injection KPIs.
• Verify the accuracy of periodic production, injection and export data entered into the PIES system.
• Work with development and planning teams to conduct Field Sustainable Oil Production Rate (FSOPR) exercises in accordance with business plans.
• Support the Reservoir Monitoring Program (RMP) and coordinate Water Alternating Gas (WAG) well changeover activities.

Shutdown Planning and Facility Reliability

• Coordinate with the Integrated Shutdown Planning Team and relevant stakeholders to develop five-year shutdown plans.
• Support shutdown optimization, including shutdown preparation, facility handover, startup planning, manpower allocation and resource management.
• Ensure annual shutdown work scopes are identified, coordinated and executed within approved shutdown periods.
• Investigate recurring operational problems affecting surface facilities and participate in root cause analysis of major or critical equipment failures.
• Recommend corrective actions to improve equipment reliability, production availability and overall plant performance.
• Monitor equipment and process performance, preparing analytical reports and trend assessments to identify abnormalities.
• Advise operations personnel on appropriate corrective actions and review plant operating procedures and standing instructions to support safe and cost-efficient operations.

Engineering Projects and Commissioning

• Collaborate with the Technical Center, Project and Construction Teams throughout project development and execution.
• Participate in design reviews, value engineering assessments, 3D model reviews and plot plan evaluations.
• Contribute to engineering and HSE studies, including Hazard and Operability Studies (HAZOP), Hazard Identification (HAZID), Occupational Hazard Identification (OHID), Inherently Safe Design (ISD) and Safety Integrity Level (SIL) reviews.
• Provide operational feedback, lessons learned and recommendations to improve project design, safety and operational readiness.
• Participate in Ready for Commissioning (RFC) walkdowns, identify outstanding punch‑list items and provide operational input.
• Support commissioning activities and monitor facility performance following commissioning.
• Represent Operations during field trials of new technologies, ensuring the required technical and operational reviews are completed before implementation.

Management of Change and Operational Excellence

• Ensure temporary and permanent operational modifications follow established Management of Change (MOC) procedures.
• Coordinate engineering reviews, Scope of Work (SoW) development, budget arrangements and project inclusion requirements for approved modifications.
• Follow up with relevant stakeholders to obtain necessary approvals and establish execution plans.
• Identify opportunities for debottlenecking, facility upgrades and process improvements while maintaining operational safety and reliability.

HSE, Emergency Response and Risk Management

• Maintain compliance with the HSE Management System and applicable operational safety procedures.
• Support the Tactical Response Team (TRT) and Incident Management Team (IMT) during emergency situations.
• Provide technical guidance and training during emergency response activities and act as On Scene Commander when required.
• Serve as a central source of operational information during incidents, maintaining an overall view of facility conditions and ongoing activities.
• Participate in operational risk assessments, site inspections and supervision of the 27 designated Critical Work Activities, high‑risk activities and non‑routine critical operations.
• Contribute to Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Risk Register reviews, including risk assessment meetings, process safety committee discussions and mitigation planning.
• Prepare supporting documentation and recommend measures to address identified operational and process safety risks.

Surface and Subsurface Facility Integrity

• Coordinate with integrity teams to maintain the integrity and reliability of surface and subsurface facilities.
• Review facility anomalies identified through integrity assessments and recommend preventive or remedial actions.
• Plan and support subsurface integrity activities in collaboration with the Well Integrity Team.
• Participate in well communication tests, Below Cellar Inspections (BCI) and Sustained Annulus Pressure (SAP) investigations.
• Follow up on integrity‑related findings to support continued safe operation and facility availability.

Qualifications and Experience

Education

• Bachelor 's degree in Chemical Engineering or an equivalent qualification.

Professional Experience

• Minimum 8 years of relevant professional experience.
• At least 4 years of experience within the oil and gas industry.

Technical Knowledge and Competencies

• Oil and gas production, processing and export operations.
• Water injection, gas injection, gas lift, ESP wells and CO2 injection systems.
• Production monitoring, operating data analysis and process optimization.
• Field capacity testing, production sustainability assessments and reservoir monitoring coordination.
• Plant troubleshooting, equipment reliability and root cause analysis.
• Shutdown planning, startup coordination and operational resource management.
• Engineering design reviews, commissioning and operational readiness assessments.
• Process safety, HSE risk assessments and emergency response coordination.
• Management of Change procedures and operational improvement initiatives.
• Surface and subsurface facility integrity monitoring and corrective action planning.

The role requires effective coordination with multidisciplinary teams, sound technical analysis and the ability to recommend practical solutions that maintain safe production, reliable equipment performance and compliance with operational requirements.