Location: Lagos
Department: Wells
Reports to: Wells Manager / EGM Wells
West African Exploration and Production Company (WAEP) is a Nigerian company registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) under RC No. 1173358. The company has a strategic partnership with Dangote Exploration Assets Limited (80%), Dansa Energy Resources Limited (5%) and First Exploration and Petroleum Development Company Limited (15%).
In 2015, WAEP acquired a 45% working interest in OML 71 and OML 72 from the SPDC joint venture, comprising Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Limited, Total E&P Nigeria Limited and Nigerian Agip Oil Company Limited. WAEP operates both oil mining leases on behalf of the WAEP-NNPC joint venture. The assets are located south of Bonny Island and contain several discovered oil fields.
WAEP is recruiting to fill the position of Senior Drilling Engineer in its Wells Department in Lagos.
Role Purpose
The Senior Drilling Engineer will lead drilling engineering design, planning and execution support to ensure the safe, efficient and cost-effective delivery of exploration, appraisal and development wells.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop drilling programmes, basis of design, well trajectories, casing and cementing designs, and drilling execution plans.
- Prepare cost and time estimates, authorisations for expenditure (AFEs) and drilling schedules, monitoring performance against approved plans.
- Provide technical support during drilling operations and resolve drilling dysfunctions and operational challenges.
- Lead well risk assessments, drilling the well on paper (DWOP) exercises, technical reviews and lessons-learned processes.
- Optimise drilling performance, reduce non-productive time (NPT) and identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising well integrity or HSE standards.
- Coordinate drilling contractors, service companies and multidisciplinary interfaces.
- Ensure compliance with well-control requirements, company standards, regulatory obligations and approved management-of-change processes.
- Support technical evaluations of contracts, equipment selection and drilling performance reporting.
- Mentor junior engineers and promote technical assurance and knowledge transfer.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Performance will be assessed based on:
- Safe and timely delivery of assigned drilling activities.
- Compliance with approved well execution schedules.
- Quality and accuracy of technical documentation and reporting.
- Reduction in operational downtime, equipment failures and non-productive time.
- Compliance with HSE standards and regulatory requirements.
- Effective coordination of contractors and stakeholders.
Qualifications and Experience
- Bachelor’s degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
- 10–15 years of relevant upstream drilling engineering experience, including offshore operations.
- IWCF or IADC well-control certification and relevant professional engineering membership are strongly preferred.
Core Competencies
- Drilling engineering and well design.
- Well control and drilling risk management.
- Drilling performance optimisation.
- Cost and schedule control.
- Contractor management.
- Technical assurance.
- HSE leadership.
- Stakeholder management.
How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV to [email protected], using Senior Drilling Engineer Application as the subject of the email.
Application Closing Date: 20 October 2026.
Note: Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.