Senior Drilling Engineer: Well Construction & Operations

Placements24; Paarl; On-site; ZAR 500,000 - 900,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Health benefits

Retirement plan

Bonuses

Professional development

Career progression

Job summary

Placements24 is seeking a highly skilled Drilling Engineer for the Paarl, Western Cape, to lead on-site drilling planning, execution, and safety across complex well campaigns. The role requires deep expertise in well design, risk management, and collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams.

You will develop drilling programs, design trajectories, monitor performance, and ensure cost-effective operations while upholding the highest safety and environmental standards onshore and offshore projects

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 6 years of experience as a Drilling Engineer in Oil & Gas.
• Experience designing and executing drilling plans for vertical, directional and horizontal wells.
• Knowledge of drilling fluids, cementing, well control and formation evaluation.
• Familiarity with drilling rig operations and equipment.
• Strong problem-solving and decision-making under pressure.
• Leadership and communication to manage rig crews and multidisciplinary teams.
• Willingness to travel to rig sites around Paarl, Western Cape.

Responsibilities

• Develop detailed drilling programs and procedures for onshore and offshore wells.
• Design well trajectories, casing programs, and cementing strategies.
• Select drilling equipment, tools and technologies for objectives.
• Oversee rig-site drilling operations and ensure safety/compliance.
• Manage drilling risks and implement mitigation strategies.
• Monitor performance, analyze metrics, identify efficiency improvements.
• Coordinate with geologists, geophysicists, and production engineers.
• Ensure accurate daily reports and post-well analyses.
• Manage drilling-related costs while maintaining safety and quality.
• Stay updated on drilling technology and best practices.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Problem-solving

Travel willingness

On-site execution

Team coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Petroleum or Mechanical Engineering

Tools

Drilling simulation software

Data analysis tools

Job description

Placements24 is seeking a highly skilled Drilling Engineer for the Paarl, Western Cape, to lead on-site drilling planning, execution, and safety across complex well campaigns. The role requires deep expertise in well design, risk management, and collaboration with multi-disciplinary teams.

You will develop drilling programs, design trajectories, monitor performance, and ensure cost-effective operations while upholding the highest safety and environmental standards onshore and offshore projects