Patterson UTI Energy Inc Hiring for Product Development Manager – Drilling Automation at Houston, Texas Full Time

Patterson-UTI Drilling

The New Standard for Drilling Performance

Drill safer, smarter and faster with Patterson-UTI Drilling’s comprehensive fleet of pad-capable rigs featuring advanced walking systems to enhance your operations so you can reach your apex.

Patterson-UTI’s Drilling Automation team is a growing group of energetic, passionate individuals working to improve our operations through automation. The Product Development Manager for Drilling Automation is responsible for the conception, development, testing, and continuous sustainment of drilling performance applications. The preferred candidate should have expert knowledge in rotary drilling operations as well as downhole drilling dynamics. This role will work directly with control system and automation engineers to develop products, operations to test and deploy products, and marketing and sales to commercialize products.

Some example projects that are being developed, tested, and deployed include

• Drilling advisory systems to improve drilling efficiency and mitigate dysfuntion
• Automation of repetitive sequences in the drilling process such as connections, reaming, and tripping
• Integration of third-party applications into the control system such as power slips and adaptive auto driller controls

The successful candidate will: set high standards of performance for themselves and others; be highly organized and demonstrate strong project management skills, be professional in written, verbal and personal actions in any situation; seek new knowledge and experiences; have an analytical mindset that can utilize factual data to develop creative and business-oriented solutions; be self-aware and adjust accordingly to different environments and audiences

Detailed Description

• Understand and influence the strategic vision of the Company’s automation and controls development roadmap; assist in prioritizing development efforts and report to stakeholders on progress
• Act as the subject matter expert (SME) for functional specifications of drilling automation products including; enhance products from existing ideas, expand on market requirements, and help develop new concepts based on industry research and the needs of customers
• Develop supporting technical documentation, including design specifications, test procedures, commissioning procedures, training materials, and technical presentations
• Develop and manage a quality assurance program to ensure applications undergo adequate manual and simulated testing in a laboratory environment prior to being tested and deployed to the field
• Coordinate beta test programs, including rig selection, program alignment with internal and external stakeholders, software/hardware installation and commissioning, data export and analysis
• Define beta test acceptance criteria; partner closely with developers and operations teams to ensure proper measurement and variable control
• Work with data scientists to compile and analyze data from beta tests; translate results; prepare recommendations for further testing or application development as part of the product development cycle
• Manage product backlog; prioritize and schedule development cycles
• Liaise with marketing, translate technical specifications into marketing and branding materials; assist with overall product launch
• Meet with customers to provide technical information on controls applications; write white papers highlighting the technology and operational results; present at technical conferences and meetings
• Understand industry trends and emerging opportunities in controls technology, analyze viability of new products, recommend areas to invest in R&D

Job Requirements

• Ability to work independently as well as part of a team, managing multiple tasks and working on multiple projects simultaneously to meet challenging deadlines
• Demonstrate clear written and verbal communication skills and the ability to promptly give, and follow directions when working with others
• Ability to safely navigate the yard and shop work sites with occasional walking, climbing, standing, stepping, etc. during normal operating conditions (day/night, outdoor hot/cold weather)
• Ability to safely navigate drilling rig work sites including regular walking, climbing, standing, stepping, etc. during various weather conditions (day/night, outdoor hot/cold weather)
• Ability to proficiently use MS Office Suite to develop presentations, correspondence, reports, and schedules (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)
• Physical ability to:
• Lift and carry 50 pounds independently while walking on uneven surfaces
• Bend, stoop, kneel, twist, and crawl occasionally during visits to the field and operational work areas
• Listen for unusual noises that signify equipment and or machinery problems
• Stay alert and focused including during occasional extended work periods
• Maintain spatial orientation and awareness to safely move around the work environment with many moving objects including overhead machinery
• Wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at all designated times
• Ability to regularly travel as needed to visit worksites and support business units; may require extended travel to remote locations and/or overnight stay(s) outside normal office area
• Ability to work on weekends and be on call after hours as needed

Minimum Qualifications

• A bachelor’s degree in an engineering discipline, or an equivalent level of industry-related experience
• 5+ years of experience in the oil & gas drilling industry, with significant exposure to drilling operations

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in product development of control system applications
• 5+ years experience in analyzing and improving drilling performance
• 5+ years of experience in project management

Certifications: None

Supervisory Responsibilities: Possible future requirement

Additional Details

This position requires the person to be able to work in a time sensitive, high visible role and regularly travel as needed to support business units and visit work sites. It may also require extended travel to remote locations and/or overnight stay(s) during variable hours. Variable work hours include hours worked on the weekend, on holiday(s), and hours to travel within and outside of the assigned region. The Asset Manager must work with an emphasis on planning, multitasking and prioritization to maximize efficiency of the team. Must be able to work closely with others and manage customer interaction in a professional manner. Ability to safely navigate work sites with occasional walking, climbing, standing, stepping, etc., during normal operating conditions (day/night, outdoor hot/cold weather) and while utilizing designated personal protective equipment (PPE). The person must be able to work closely with others assigned to the rig construction process.