Our global energy client seeks a Pore Pressure/Geomechanics Specialist in Houston to support well planning and execution across the Western Hemisphere. This critical role plays a vital part in ensuring safe and efficient well delivery for the Gulf of Mexico, Trinidad, exploration areas (including Brazil and Canada), and CCUS projects in the US. You will collaborate closely with cross-functional teams throughout the entire well lifecycle, from early concept development through detailed planning, execution, and post-well analysis. Your expertise will be instrumental in developing accurate pore and fracture pressure forecasts, wellbore stability models, and ensuring compliance with regulations. Additionally, you will work with the Real-Time Collaboration Center to monitor pressure during execution and incorporate learnings into well operations. This dynamic opportunity offers the chance to contribute to critical projects across the Western Hemisphere and play a key role in the safe and effective delivery of wells.

Primary Accountabilities

• Pore Pressure and Fracture Pressure Forecasting:
  • The successful candidate is expected to integrate multiple types of indicators and observations of pressure and fracture gradient in a geologic context to generate a pre-drill pore pressure and fracture gradient (PPFG) forecast. This may include: pressure from seismic velocities, offset well data such as measured pressures, connection gases, log derived pressures in shale, and basin models for building the pore pressure model and log data, drilling events/data, mini-frac/leakoff test data, lost circulation events, impact of reservoir depletion and lithology variations to constrain fracture gradient and minimum stress. .
  • The successful candidate with then integrate their work with others on the multi-disciplinary well planning team to optimize the design on the selection of drilling fluid type/weight, casing string design, setting depths, potential geo-hazards and mitigation techniques. They will also be able to communicate the technical work as well as the risks and mitigations to a wide range of stakeholders, ranging from the drilling team, the Operations team monitoring the well, leadership as we well as co-owners and governmental regulators.
• Operational Support for Pore Pressure Detection as required for complex development or exploration wells in collaboration with the remote collaboration center; including real-time model calibration, kick analysis, gas and breathing analysis and losses investigations as well as interpretation of formation integrity tests. The successful candidate will be responsible for communicating the updated PPFG model and forecast going forward to the operations team and to recommend potential changes to mud weight or drilling strategy and potential locations for pressure points.
• Drillability Assessment: work closely with wells to develop wellbore strengthening model and implementation plan for drilling through depleted reservoirs.
• Wellbore stability analysis: Developing wellbore stability models as the basis for providing minimum mud weight recommendations for drilling and completing wells. There will be an emphasis on analysis and integration of data from multiple sources e.g. log data, drilling data, caving's analysis, image and caliper log analysis etc.
• Operational assessment: contribute to Reservoir Development Operating Limits, broaching analyses, zonal isolation assessment, alternate well design, deviation/abandonment risk assessments. Participate in risk assessments to represent the PPFG, zonal isolation and broaching risks.
• Participation in subsurface related non-productive time (NPT) analyses and investigations
• Support development and implementation of a world class PPFG and Geomechanics toolkit.
• Represent company externally as required at industry meetings and JIPs etc.
• Coach for less experienced team members

Essential Education
Master's or PhD in Engineering, Science, Geoscience, Geomechanics or Mathematics

Essential Criteria

• Minimum 5 years of experience in relevant oilfield (drilling PPFG/geomechanics) with operator or service company.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to distill complicated technical work to a variety of stakeholders.
• Ability to work with cross-disciplinary teams and competing priorities to deliver challenging wells.
• The candidate must be familiar with PPFG, geomechanics, drilling and subsurface aspects of Well Planning and Execution.

Desirable Criteria and Qualifications

• Previous PPFG experience with an operator; previous geomechanics experience such as wellbore stability and formation pressure integrity tests, strong geology and geophysics background and experience with well planning.
• Experience generating pre-drill PPFG forecasts for deep water wells in both development and exploration settings.
• Awareness of Geology, Petrophysics, Basin Modelling, Processing Geophysics, Reservoir Geomechanics, Drilling Engineering, Rig Systems, and Well Control.
• Software proficiency and coding capability (e.g., VBA, Python, Techlog and Petrel).

About Petroplan

Petroplan is the trusted, specialist global Talent Solutions partner of choice for employers and professionals in the Energy sector. Since 1976, Petroplan has been here to help people like you make the most of the opportunities available and find the best fit for you as an individual.

Over 10,000 placements in more than 55 countries for over 550 clients across 65 disciplines.

In an industry where skilled and experienced professionals are increasingly sought after resource, we appreciate the true value of what you have to offer. What's more, we understand that different things are important to different people in today's world of work - it's about making exactly the right connections for you as an individual.

Our reputation for contractor and candidate care, understanding what makes you tick, and finding you the best match is second-to-none. We understand the industry inside-out and seek to understand YOU and your motivations in the same way. We take the time to evaluate your individual strengths, understand the most important things to you, and establish exactly what you're looking for from your next role.