Project Development Engineer

RigUp; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

RigUp in Houston, TX seeks a Project Development Engineer to lead front-end planning and scoping for upstream unconventional well locations, facilities, and infrastructure. You will translate business objectives into clear, aligned scopes to drive safe, efficient project execution and value-focused decisions.

The role requires strong communication, stakeholder management, and ~10% travel to Midland Basin sites. Local schedule: Monday–Friday, 8–5, with travel as needed.

Qualifications

• BS degree in Engineering or related technical field.
• Experience in Project Development, Execution and Planning activities (upstream unconventional preferred).
• Excellent communication and stakeholder-management skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead front-end planning and scoping for well pads and related infrastructure from inception to readiness.
• Translate objectives into clear, execution-ready scopes for alignment across teams.
• Support milestones and governance reviews to ensure smooth transition into execution.

Skills

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

MS Office

Travel readiness

Education

BS in Engineering

Job description

Our Vision: RigUp is where the best workers power the world’s most successful projects. We are united by a common mission: to deliver services and technology that fundamentally change how skilled workers and the businesses they serve get hard work done.

Job Description:

The Project Development Engineer serves as the front-end integrator for green & brownfield upstream unconventional well locations, facilities, and infrastructure by translating business objectives, operational needs, and technical inputs into clear, aligned, execution-ready scopes. This role builds trusted partnerships across stakeholders and helps shape projects that deliver safe, efficient, and value-focused execution.

A successful Project Development Engineer will be recognized as a trusted front-end integrator across the organization; develop clear, aligned scopes that reduce downstream rework and improve execution readiness; create stakeholder alignment before projects move into execution; help the business make better development decisions through option evaluation, capital efficiency, and value-based tradeoffs; and bring clarity to ambiguous problems to help move the team from uncertainty to executable plans.

Responsibilities:

Front-End Project Development and Scope Definition:

• Lead early planning and scoping for well pads, tank batteries, well pad facilities, flowlines, and related infrastructure from inception through design basis readiness
• Translate business objectives, operational needs, and technical inputs into clear, aligned, execution-ready scopes
• Support business unit development planning milestones including decision quality assurance reviews (Roadmaps) and drill unit reviews (DUR) ensuring smooth transition into project execution

Lead Integrator Across Stakeholders:

• Serve as the front-end integrator across Business Unit, Global Operations (GO), Wells (D&C), Project Execution, Central Engineering, Surface Land, Regulatory, Project Controls, and Supply Chain
• Build trusted partnerships and align stakeholders early to reduce rework, clarify handoffs, and improve decision quality
• Frame tradeoffs & options for stakeholders when scope, schedule, cost, risk, and stakeholder expectations are in tension

Value Creation and Decision Quality:

• Develop & evaluate infrastructure options to support capital-efficient, value-focused project recommendations for development scenarios to inform subsurface decisions
• Partner with business, reservoir, operations, and project controls teams to support informed scoping and investment decisions

Technical Basis, Planning, and Execution Readiness:

• Develop and steward pre-Gate 3 technical basis, project layouts, site requirements, permitting strategies, planning assumptions, and standard design alignment
• Coordinate early input for regulatory, land, permitting, constructability, equipment demand, inventory forecasting, and execution planning
• Provide stewardship and coordination to enable smooth project handoff into execution

Continuous Improvement and Team Effectiveness:

• Contribute to a collaborative team culture built on clarity, ownership, constructive challenge, and trusted partnership
• Identify process gaps, interface issues, and rework drivers across the front-end development process
• Support development of tools, workflows, and standards that improve scope quality, consistency, and execution readiness

Key Relationships / Interfaces:

• Work across a broad set of stakeholders, including: Subsurface / Development Planning, Global Operations, Surface Land / Regulatory, Integrated Operations Planning & Scheduling (IOPS), Wells (Drilling / Completions), Project Execution, Central Engineering, Project Controls, and Procurement / Supply Chain

Skills and Qualifications:

• BS degree in Engineering or related technical studies
• Prior experience in Project Development, Execution and Planning activities (upstream unconventional is preferred)
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office programs
• Approximately 10% travel to Midland Basin field locations

Location: Houston, Texas

Schedule:Monday-Friday 8-5

( approx. 10% travel to Midland Basin field locations)