Role purpose

The Reservoir/Petroleum Engineering Manager leads the subsurface engineering discipline to maximize asset value through strategic reservoir management, production optimization, reserves assurance, and development planning. This role oversees multi-disciplinary teams, ensures technical excellence, and aligns engineering activities with corporate objectives for safe, reliable, and profitable hydrocarbon recovery.

Key responsibilities

1. Reservoir management & field development
- Lead reservoir surveillance, performance evaluation, and reservoir modelling activities.
- Direct the creation and updating of static and dynamic reservoir models.
- Oversee development plans, depletion strategies, reservoir stimulation programs, and IOR/EOR initiatives.
- Ensure optimization of production and recovery factors across assets.

2. Technical leadership & governance
- Provide technical assurance on reservoir engineering work, simulations, forecasts, and reserves estimates.
- Establish best practices, workflows, and standards across the reservoir engineering discipline.
- Guide and coach engineers, ensuring continuous capability development.

3. Production optimization
- Oversee production forecasting, decline curve analysis, material balance, and nodal analysis.
- Collaborate with production and operations teams to diagnose well performance and propose interventions.
- Support short- and long-term hydrocarbon production strategies.

4. Reserves management
- Manage annual reserves certification (1P/2P/3P) and SPE-PRMS compliance.
- Interface with internal and external auditors for reserves reporting.
- Ensure robust documentation and auditable technical justification.

5. Project & asset integration
- Collaborate closely with geology, geophysics, petroleum engineering, drilling, and operations teams.
- Provide subsurface input for well planning, workovers, and drilling campaigns.
- Evaluate project economics and support business planning and investment decisions.

6. Data & technology
- Champion use of advanced reservoir management technologies, digital tools, and AI/ML integration.
- Oversee data quality assurance, interpretation, and integration into models.

7. HSE & risk management
- Ensure all activities comply with corporate HSE and regulatory standards.
- Lead subsurface risk assessments and ensure mitigation plans are in place.

Qualifications & experience

Education
- Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering, Reservoir Engineering, or related field (mandatory).
- Master's degree or PhD in Petroleum/Reservoir Engineering (preferred).

Experience
- Typically 20+ years in reservoir or petroleum engineering.
- Minimum 5 years in a leadership or managerial role.
- Demonstrated experience with major oil and gas reservoirs (carbonate/clastic, conventional/unconventional).
- Strong background in field development, simulation, and reserves evaluation.
- Site experience in the Middle East and any specific experience in the Iraqi southern oil fields would be advantageous.

Technical skills
- Expertise in reservoir simulation (e.g., Eclipse, tNavigator, CMG).
- Proficiency in production optimization tools (e.g., Prosper, GAP, MBAL).
- Strong reservoir surveillance and modelling capability.
- Solid understanding of well testing, pressure-transient analysis, and flow assurance.

Soft skills
- Leadership and team development abilities.
- Excellent communication and stakeholder management.
- Strong analytical, decision-making, and strategic thinking skills.