Drilling Operations Excellence Coach

Ensign Energy Services Inc.; Texas; On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading drilling firm is seeking an Operational Excellence Advisor to enhance drilling performance through proactive coaching and operational planning. The ideal candidate will foster a culture centered around safety and efficiency, ideally possessing over 8 years of progressive experience in the oil and gas drilling industry. Responsibilities include coaching field leadership, pre-job planning, and engaging with various teams to ensure operational excellence. The position requires strong communication skills and the ability to thrive in dynamic environments.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in operational efficiency and safety culture.
• Excellent communication and leadership skills.
• Familiarity with HSE management systems and incident prevention.

Responsibilities

• Lead pre-job planning and safety sessions.
• Coach field leadership in optimization opportunities.
• Provide real-time feedback on rig operations.

Skills

Operational Insight

Safety Mindset

Coaching & Communication

Collaboration

Situational Awareness

Adaptability

Education

8-10 years in oil and gas drilling industry

5 years in leadership or managerial roles

Job description

USS - Operational Excellence Advisor

Job Summary

The Operational Excellence Advisor supports Ensign’s goal of delivering safe, consistent, and optimized drilling performance through proactive coaching, preplanning, and collaboration with rig-based and operational leadership. This role bridges operational efficiency with safety culture, ensuring that continuous improvement and risk management are achieved through strong preparation, field engagement, and peer-level guidance.

Internal Relationships

The successful candidate for this position will work with the Client representative, Operations group Team Members, HSE and Drilling Solutions.

Exterior Relationships

Engagement with Operator representatives, Ensigns operations management & HSE is pivotal. Representation of company is also expected at a high professional level.

Specific Responsibilities and Accountabilities

Partner with Rig Managers, Superintendents, and HSE Advisors to promote a proactive approach to safety and operational planning.

• Lead and participate in pre-spud and pre-job planning sessions to align operational goals, risk mitigation measures, and crew readiness.
• Coach field leadership and crews in identifying optimization opportunities that improve efficiency without compromising safety.
• Observe rig operations, identify process deviations or improvement areas, and provide real-time feedback in a constructive, peer-to-peer manner.
• Collaborate with HSE to ensure, Ensign’s Coach Assist and Assure Process (ENCAAP) quality, standard, and procedural compliance are integrated into operational plans.
• Reinforce a culture of operational discipline by promoting planning, hazard recognition, and lessons learned sharing across rigs.
• Support investigations, after-action reviews, and corrective action generation as requested, focusing on behavioral and procedural learnings.
• Assist in developing and maintaining standardized tools, checklists, and preplanning templates to strengthen operational consistency.
• Communicate lessons learned, improvement opportunities, and successes through structured field reports and debriefs.
• Serve as a liaison between Operations, HSE, and corporate teams to ensure alignment to field execution standards.

Core Competencies:

• Operational Insight: Strong understanding of drilling practices, rig systems, and performance indicators.
• Safety Mindset: Deep knowledge of field HSE expectations, hazard management, and regulatory awareness.
• Coaching & Communication: Skilled at providing feedback constructively to influence positive behavioral and procedural change.
• Collaboration: Builds trust and respect across disciplines to achieve operational excellence.
• Situational Awareness: Recognizes early indicators of risk and takes proactive action.
• Adaptability: Effectively balanced performance and safety priorities in dynamic field conditions.

Customer Relationships: Build strong relationships with customers based on thorough understanding of drilling challenges/solutions and the application of Drilling Solutions technologies.

• Actively engage with clients in well planning and drilling performance discussions to highlight opportunities and identify challenges to success.

Support the differentiation of the Ensign offering by working closely with customers to become an integral part of their processes to measure and improve performance.

Minimum Education and Experience

• Minimum of 8-10 years of progressive experience in the oil and gas drilling industry, with at least 5 years in leadership or managerial roles focused on talent development and performance management.
• Familiarity with performance-based operations, KPI tracking, and continuous improvement frameworks.
• Excellent verbal and written communications skills
• Demonstrated understanding of HSE management systems, JSAs, and incident prevention methodologies.

Qualifications

• Belief in a Strong Safety Culture.
• Ability to build, manage and foster a team-oriented environment- strong communication skills necessary.
• Influential and leadership skills; driving continual improvements and engaging with numerous different business units within Ensign as required.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and inspire teams, excellent communication skills, strategic thinking, and the capability to drive change and innovation within the organization.
• Ability to thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced environment, adapting strategies to align with changing industry landscapes.
• Proficient with the computer and organizational skills are required.

Additional Information

The successful candidate will be required to successfully pass a physical and background check.

Ensign United States Drilling Inc. is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer.