Fervo Energy

Senior Drilling Engineer

Fervo Energy

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Hybrid

Location: Houston • Texas • United States

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Job Level

Senior

About the role

  • Lead full lifecycle well engineering for complex geothermal wells, including trajectory design, casing programs, cementing strategies, drill string/BHA configurations, hydraulics modeling, and contingency planning.
  • Develop execution-ready drilling programs and procedures that translate engineering design into clear, field-ready operational guidance.
  • Build detailed time and cost models, support AFE development, and ensure engineering assumptions are technically sound and economically optimized.
  • Identify and proactively mitigate subsurface and operational risks through formal risk assessments, stress modeling, and scenario planning.
  • Serve as the accountable engineering lead during drilling operations, providing real-time technical guidance and ensuring alignment between design intent and field execution.
  • Diagnose and resolve drilling dysfunctions (e.g., vibration, wellbore instability, losses, stuck pipe) using structured root cause analysis and data-driven decision making.
  • Lead technical response during NPT events, coordinate recovery plans with field teams and contractors, and minimize operational and cost impacts.
  • Uphold rigorous HSE standards in all design and operational decisions, reinforcing a culture of safety and execution discipline.
  • Own plan vs. actual tracking for well cost and schedule performance, identifying variance drivers and implementing corrective actions.
  • Develop and monitor performance KPIs (ROP, NPT, flat time, connection efficiency, cost per foot) to systematically improve well cycle time and capital efficiency.
  • Lead structured post-well reviews and ensure lessons learned are embedded into subsequent well designs and operational practices.
  • Evaluate contractor and service provider performance using quantitative metrics and support data-driven improvements in execution.
  • Collaborate with completions, reservoir, and production engineering teams to ensure integrated well architecture aligned with long-term injection and production requirements.
  • Support vendor selection, technology pilots, and adoption of new tools suited for high-temperature and first-of-a-kind geothermal applications.
  • Contribute to development of scalable drilling engineering standards, workflows, and documentation as Fervo transitions to multi-well development programs.
  • Mentor early-career engineers and elevate technical rigor across the drilling organization through example and knowledge sharing.

Requirements

  • Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related engineering discipline
  • 7+ years of drilling engineering experience, including at least 5 years with an operator in US onshore horizontal drilling environments
  • Demonstrated ownership of full well lifecycle engineering; from planning and AFE development through execution support and post-well analysis
  • Strong competency in core well engineering fundamentals, including casing design, torque & drag modeling, hydraulics, drill string/BHA design, directional drilling, cementing, and contingency planning
  • Proven experience improving drilling performance metrics (e.g., cycle time, NPT reduction, cost per foot) through structured analysis and execution discipline
  • Experience building time and cost estimates and managing plan vs. actual tracking during operations
  • Proficiency in industry-standard well engineering software and modeling tools
  • Strong problem-solving capability with the ability to make sound technical decisions in dynamic field environments
  • Demonstrated commitment to Health, Safety, and Environmental excellence.
  • Experience in geothermal or other high-temperature, technically complex well environments (preferred)
  • Experience with casing and tubing stress analysis under thermal and mechanical loading conditions (preferred)
  • Familiarity with WellCat or comparable casing design software (preferred)
  • Hands-on field experience across drilling, completions, or workover operations (preferred)
  • Experience working on first-of-a-kind, unconventional, or technically novel well designs (preferred)
  • Prior experience mentoring or informally leading early-career engineers (preferred).
Benefits
  • WFH Flexible 📊 Check your resume score for this job Improve your chances of getting an interview by checking your resume score before you apply. Check Resume Score
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
well engineeringtrajectory designcasing designcementingdrill string designhydraulics modelingrisk assessmentroot cause analysisperformance KPIscost estimation
Soft Skills
problem-solvingtechnical guidancementoringcollaborationdecision makingcommunicationleadershipexecution disciplineanalytical thinkingadaptability
Certifications
Bachelor's degree in Petroleum EngineeringBachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering