Control Engineer

Gulf Drilling International; Qatar; On-site; QAR 250,000 - 450,000; Full time

Job summary

Gulf Drilling International is seeking a senior Electronics/Control Systems supervisor with extensive hands-on experience on drilling rigs. The role focuses on discipline SOPs, fault diagnosis, and upgrading control systems to OEM standards.

Ideal candidates have 10–15 years in supervisory electronics roles on jack-ups or land rigs, with strong knowledge of CMMS, documentation, and data management. The position is based in Qatar with on-site operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred in Electrical/Electronics/Telecom Engineering or Computer Science but not essential.
• 10–15 years hands-on experience in a supervisory role overseeing electronics and drilling control systems.
• Experience with major OEM products and drilling rigs, with OEM training or OEM experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain SOPs for electronics and control systems.
• Lead troubleshooting of control systems and rig instrumentation.
• Review PM routines and ensure safety-critical performance requirements.
• Conduct integrity inspections and address regulatory deviations.
• Provide SME support for overhauls and control-system upgrades following OEM bulletins.
• Assess critical spares and monitor reliability KPIs.
• Maintain accurate records, schematics, and CMMS data.

Skills

Control Systems

PLC & SCADA

Electronics

Troubleshooting

Networking

Documentation

Education

Electrical/Electronics/Telecom Eng

Computer Science

Tools

Amphion

Cyberbase

Centurion

VDaq

Drillwatch

Job description

Minimum Qualifications: Extensive hands on experience and OEM training on control systems, PLC, SCADA, instrumentation, networking and computers installations on drilling rigs; A bachelor\'s degree in Electrical/ Electronics / Telecom Engineering or computer science is preferred but not essential.

Minimum Experience: 10-15 years of hands-on experience in a supervisory position overseeing electronics and drilling control systems and familiar with major drilling OEMs products (preferably being trained by OEM or worked for OEM for a period) on jack-ups or land rigs.

Job-Specific Skills: Strong knowledge of electronics, communication systems and software utilized onboard drilling rigs, with advanced troubleshooting capability for control systems, hydraulic and pneumatic systems, proficient in CMMS, documentation control, and data management.

Governance & Technical Standards

• Develop and maintain discipline-specific standard operating procedures for electronics and control systems
• Review and validate maintenance procedures, testing requirements and sequences; recommend approval through MOC and technical governance channels
• Ensure compliance with regulatory and industry standards (API, OEM manuals, and Class/Flag requirements)

Equipment Reliability & Advanced Troubleshooting

• Lead troubleshooting of control systems, such as Amphion/ Cyberbase/ Centurion control systems, engine controls including load sharing and power management, hydraulic and pneumatic controls for automated systems, AC and DC drives, rig instrumentation such as VDaq/ Mudwatch / Drillwatch/ etc., Fire & Gas systems, PAGA systems, PABX systems, navigation and monitoring, PLC for jacking and fixation systems, crane and vehicles electronics.
• Support rig electronics technicians during critical downtime events and equipment malfunctions
• Validate technical root-cause findings and ensure corrective actions fully address underlying mechanical, hydraulic, or control-system failure modes in alignment with Mechanical and Electrical SMEs

Maintenance Strategy & Execution

• Review and recommend PM routines, schedules, function-test intervals, and task lists for control systems to ensure accuracy and technical completeness
• Ensure maintenance execution complies with applicable standards, OEM recommendations, and safety-critical performance requirements

Integrity, Certification & Compliance Assurance

• Conduct integrity inspections covering control systems condition and integrity, instrumentation, digital communication networks, various PLC, SBC or OEM computers.
• Identify risks, test failures, certification gaps and regulatory deviations and elevate to supervisor.

Projects, Upgrades & Recertification Support

• Provide subject-matter expertise for overhauls, control-system upgrades or replacements following OEM bulletins or industrial components obsolescence.
• Review engineering documentation, OEM scopes, FAT/SAT plans, pressure-testing protocols, and recertification packages
• Assists with budgets preparation per forecasted business plan

Critical Spares, Obsolescence & Reliability Improvement

• Assess critical spares for all control systems;
• Monitor reliability KPIs
• Recommend improvements for redundancy, standardization, and obsolescence mitigation across the fleet

Technical Documentation & Reporting

• Maintain accurate records, schematics, software backups and data images in controlled repositories
• Issue inspection reports, technical advisories, and integrity assessments following rig visits and investigations
• Ensure CMMS records and certification documents are complete, updated, and aligned with regulatory requirements