Engineering Advisor

Nabors • Houston, TX

4d

About The Position

Position Summary The Staff Controls and Automation Engineering Advisor is a director level, major contributor to the development of strategy, overall system architecture design, and implementation of drilling rig controls and automation systems across various onshore and offshore drilling operations. This role strives to provide our customers with technical solutions that promote operational excellence, safety, and innovation through the deployment of advanced technologies and autonomous control systems.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, Automation, Mechatronics, or related field.
• Minimum 15 years of experience in industrial automation, with at least 10 years in oil & gas drilling (onshore preferred).
• Expertise in control systems for drilling rigs, including PLC programming (Allen-Bradley, Siemens, Beckhoff), IPC and SBC based control systems, SCADA platforms, and industrial networking.
• Familiarity with industry autonomous drilling platforms (e.g., SmartROS, DrillOps™, Precise™, NOVOS™).
• Working knowledge and understanding of cybersecurity protocols for industrial control systems.
• Strategic leadership and systems-level thinking.
• Project management and stakeholder engagement.
• Proficiency in automation software and real-time data analytics.
• Strong communication and team-building skills.
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced, safety-critical environments, with a “can-do” attitude.

Nice To Haves

• Professional certifications (ISA CAP, PMP, API RP) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the development and execution of automation strategies and roadmaps for controls and technology solutions for land-based drilling rigs, including control solutions for drill floor equipment such as top drives, drawworks, automated wrenches, catwalk, and automated pipe handling.
• Lead the design and integration of PLC, IPC, SCADA, DCS, and HMI systems.
• Oversee the deployment of autonomous drilling technologies (e.g., robotic drilling and pipe handling, AI-driven smart drilling applications, automated rig controls for automated and personnel free drill floors).
• Ensure system reliability, safety, and compliance with industry standards (API, IEC, ISA).
• Mentor and develop engineers and engineering teams within the controls and automation group, fostering a culture of innovation, safety, right-first-time, and continuous improvement.
• Collaborate across all functionalities within engineering, drilling operations, IT/OT, and field and remote support operations teams to ensure high levels of uptime and optimal systems performance related to control and automation.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees