How to hire a drilling engineer

How to hire a drilling engineer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step drilling engineer hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a drilling engineer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new drilling engineer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a drilling engineer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you post your drilling engineer job, you should take the time to determine what type of worker your business needs. While certain jobs definitely require a full-time employee, it's sometimes better to find a drilling engineer for hire on a part-time basis or as a contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A drilling engineer's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, drilling engineers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents drilling engineer salaries for various positions.

   Type of Drilling Engineer	Description	Hourly rate
   Drilling Engineer	Petroleum engineers design and develop methods for extracting oil and gas from deposits below the Earth’s surface. Petroleum engineers also find new ways to extract oil and gas from older wells.	$31-74
   Gas Analyst	A gas analyst is faced with different responsibilities in the workplace. They are required to manage internal physical transactions with the gas management system... Show more	$24-48
   Lead Field Engineer	A lead field engineer tests, commissions, programs, troubleshoot, repairs, retrofits, and installs voltage power system devices. A lead field engineer also tests, commissions, troubleshoot, repairs, erects, upgrades, and vacuum-fills various transformers... Show more	$25-47

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Cost Estimates
   • Well Design
   • Data Analysis
   • BHA
   • Technical Support
   • Engineering Support
   • Well Control
   • Risk Assessments
   • BP
   • Wellview
   • Cost Control
   • Drill String
   • Completion Operations
   • HSE

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage all solids control equipment ie; mud cleaners, centrifuges, and shakers.
   • Accomplish high level of safety standards and have maintained a accident and incident free career while working for Newpark.
   • Manage rig move/loss circulation surface personnel logistics for maximum efficiency.
   • Provide front-end engineering support including selecting and ordering long lead equipment, AFE budgeting/timing and writing detail installation procedures.
   • Used different types of completion fluids (Nacl brine, Cacl2 brine, ., ect . )
   • Work with water base salt polymer.

   More drilling engineer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your drilling engineer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A drilling engineer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, drilling engineers' average salary in arkansas is 56% less than in nevada.
   • Seniority. Entry-level drilling engineers 58% less than senior-level drilling engineers.
   • Certifications. A drilling engineer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a drilling engineer's salary.

   Average drilling engineer salary

   $101,225yearly

   $48.67 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level drilling engineer salary

   $65,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average drilling engineer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Nevada	$132,841	$64
   2	Alaska	$116,809	$56
   3	Texas	$106,588	$51
   4	New Mexico	$104,258	$50
   5	California	$102,214	$49
   6	Colorado	$102,152	$49
   7	Oklahoma	$87,383	$42
   8	Louisiana	$84,306	$41

   Average drilling engineer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Devon Energy	$163,099	$78.41
   2	Tesco Corp	$159,041	$76.46
   3	California Resources	$158,399	$76.15
   4	Helmerich & Payne	$152,811	$73.47
   5	Hunt Oil	$146,283	$70.33
   6	Exxon Mobil	$145,467	$69.94	4
   7	Hess	$143,486	$68.98
   8	Chevron	$143,287	$68.89
   9	Apache	$141,045	$67.81	1
   10	Marathon Oil	$138,293	$66.49
   11	BP America Inc	$138,164	$66.42	2
   12	Endeavor Energy Resources	$134,891	$64.85
   13	EOG Resources	$134,717	$64.77	10
   14	Aera Energy	$132,237	$63.58
   15	Occidental Petroleum	$131,500	$63.22	10
   16	Nabors Industries	$128,957	$62.00	1
   17	Schlumberger	$125,702	$60.43	2
   18	Baker Hughes	$121,487	$58.41	21
   19	Lewis Energy Group	$120,607	$57.98	1
   20	NOV	$108,747	$52.28	5

4. Writing a drilling engineer job description

   A drilling engineer job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a drilling engineer job description:

   Drilling engineer job description example

   Actively participates in Cross-Functional Team meetings and provide input on drilling plans using offset wells to achieve well objectives.
   
   Identifies and evaluates appropriate offset wells. Participate on internal well design reviews and risk assessments for assigned wells.
   
   With support of drilling engineering team, verify subsurface predictions, including pore pressure, fracture gradient, lithology, and hazards. Ensures geological prognosis includes all the information to properly develops the well design.
   
   Writes drilling procedures for assigned wells. Evaluate technology options and select materials and services to accomplish well design and objectives.
   
   Provides technical support to the field on daily drilling operations using offset data and engineering calculations.
   
   Provides full time drilling engineering support to assigned drilling rig(s). Monitors daily morning report, and facilitates data error corrections and coding. Has primary responsibility for well file population and management for assigned wells.
   
   Remains at the forefront of new and developing technologies, and recommends advancements to improve safety, performance, and reduce costs. Works with service companies to improve existing or develop new technologies to improve safety and operational performance.
   Provides internal and external bench marking for wells drilled. Assures assigned wells are properly permitted by supporting the Regulatory Specialist, who serves as a primary liaison with Governmental regulatory offices. Evaluates drilling activities against pre-established targets, and makes recommendations for improvement based on analysis. Has an good understanding of, and active participation in safety and environmental programs. Is accountable for knowledge of and compliance with all applicable regulations and Ranger Oil HSE training requirements and policies. Responsible, in conjunction with the relevant Supply Chain Specialist, for preparing tenders, analyzing vendor response, awarding contracts and managing contractor performance. Reviews and approves relevant invoices for accuracy. Provides relief for the other Drilling Engineers on the team during their absence. Performs rig-site supervision training as required. Requirements Minimum of Bachelor of Science degree in Petroleum or Mechanical Engineering Preferred 4 to 8 year of oil field drilling experience Previous experience with an operator preferred Basic knowledge of well bore design and well control Basic understanding of subsurface issues Experience with Contractor selection and performance management preferred Basic project management skills Good PC skills with knowledge of MS Office Suite. Any training related drilling engineering software is preferred Team player and able to work in multi functional teams Proactive, takes initiative, and is able to work independently as well as in cooperation with others Analytical and hands-on Ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines Creative, independent, and flexible in a demanding, multicultural business environment Good communication and presentation skills

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find drilling engineers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any drilling engineers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level drilling engineers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your drilling engineer job on Zippia to find and recruit drilling engineer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting drilling engineers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents. You can move on to the technical interview if a candidate is good enough for the next step.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new drilling engineer

   Once you've found the drilling engineer candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new drilling engineer first day, you should share an onboarding schedule with them that covers their first period on the job. You should also quickly complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Finally, Human Resources must ensure a new employee file is created for internal record keeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a drilling engineer?