What are Drilling Consultants?
Drilling consultants, or drilling supervisors, provide onsite supervision of day-to-day drilling operations on behalf of the contract operating company. These individuals ensure the safety of all personnel on location while successfully executing the operator’s drilling plan and reaching target depth as quickly and cost effectively as possible.
Operators contract drilling consultants for specific projects during their contract term and essentially make them an extension of the operator in the field.
Drilling supervisors are highly knowledgeable and skilled in their industry with many having 20 to 30 years of oilfield experience. However, it is not uncommon for individuals with 10 to 15 years’ experience to break into these roles.
Drilling supervisors are typically 35 and 50 years old with a weighted average between 50 and 70. However, some individuals are able to begin careers as drilling consultants in their late 20s, especially those with a background in engineering.