Director of Autonomy & Intelligent Systems

Nabors; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Nabors, a global leader in energy technology, seeks a Director of Autonomy & Intelligent Systems to define the autonomy vision and execution across drilling and tubular-handling systems. You’ll lead AI-enabled controls, simulation, and safety‑critical automation, collaborating with engineering, product, and field teams to deliver scalable autonomous solutions.

You will drive the technology roadmap, oversee cross‑functional teams, and ensure reliable, measurable outcomes while advancing Nabors’

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline applicable to industrial controls and automation.
• 12+ years of progressively responsible engineering experience in controls, automation, robotics, or integrated electromechanical systems.
• 5+ years leading engineering teams, programs, or product development with delivery accountability.
• Hands-on depth in industrial controls: PLCs, real-time controls, machine sequencing, HMI, sensors/actuators, drives, and system integration.
• Experience designing or governing autonomous or semi-autonomous functions for safety-critical equipment.
• Experience integrating AI/ML into production industrial systems with data quality and human oversight.
• Experience with requirements engineering, architecture reviews, hazard analysis, V&V, configuration management and release governance.
• Ability to communicate complex technical decisions to engineers, operators, customers, and executives.
• Willingness to travel to manufacturing/test sites and work around active industrial equipment.

Responsibilities

• Lead development of autonomous systems coordinating across integrated drilling equipment.
• Translate well-construction sequences into testable automation requirements and deployment priorities.
• Drive integration with rig operating platforms so controls form a coherent rig-level system.
• Apply AI/ML to predictive operations, anomaly detection, and operator decision support.
• Ensure AI-enabled functions meet safety constraints, data quality, and cybersecurity standards.
• Guide prototype-to-production transitions with measurable success criteria and lifecycle ownership.
• Lead field trials, commissioning, and support, turning field feedback into product improvements.
• Own technology roadmap, investment priorities, resource planning, and executive communication.

Skills

Electrical engineering

Controls engineering

Robotics engineering

Industrial automation

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

12+ years engineering experience

Tools

Rockwell

Siemens

Beckhoff

B&R

National Instruments

MATLAB/Simulink

Job description

Job Description

Canrig is redefining the future of drilling by advancing from operator-directed equipment to intelligent, autonomous rig systems. As Director of Autonomy & Intelligent Systems, you will lead the strategy and execution of technologies that improve safety, efficiency, consistency, and operational performance across drilling and tubular-handling operations. This role is instrumental in creating new product differentiation, accelerating innovation, and positioning Canrig as an industry leader in autonomous drilling solutions. Your work will directly influence how customers operate their rigs, maximize productivity, and unlock the next generation of digital and automated oilfield technologies.

The Director of Autonomy & Intelligent Systems is responsible for establishing and leading Canrig's autonomy vision, roadmap, and execution strategy across drilling and tubular-handling systems. This role serves as the organization's technical and strategic leader for autonomous machine functions, intelligent automation, AI-enabled controls, machine perception, simulation, and human‑machine interaction. Working across engineering, product management, field operations, manufacturing, and executive leadership, the Director will align technology investments and product development efforts to deliver safe, reliable, and commercially scalable autonomy solutions.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Robotics Engineering, or another engineering discipline directly applicable to industrial controls and automation.
• 12+ years of progressively responsible engineering experience in controls, industrial automation, robotics, autonomous machines, or integrated electromechanical systems, including accountability for complex systems from design through field deployment and lifecycle support.
• 5+ years leading engineering teams, technical programs, or multidisciplinary product development, with demonstrated responsibility for technical direction, talent development, priorities, and delivery outcomes.
• Demonstrated hands‑on depth in industrial controls and automation, including PLC or real‑time controls, machine sequencing, HMI, instrumentation, sensors and actuators, drives or motion control, industrial communications, system integration, commissioning, and troubleshooting.
• Demonstrated experience designing, integrating, or governing closed‑loop, autonomous, or semi‑autonomous functions for safety‑critical physical equipment, mobile machinery, robotics, industrial systems, or comparable engineered products.
• Demonstrated ability to integrate AI, machine learning, machine perception, predictive analytics, or optimization into production industrial systems, including model evaluation, monitoring, fallback behavior, data quality, and human oversight.
• Experience with requirements engineering, architecture reviews, hazard and risk analysis, verification and validation, configuration management, design documentation, release governance, and production support.
• Ability to communicate complex technical decisions, tradeoffs, risks, investment needs, and roadmaps clearly to engineers, operators, customers, and executive stakeholders.
• Ability to travel to manufacturing, test, customer, and rig or field locations as needed and work around active industrial equipment while following site safety requirements.

Preferred

• Master's degree or doctorate in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Robotics, Mechatronics, Computer Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, or a related engineering field.
• Experience with autonomous mining, autonomous vehicles, agricultural autonomy, defense autonomy, industrial robotics, advanced manufacturing, or other autonomy‑mature physical‑machine environments.
• Experience with Rockwell, Siemens, Beckhoff, B&R, National Instruments, or comparable industrial control platforms; model‑based design tools such as MATLAB/Simulink; and software practices such as Git, CI/CD, automated testing, and secure development.
• Experience with functional safety, machinery safety, safety PLCs, fault‑tolerant controls, or relevant IEC, ISO, API, or industry standards for automated equipment.
• Experience with digital twins, software‑in‑the‑loop, hardware‑in‑the‑loop, real‑time simulation, machine vision, sensor fusion, robotics middleware, or remote operations.
• Experience with heavy industrial equipment, drilling systems, top drives, drawworks, pipe handling, fluid systems, or other field‑deployed capital equipment.
• Published patents, technical papers, standards participation, or recognized technical leadership in controls, robotics, autonomy, or industrial AI.

Responsibilities

Autonomous Machine Functions & Rig Orchestration

• Lead development of autonomous systems and sequences that coordinate functions across integrated drilling equipment.
• Partner with operations and product teams to translate the well‑construction sequence into testable automation requirements, acceptance criteria, deployment priorities, and measurable operating outcomes.
• Drive integration with SmartROS and other rig operating platforms so subsystem controls operate as a coherent, observable, and supportable rig‑level system.

AI-Enabled Industrial Automation

• Direct practical application of AI and machine learning to industrial controls, including predictive operations, anomaly detection, machine perception, operator decision support, adaptive optimization, and intelligent exception management.
• Ensure AI‑enabled functions are bounded by approved controls architecture, safety constraints, data quality requirements, model evaluation, traceability, cybersecurity, and appropriate human oversight.
• Guide the transition of prototypes into production by defining operational use cases, measurable success criteria, test evidence, monitoring, fallback behavior, and lifecycle ownership.
• Partner with AI/ML engineers and domain experts while retaining clear accountability for how intelligent functions interact with deterministic controls and physical equipment.

Simulation, Verification & Functional Safety

• Establish simulation, software‑in‑the‑loop, hardware‑in‑the‑loop, and digital‑twin capabilities used to develop, validate, and train controls and autonomous functions before field deployment.
• Define verification and validation strategy, requirements traceability, test coverage, fault injection, regression expectations, commissioning evidence, and release‑readiness criteria for safety‑critical machine‑control systems.
• Lead hazard analysis and risk‑based design reviews for automated and autonomous functions, ensuring credible failure modes, detection methods, safe states, recovery strategies, and residual risks are documented and governed.
• Use test, field, reliability, and incident evidence to improve architecture, controls performance, diagnostics, standards, and deployment practices.

Operator Experience, Commissioning & Field Reliability

• Lead next‑generation HMI, alarming, visualization, voice‑enabled assistance, and supervisory‑control experiences that help operators understand system state, intent, constraints, and required intervention.
• Ensure operator workflows support situational awareness, manageable cognitive workload, clear authority boundaries, rapid exception handling, and safe transition between manual, assisted, and autonomous modes.
• Provide technical leadership for prototype builds, factory testing, rig commissioning, field trials, remote support, root‑cause investigations, and corrective actions for complex controls and autonomy issues.
• Convert field feedback and operating evidence into prioritized product, controls, diagnostics, documentation, and training improvements.

Engineering Leadership & Product Delivery

• Lead a multidisciplinary team spanning controls, autonomy architecture, AI/ML, simulation, robotics, perception, and advanced HMI/UX capabilities.
• Operate as a technically credible player‑coach who sets architecture and engineering direction, reviews critical work, develops leaders and specialists, and holds the team accountable for safe, testable, maintainable delivery.
• Own the staged technology roadmap, investment priorities, resource plan, delivery governance, and executive communication for controls automation and intelligent systems.
• Partner with controls software, electrical, mechanical, hydraulics, product management, manufacturing, quality, field service, and drilling operations leaders to convert strategy into validated products and deployments.

About Us

Nabors is a leading provider of advanced technology for the energy industry. With operations in about 20 countries, Nabors has established a global network of people, technology and equipment to deploy solutions that deliver safe, efficient and responsible hydrocarbon production. By leveraging its core competencies, particularly in drilling, engineering, automation, data science and manufacturing, Nabors aims to innovate the future of energy and enable the transition to a lower carbon world.