Offshore Engineering Leader — Drilling Operations

H&P; Covington (LA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

H&P is seeking an Offshore Engineering Manager to lead the Operations Engineering function for offshore drilling. You will oversee engineers, set priorities, and coordinate with Operations, HSE, Maintenance, and Supply Chain to deliver safe, reliable rig performance.

You will provide technical leadership, manage budgets, and drive risk-based decisions while building team capability and ensuring field execution aligns with corporate standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering required.
• 10 years experience supporting drilling or offshore operations, including experience leading engineers or technical professionals and managing multiple concurrent priorities.
• Strong working knowledge of American Petroleum Institute specifications and recommended practices applicable to drilling rigs, structures, and critical equipment.
• Strong working knowledge of Federal Outer Continental Shelf regulatory requirements, including Title 30 CFR Part 250 and SEMS requirements.
• Comprehensive knowledge of drilling operations, rig systems, equipment reliability, structural integrity, inspection programs, and maintenance practices.
• Ability to lead across multiple engineering disciplines and operational groups, make risk-based decisions, and drive action without direct authority.
• Strong understanding of H&P’s external customer base, objectives, service expectations, and technical specifications.
• Safety leadership and ability to stop or redirect work when risk is not controlled.
• Leadership capability including coaching, performance management, conflict resolution, talent development, and succession planning.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and stakeholder-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates and reinforces a workplace committed to the H&P Way, with visible leadership in HSE, accountability, and operational excellence.
• Leads, coaches, and develops Operations Engineers; establishes performance expectations, assigns work, provides feedback, supports succession planning, and builds technical and leadership capability.
• Sets priorities and allocates engineering resources across rigs and projects based on operational risk, client commitments, business value, and workforce capacity.
• Serves as the senior engineering liaison with Operator and Company leadership, translating operational requirements into clear technical plans, decisions, and accountabilities.
• Provides technical leadership and escalation support to H&P Rig Superintendents, Operations Engineers, and rig teams for complex equipment, structural, maintenance, and operational issues.
• Defines department and project objectives; approves operating plans, engineering deliverables, manpower requirements, schedules, budgets, and risk controls in alignment with senior management direction.
• Owns the quality and timeliness of customer performance reviews, ensuring the team uses accurate data to demonstrate value, identify improvement opportunities, and track commitments through closure.
• Reviews drilling performance, safety trends, downtime, reliability, and operational risks; directs root-cause analysis and approves corrective actions and procedural changes.
• Establishes and maintains engineering standards, operating procedures, technical assurance practices, and management-of-change discipline to improve safety, compliance, reliability, and efficiency.
• Oversees planning and follow-through for rig platform structural inspections, maintenance programs, and critical equipment certifications; reviews findings, assigns owners, and verifies timely closure.
• Monitors rig and equipment condition, preventive maintenance performance, and emerging technical risks; escalates material issues and ensures mitigation plans are implemented.
• Reviews and communicates reports for senior management and customers concerning drilling progress, operational risks, engineering workload, equipment requirements, budget performance, and improvement initiatives.
• Builds effective cross-functional relationships with HSE, Maintenance, Supply Chain, Finance, Human Resources, and other engineering disciplines to remove barriers and deliver integrated solutions.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Strategic thinking

Communication

Risk-based decision making

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor’s degree in engineering

Tools

Excel

Word

Job description

H&P is seeking an Offshore Engineering Manager to lead the Operations Engineering function for offshore drilling. You will oversee engineers, set priorities, and coordinate with Operations, HSE, Maintenance, and Supply Chain to deliver safe, reliable rig performance.

You will provide technical leadership, manage budgets, and drive risk-based decisions while building team capability and ensuring field execution aligns with corporate standards.