Technical Manager (Top Drive)

Nabors Career Site; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 140,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Nabors is seeking a Technical Manager in Houston to lead maintenance strategy, reliability improvements, asset integrity, and lifecycle management of top drives, automated catwalks, and iron roughnecks across the Nabors fleet.

You will drive standardization of mechanical and electrical maintenance practices, coordinating with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and District Maintenance teams to improve uptime and asset value while ensuring safety and regulatory compliance.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering or related technical discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in drilling equipment maintenance or asset management.
• Experience with top drives, automated catwalks, and iron roughnecks preferred.
• Strong leadership and cross-functional collaboration skills.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the technical authority for top drives, catwalks, iron roughnecks, and related systems.
• Develop maintenance standards, inspection criteria, and lifecycle strategies.
• Coordinate upgrades, modernization, and fleet-wide deployment.
• Lead RCFA investigations and implement corrective actions.
• Establish reliability KPIs and monitor performance trends.
• Standardize maintenance procedures and governance across districts.
• Support training and mentoring to ensure best practices.

Skills

Administrative Records Maintenance

Technical Account Management

Technical Operations Management

Technical Project Management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical discipline

Job description

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.

Job Description

The Technical Manager will lead the maintenance strategy, reliability improvement, asset integrity, and lifecycle management of top drives, automated catwalks, and iron roughnecks across Nabors capital equipment assets. This role ensures equipment reliability, supports strategic upgrades, and drives standardization of mechanical and electrical maintenance practices throughout the fleet. The manager provides technical direction and fleet-level governance for assigned mechanical and electrical systems while coordinating closely with maintenance execution, reliability engineering, and field support teams. Collaboration with Engineering, Operations, Supply Chain, and District Maintenance teams is essential to deliver solutions that enhance safety, reduce downtime, and maximize asset value.

Job Info

• Job Identification 1001624
• Posting Date 07/29/2026, 06:26 PM
• Apply Before 09/16/2026, 05:00 AM
• Degree Level High School Graduate
• Job Schedule Full time
• Locations 515 W Greens Road, Houston, TX, 77067, US

Required Skills

• Administrative Records Maintenance
• Technical Account Management
• Technical Operations Management
• Technical Project Management

Responsibilities

Equipment Ownership

Serve as the technical authority for top drives, automated catwalks, iron roughnecks, and associated mechanical/electrical systems across the Nabors fleet.

Develop maintenance standards, inspection criteria, and lifecycle management strategies for assigned equipment categories.

Support equipment standardization, modernization, and fleet-wide deployment initiatives.

Coordinate major overhaul programs and reliability improvement efforts.

Provide technical guidance for equipment selection, upgrades, and component qualification.

Reliability and Asset Integrity

Develop and implement reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) strategies for assigned equipment categories.

Establish fleet reliability KPIs and performance metrics for top drives, catwalks, iron roughnecks, and related systems.

Monitor equipment performance trends and identify opportunities to improve uptime and reduce maintenance costs.

Support condition monitoring, predictive maintenance, and asset integrity initiatives.

Lead root cause failure analysis (RCFA) investigations and drive implementation of corrective actions.

Promote continuous improvement focused on reducing NPT and total cost of ownership.

Maintenance Standards and Governance

Develop and maintain maintenance procedures, inspection requirements, and technical standards.

Establish best practices for maintenance execution and equipment care across district operations.

Ensure maintenance practices support HSE expectations, equipment integrity, OEM recommendations, and applicable regulatory requirements.

Support audits, equipment certifications, and compliance requirements.

Ensure lessons learned and failure analyses are incorporated into fleet maintenance standards.

Drive consistency and standardization across all assigned equipment systems.

Upgrade and Modernization Projects

Lead upgrade and modernization projects related to top drives, catwalks, iron roughnecks, and associated control systems.

Coordinate engineering, procurement, installation, and commissioning activities with internal teams and external vendors.

Support engineering evaluations and component selection for new technologies and equipment enhancements.

Coordinate field trials and validation programs before fleet-wide deployment.

Validate performance improvements and support implementation of proven solutions across the fleet.

Inventory and Spare Parts Strategy

Develop and maintain recommended inventory lists for capital and district mechanical/electrical spares.

Prioritize critical spare components for top drives, catwalks, iron roughnecks, and associated automation/control systems.

Partner with Supply Chain to optimize inventory levels while minimizing operational risk.

Standardize spare parts strategies across equipment classes and fleet assets.

Support lifecycle planning and obsolescence management for critical components.

Technical Support and Training

Provide advanced troubleshooting support to district maintenance and operations teams.

Assist with commissioning, startup, and acceptance testing of new and upgraded equipment.

Develop technical documentation, maintenance procedures, and equipment guidelines.

Support training and mentoring initiatives to ensure consistent application of maintenance best practices.

Serve as a key technical resource for field operations and maintenance personnel.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or related technical discipline preferred.
• Minimum 10 years of experience in drilling equipment maintenance, mechanical/electrical engineering, reliability engineering, or asset management.
• Extensive knowledge of top drives, automated catwalks, iron roughnecks, and related drilling equipment utilized in land drilling operations, preferred.
• Experience with maintenance planning, asset integrity programs, and root cause failure analysis.
• Strong understanding of drilling rig operations and maintenance best practices.
• Demonstrated ability to lead fleet-wide initiatives and influence cross-functional teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading fleet-wide maintenance, reliability, or equipment standardization initiatives.
• Knowledge of Reliability-Centered Maintenance (RCM), predictive maintenance, and condition-monitoring methodologies.
• Experience working with maintenance systems and equipment performance analytics.
• Experience supporting multiple districts, regions, or international operations.

Strong project management and technical leadership experience.

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Equal Opportunity Employer

Nabors is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibiting discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, religion, age, color, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.  This applies to all terms and conditions of employment including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training.  To learn more about our Fair Employment practices, please refer to the Nabors Code of Conduct .