Director, Global Enterprise & Rig Technology Operations

Helmerich & Payne•Tulsa, OK

3d•Onsite

About The Position

The Director, Global Enterprise & Rig Technology Operations is responsible for the global operation, reliability, and security of the technology infrastructure that keeps H&P's rigs connected and the enterprise running. Leading teams across the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, the Director owns rig connectivity and network operations; datacenter, cloud, and hosting operations; rig technology platforms; infrastructure and network security operations. The role is accountable for meeting drilling-critical availability targets through global coverage, including a follow-the-sun model for appropriate functions, and will continue to integrate and standardize the combined H&P and KCA Deutag technology estate. In doing so, the Director ensures Global IT delivers reliable, cost-efficient, secure, and scalable services that support rig automation execution, real-time rig data flow, uninterrupted drilling operations, employee productivity, and H&P's global growth.

Requirements

Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Information Technology, or a related field preferred
15+ years of progressive infrastructure and operations experience, including significant leadership responsibility, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Advanced knowledge of enterprise infrastructure operations: networks, datacenter, cloud, virtualization, and hosting
Advanced knowledge of cloud platforms (Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and/or GCP) and hybrid operations
Knowledge of rig, drilling, or industrial / operational-technology (OT) environments strongly preferred
Advanced knowledge of network and infrastructure security operations and incident response
Advanced knowledge of IT service management, major incident, problem, and change management, disaster recovery, and business continuity
Advanced knowledge of enterprise technology architecture, standards, and governance
Demonstrated experience running 24x7, mission-critical operations to defined availability targets (follow-the-sun / NOC)
Ability to sponsor and govern complex programs and projects, including business case, resourcing, vendor selection, risk mitigation, acceptance criteria, and benefits realization
Experience partnering with Cybersecurity and Governance, Risk & Compliance on audit readiness and regulatory obligations
Experience managing managed service providers (MSPs) and technology partners to SLAs, including executive escalation and roadmap alignment
Proven leadership of large, geographically distributed technical teams
Experience with post-merger technology integration preferred
Financial acumen: infrastructure and platform budgeting, forecasting, and cost optimization (FinOps)
Excellent executive communication, interpersonal, and stakeholder-management skills
Ability to travel domestically and internationally, including to rig sites (passport required)

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of rig, drilling, or industrial / operational-technology (OT) environments strongly preferred
Experience with post-merger technology integration preferred

Responsibilities

Define and execute the operating model for enterprise and rig technology services, including service placement, role clarity, global handoffs, support coverage, and consistent standards across Tulsa, Aberdeen, India, field locations, datacenters, cloud, and rig environments.
Own the day-to-day operation, availability, and performance of rig connectivity, networks, datacenters, cloud and hosting, and rig-site technology platforms across all hemispheres.
Lead infrastructure strategy and execution for major initiatives, including global operating model transformation, international rig infrastructure upgrades, NextGen Rig Network (NGRN) capabilities, space-based connectivity, and datacenter and cloud modernization, spanning FlexRig and T-Series rigs and all operating regions.
Design and run 24x7 coverage across Tulsa (US / Western Hemisphere), Aberdeen (UK / Eastern Hemisphere), and India, including NOC rotation and third-shift coverage, ensuring seamless handoffs, on-call structures, and major-incident response for drilling-critical services.
Ensure rigs, offices, datacenters, and cloud are reliably and securely linked worldwide; oversee network engineering, rig and FlexRig networking, and connectivity for remote and offshore assets.
Own core compute, storage, virtualization, backup, and cloud hosting (including Azure, Oracle Cloud Infrastructure, and GCP) that underpin rig and enterprise services; drive resilience, capacity planning, and cost efficiency.
Ensure the IT and technical platforms on the rigs, including edge and OT-adjacent systems, are reliable, secure, and support safe drilling; partner closely with Digital Drilling Solutions, Digital Operations, and field operations.
Keep the global network and infrastructure secure as well as available; partner closely with the CISO and Information Security on incident response, hardening, and controls, aligned with a shared follow-the-sun response model.
Partner with Cybersecurity and Governance, Risk & Compliance on identity and access dependencies, network segmentation, vulnerability remediation, change control, audit readiness, and regulatory obligations.
Set infrastructure and platform architecture direction, standards, and governance; guide design decisions and technology selection in partnership with the principal architecture team.
Serve as the primary infrastructure leader during major technology incidents and disruptions; translate technical issues into business impact, coordinate cross-functional response, engage executive stakeholders when warranted, and ensure corrective actions and lessons learned are implemented.
Own major-incident, problem management, and disaster-recovery readiness for infrastructure and rig technology; drive continuous improvement and reliability engineering.
Sponsor, approve, and govern infrastructure projects and enterprise change requests, ensuring business case, scope, funding, resourcing, vendor selection, risk management, testing, acceptance criteria, and benefits realization are sufficient before and during execution.
Provide clear communications to IT and business leadership on infrastructure services, outages, risks, strategic tradeoffs, investment needs, and operational performance, using business language rather than unnecessary technical detail.
Continue to integrate, rationalize, and standardize the combined H&P and KCA Deutag infrastructure estate toward a single global operating model.
Manage managed service providers and technology partners to defined SLAs and performance standards; partner with Supply Chain, who executes vendor negotiations and vendor management, providing the technical and performance requirements that inform sourcing and renewals.
Engage strategic vendors and managed service providers at executive and account-leadership levels to resolve issues, improve performance, manage escalations, and align roadmaps, while Supply Chain continues to execute negotiations and vendor management.
Lead, develop, and organize a global, multi-site team of managers and engineers across the Western and Eastern Hemispheres; build bench strength, on-call coverage, and succession.
Set expectations for managers, principals, and technical leaders consistent with H&P's job-architecture levels (for example P4, M2, M3, and M4) and coach leaders to bring recommendations, not just issues, across project engagement, incident response, change control, budgeting, vendor management, and planning.
Partner with IT Business Operations on the infrastructure and platform budget, forecast, and savings, running the function with disciplined spend-to-value optimization.

Benefits

Flexible Spending or Health Savings Accounts
401k match
Paid Leave Plans
Parental & Adoption Benefits
Disability Coverage
Employee Assistance Program
Educational Assistance
Learning & Development Opportunities
Flex-scheduling available for qualifying positions to achieve work-life integration
Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and life insurance