Post job

What does a drilling manager do?

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
On this page

Drilling manager responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real drilling manager resumes:

  • Manage entire drilling facility: operations, employees, and work environment and HSE.
  • Manage onsite operations safely and efficiently delivering well objectives, in full compliance with relevant standards and operator policies.
  • Arrange all logistics need to get items to remote locations.
  • Manage onsite operations safely and efficiently delivering well objectives, in full compliance with relevant standards and operator policies.
  • Manage and approve field tickets receive from vendors and ensures proper AFE and costs codes are used.

Drilling manager skills and personality traits

We calculated that 16% of Drilling Managers are proficient in Direct Reports, Production Operations, and Completion Operations.

We break down the percentage of Drilling Managers that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Direct Reports, 16%

    Managed 8 direct reports prior to rig count reduction.

  • Production Operations, 10%

    Assisted in management of production operations.

  • Completion Operations, 9%

    Managed a team of engineers and supervisors overseeing all drilling and completion operations in the Eastern United States.

  • HSE, 8%

    Administer daily duties HSE and liasing with all the other groups.

  • Geotechnical, 7%

    Manage drilling operations for geotechnical drilling operations

  • Logistics, 7%

    Arranged all logistics needed to get items to remote locations.

"direct reports," "production operations," and "completion operations" are among the most common skills that drilling managers use at work. You can find even more drilling manager responsibilities below, including:

All drilling manager skills

The three companies that hire the most drilling managers are:

Choose from 10+ customizable drilling manager resume templates

Build a professional drilling manager resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your drilling manager resume.
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume
Drilling Manager Resume

Compare different drilling managers

Drilling manager vs. Leadman

A house supervisor is responsible for supporting the medical facilities' operations on behalf of the unit management. House supervisors ensure that the medical staff provides the highest quality care services for the patients by responding to their inquiries and concerns and assisting their medical needs. They also handle staffing management, recruiting and training new employees, and monitoring the adequacy of staff during every shift. A house supervisor performs administrative and clerical duties as needed, including budgeting and creating financial reports, and monitoring medical inventories.

If we compare the average drilling manager annual salary with that of a leadman, we find that leadmen typically earn a $74,597 lower salary than drilling managers make annually.

There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, drilling manager responsibilities require skills like "direct reports," "production operations," "completion operations," and "hse." Meanwhile a typical leadman has skills in areas such as "safety procedures," "hand tools," "osha," and "work ethic." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.

Leadmen tend to make the most money working in the construction industry, where they earn an average salary of $40,107. In contrast, drilling managers make the biggest average salary, $115,055, in the energy industry.The education levels that leadmen earn slightly differ from drilling managers. In particular, leadmen are 7.1% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a drilling manager. Additionally, they're 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Drilling manager vs. House supervisor

A contractor assistant is responsible for overseeing construction operations under the supervision of the general contractor, from the initial designs to the final touches, ensuring that the final output meets the client's specifications, requirements, and budget goals. Contractor assistants evaluate the costs and expenses and monitor the financial transactions for the project. They also coordinate with the client for updates and other adjustments as needed without compromising the project deliverables. Additionally, a contractor assistant may perform administrative and clerical duties on top of site visits, depending on the general contractor's needs.

A career as a house supervisor brings a lower average salary when compared to the average annual salary of a drilling manager. In fact, house supervisors salary is $53,071 lower than the salary of drilling managers per year.

In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, drilling manager responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "direct reports," "production operations," "completion operations," and "hse." Meanwhile, a house supervisor has duties that require skills in areas such as "patients," "acls," "acute care," and "customer service." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.

On average, house supervisors earn a lower salary than drilling managers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, house supervisors earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $68,110. Whereas drilling managers have higher pay in the energy industry, with an average salary of $115,055.In general, house supervisors achieve similar levels of education than drilling managers. They're 0.6% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.7% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Drilling manager vs. Contractor assistant

On average, contractor assistants earn lower salaries than drilling managers, with a $74,647 difference per year.

The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, drilling managers are more likely to have skills like "direct reports," "production operations," "completion operations," and "hse." But a contractor assistant is more likely to have skills like "drywall installation," "purchase orders," "administrative tasks," and "contract terms."

Contractor assistants earn the best pay in the construction industry, where they command an average salary of $44,460. Drilling managers earn the highest pay from the energy industry, with an average salary of $115,055.contractor assistants typically earn similar educational levels compared to drilling managers. Specifically, they're 3.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.2% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Drilling manager vs. Contractor/service technician

Contractor/service technicians typically earn lower pay than drilling managers. On average, contractor/service technicians earn a $54,227 lower salary per year.

Even though a few skill sets overlap between drilling managers and contractor/service technicians, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a drilling manager might have more use for skills like "direct reports," "production operations," "completion operations," and "hse." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of contractor/service technicians require skills like "commercial buildings," "financial statements," "dot," and "troubleshoot. "

In general, contractor/service technicians hold similar degree levels compared to drilling managers. Contractor/service technicians are 0.1% less likely to earn their Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Types of drilling manager

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse construction and extraction jobs