About this role
Job Title
Sr. Drilling Engineer
Work Schedule
Equal Rotation
Department
Well Operations
Work Location
HKN Hamrin Block, Salahaldin, Republic of Iraq – any of HKN's site
Reports to
Drilling & Workover Team Lead
Start Date
1 November 2026
Subordinates
Drilling Engineer & Wellsite Drilling Engineer
Application Deadline
September 13, 2026
Contract Type
Open Contract
Other details
Three months' probation
About Us:
HKN Hamrin Ltd. is a privately held, independent oil and gas company operating in the Republic of Iraq. The Hamrin Block is comprised of 535 km2 and contains one producing field. The Hamrin field produces oil primarily from the Tertiary (Miocene) reservoirs — the Jeribe and Euphrates formations — with the Dhiban formation as a secondary reservoir.
At HKN, our strength lies in our highly experienced, diverse team, whose professionals bring insights from working across 80+ countries. We are committed to building a culture deeply rooted in our Core Values, which include Integrity, Respect, Commitment, Excellence, and Teamwork.
Position Summary
The Sr. Drilling Engineer is responsible for providing engineering activity covering the planning, program preparation and execution of drilling and workover operations within the wells team.
Main Duties & Responsibilities
Performance Expectations:
• With a strong commitment to HSE, take responsibility for planning and executing well designs and workover programs for oil or gas wells.
• Plan and perform drilling & workover engineering activities (well design, drilling & workover program preparation, procedures, AFEs etc.) at office level and provide engineering and Operational support to field level operations for the successful, cost effective and safe implementation of drilling activities.
• Ensure drilling programs, program amendments and dispensations to policy are prepared on schedule and are adequately risk assessed.
• Work closely with resource teams, geologists, production and service company personnel to ensure an efficient operation.
• Estimate and control costs for wells activities.
• Monitor all phases of the drilling operations, perform post-analyses for benchmarking and learning, and identify and implement appropriate new technologies.
• Travel to field locations to monitor and participate in drilling operations and perform third party quality assurance and quality control.
• Make recommendations to engineering studies to improve drilling operational performance.
Competency (Knowledge & Skills) Required:
• Personal commitment and proactive approach to HSE.
• Proven success in a Drilling Engineer role and demonstrated competence in well design for both drilling and workover activities.
• Knowledge of conducting assurance and review of drilling planning work.
• Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate at all levels.
• Demonstrated experience working with multi-disciplinary teams.
• Proven track record as a strong team player.
• Competence with well engineering software packages (Wellplan, etc.).
• IWCF Well Control certified or equivalent.
• Knowledge of pore pressure and fracture gradient prediction.
• Experience of working with third-party service providers.
• Participation in continuous improvement processes.
• Aptitude to innovate and be open to new ideas.
Minimum Qualifications Required:
• Bachelor's degree in an engineering discipline.
• Fluency in written and spoken use of the English language is required. Knowledge of other languages would be advantageous.
• Excellent written, spoken communication and presentation skills are required.
• Ability to work in a geographically dispersed virtual team is required.
• Typically, 10-15 years of varied experience in the oil and gas industry covering drilling, completion and Workover Operations.