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.
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, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. To learn more about our Fair Employment practices, please refer to the Nabors Code of Conduct.
JOB SUMMARY
Nabors is seeking an Automation Technical Lead for the Controls & Automation platform team. The automation technical lead will lead a small team of engineers responsible for the design and development of drilling rig control software and hardware. The position is based in Houston, TX.
DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Lead a team of controls & automation engineers designing and developing drilling rig control systems
Strong understanding of basic machine controls which include induction motor control using AC Drives, MCCs, hydraulic/pneumatics and valve controls.
Develop Control software for machine control algorithms for PLC based systems. HMI design and implementation, instrumentation and sensor interface, data logging, and communication interfaces with other industrial processors like PLC’s.
Generate design documentation, bill of materials, network architectures, one line drawing and operations manuals.
Project lead on commissioning and rig deployments on Nabors and 3rd Party Rigs
Mentor and train junior engineers
Technical consultant to business stake holders, assist in gathering requirements from customers
Maintain product safety in all designs
Perform design prototyping, including field implementing and testing
Responsible for sustaining current rig applications and debugging / fixing issues that are reported in the field. This could be by answering calls and working with technicians, remotely connecting to rig system and troubleshoot, or by traveling to the rig site and working with rig personnel to fix the issue.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS/SKILLS
Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical or Controls Engineering or related field
10+ years of experience in an engineering environment, developing controls and automation software in Rockwell or Siemens systems
5+ years in the oil & gas drilling automation
Proficient in RSLogix5000, FT SE and other Rockwell tools
Strong understanding of industrial networking protocols like Ethernet/IP, Profibus, Modbus and OPC
Good understanding of AC drives (ABB, GE Converteam & Yaskawa)
Some knowledge of other software programming languages like C++, Python
Critical thinking and problem solving
Great interpersonal and communication skills
PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS
Experience in the drilling industry is highly preferred
PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS / WORKING CONDITIONS
While this position is primarily based in a professional office environment, travel to yards and rigs is essential and required.
25% travel is expected
The position supports drilling rigs that work 24/7 and will routinely require phone availability outside regular work hours
