Head of Drilling & Well Services

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head of Drilling & Well Services

Location: Port Harcourt, Rivers

Job Overview

• The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in drilling operations, strong commercial acumen, and the leadership capability to build high-performing teams while fostering trusted relationships with operators, regulators, and key stakeholders. You will champion a culture where operational excellence, uncompromising well control, regulatory compliance, and the safety of personnel remain the highest priorities.
• We are seeking an exceptional Head of Drilling & Well Services to provide strategic leadership for our Drilling & Well Services business, driving operational excellence, commercial growth, and industry-leading safety performance. This executive role is responsible for developing and executing drilling strategies, overseeing rig operations, securing and managing high-value drilling contracts, ensuring regulatory compliance, and leading the growth of a world-class drilling organization across the Niger Delta and beyond.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic & Delivery Outcomes:

• Build ME-08’s reputation as the credible indigenous swamp/land drilling contractor in the Niger Delta.
• Deliver the DWMS performance contract: zero Tier-1 events; uptime ? 95% per active rig; fleet utilization ? 65% within 18 months of first activation; EBITDA-positive at two active rigs plus the services spread.
• Prepare activation cases against the 65% utilization gate; never activate on optimism.
• Own the tender pipeline (? 1.5× next-12-month rig capacity) across ME-01 internal demand and external operators.

Functional / Operational Responsibilities:

• Monthly commercial review: utilization, realized rates, NPT commercial impact, receivables (with ME-18), pipeline.
• W6 owner: tenders, drilling contracts, day-rate structures, rate administration, client relationships, compliance register.
• Approve programs (W1), rig acceptances (W5 recommendation), supervisory crew appointments (W7).
• Regulator interface: NUPRC, NCDMB; permit strategy per well with ME-19.

Governance, Controls & Compliance:

• Hold the four-sign-off tender rule (technical, crew cost, ME-18 finance, ME-19 legal).
• Report breaches, incidents and waivers to the Group per policy; unlimited emergency authority during well-control response, ratified within 24 hours.
• Enforce the eight ME-08 Governance Policies; Policy 2 (Well Control) is absolute — never traded against commercial pressure.

Stakeholder & Leadership Responsibilities:

• Lead, coach and develop the core five; enforce the activation scaling rule and growth triggers.
• Operator drilling managers and C-suites; NUPRC and NCDMB leadership; insurers and class societies.
• Group CEO and cluster governance; ME-14 (charters), ME-16 (HSE), ME-01/ME-07 (demand).

Required Qualifications

• IWCF Supervisor-level (current) required; IADC leadership credentials an advantage.
• B.Sc. / B.Eng. Petroleum, Mechanical or related engineering (minimum 2:1 or equivalent).
• MBA or petroleum economics qualification is an advantage.

Experience:

• Experience standing up or turning around a drilling contractor is a differentiator.
• Demonstrated commercial track record: day-rate contract negotiation and administration with IOCs/NNPCL JVs.
• 15+ years drilling operations including 5+ years as rig manager/superintendent or drilling manager; Niger Delta swamp/land experience strongly preferred.

Technical Skills & Systems:

• Day-rate contract structures; drilling performance benchmarking; NUPRC/NCDMB regimes; rig reactivation economics; P&L management; DWOP leadership.