ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Rig Operator Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

C&J Well Services, LLC

Crew Worker-Ventura, CA

Ventura, CA · On-site

$12.75 - $16.75/hr

Participates in company-provided training in rig operations, Standard Operating Procedures, and safe work procedures. * Complies with all the Company's Safety and Environmental policies, practices ...

C&J Well Services, LLC

Crew Worker

Bakersfield, CA · On-site

$17.75 - $23.75/hr

Participates in company-provided training in rig operations, Standard Operating Procedures, and safe work procedures. * Complies with all the Company's Safety and Environmental policies, practices ...

C&J Well Services, LLC

Crew Worker-Ventura, CA

Ventura, CA · On-site

$12.75 - $16.75/hr

Participates in company-provided training in rig operations, Standard Operating Procedures, and safe work procedures. * Complies with all the Company's Safety and Environmental policies, practices ...

C&J Well Services, LLC

Crew Worker

Bakersfield, CA · On-site

$12.50 - $16.25/hr

Participates in company-provided training in rig operations, Standard Operating Procedures, and safe work procedures. Complies with all the Company's Safety and Environmental policies, practices, and ...

C&J Well Services, LLC

Crew Worker

Bakersfield, CA · On-site

$17.75 - $23.75/hr

Participates in company-provided training in rig operations, Standard Operating Procedures, and safe work procedures. * Complies with all the Company's Safety and Environmental policies, practices ...

C&J Well Services, LLC

Floorhand

Bakersfield, CA · On-site

Participates in company-provided training in rig operations, Standard Operating Procedures, and safe work procedures. * Complies with all the Company's Safety and Environmental policies, practices ...

C&J Well Services, LLC

Floorhand

Bakersfield, CA · On-site

Participates in company-provided training in rig operations, Standard Operating Procedures, and safe work procedures. * Complies with all the Company's Safety and Environmental policies, practices ...

Sesame

Hardware Test Automation Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$150K - $260K/yr

You'll design and own an automated test rig, a rack of devices wired into our CI/CD pipeline that ... Comfortable operating in an early-stage, prototype-hardware environment with limited units and ...

Dyno Nobel

Driller / Drill Operator

Corona, CA · On-site

$19/hr

What You'll Do As a Driller / Drill Operator, you will operate applicable drill equipment in a safe ... drill rig and drill truck including cleaning, maintenance, and repairs. Train with trainer to ...

NASSCO

Crane Operator - All Levels

Spring Valley, CA · On-site

$33.15 - $36.50/hr

Crane Operator with extensive Rigging experience preferred. Must be able to comprehend ship ... Rig machinery and material in and out of ships. * Provide data into log books relating to lifts.

previous page

Showing results 41-60

All JobsRig Operator JobsRig Operator Jobs in California

Rig Operator information

See California salary details

$7

$15

$25

How much do rig operator jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 4, 2026, the average hourly pay for rig operator in California is $15.34, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $8.32 and $19.71 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a rig operator?

Rig operators are skilled professionals responsible for overseeing and managing the operation of drilling rigs, typically used in the oil and gas industry. They ensure that drilling activities are carried out safely, efficiently, and according to regulations. Rig operators coordinate with other crew members, monitor equipment, and troubleshoot issues that arise during drilling. Their role is critical in maintaining productivity and safety on drilling sites.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a rig operator, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Rig Operator, you need a solid understanding of drilling operations, mechanical aptitude, and safety procedures, often supported by a high school diploma and industry-specific training. Familiarity with drilling rigs, heavy machinery, and safety management systems—as well as certifications like Well Control (IWCF or IADC)—is typically required. Strong problem-solving abilities, teamwork, and effective communication make a Rig Operator stand out in challenging environments. These skills and qualifications are crucial for maintaining operational efficiency, ensuring safety, and minimizing downtime on drilling sites.

What are common challenges faced by rig operators, and how can they be effectively managed?

Rig Operators often encounter challenges such as working in remote locations, adhering to strict safety protocols, and managing unexpected equipment issues. To effectively manage these challenges, it is important to maintain strong communication with the crew, stay up-to-date on safety training, and develop troubleshooting skills for mechanical problems. Building a solid understanding of operational procedures and fostering teamwork can help create a safer and more efficient work environment.

What is the difference between Rig Operator vs Drilling Engineer?

AspectRig OperatorDrilling Engineer
CredentialsHigh school diploma or equivalent, safety certificationsBachelor's degree in engineering or related field, specialized certifications
Work EnvironmentOn-site at drilling rigs, physically demandingOffice-based with site visits, technical planning
Industry UsageCommonly employed on drilling sites in oil and gasInvolved in planning and designing drilling operations

While both Rig Operators and Drilling Engineers work in the oil and gas industry, Rig Operators focus on operating and maintaining drilling equipment on-site, requiring hands-on skills and safety certifications. Drilling Engineers handle planning, design, and technical oversight, often working in offices but visiting rigs. Understanding these roles helps clarify career paths and job expectations in the drilling industry.

How much money do oil rig operators make?

Oil rig operators typically earn between $50,000 and $100,000 annually, with experienced workers and those working offshore or in high-demand regions earning higher wages. Compensation often includes shift differentials, overtime pay, and benefits due to the demanding environment and specialized skills required.

What are popular job titles related to Rig Operator jobs in California?

For Rig Operator jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Rig Operator jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Rig Operator jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Rig Operator jobs?

Cities in California with the most Rig Operator job openings:

What are popular job titles related to Rig Operator jobs in CA?

For Rig Operator jobs in CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Rig Operator jobs near you
Infographic showing various Rig Operator job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 51% Full Time, 47% Part Time, 1% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 99% Physical, and 1% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $31,909 per year, or $15.3 per hour.

Strategic Projects Lead

Foundry Robotics Inc

San Francisco, CA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, PTO

Re-posted 13 days ago

Key responsibilities

  • Manage the rig fleet end-to-end, including procurement, lifecycle, asset tracking, spares, and vendor relationships

  • Define success criteria with the model team, translate data needs into rejection rules, and run post-capture QA and validation

  • Own new task ramp-up, including specification, SOP creation, pilot batch design, and quality gate sign-off

Job description

About Us
Foundry Robotics is building an AI-native robotics manufacturing company focused on deploying advanced assembly and production capability for leading robotics companies and national-security-critical hardware. Basically, we're building robots that build robots.
We are reimagining manufacturing through advanced robotics. Our mission is to rebuild the American manufacturing industry as an AI-first, assembly-focused, dual-use contract manufacturer. We aim to empower manufacturers with intelligent, efficient, and adaptable robotic systems that redefine productivity and quality.
The Role
This role is for a Strategic Project Lead who thrives on turning model team requirements into production data, equally comfortable architecting QA systems from first principles and calibrating a rig on the floor. You will define what gets captured, how it lands, and whether it is usable, from early task spec through pre-delivery validation. You will stand up the data collection program from scratch and drive rapid build-test-learn cycles to deliver a dataset that is both rigorous and scalable.
You will be the day-to-day interface with our model team and the frontier labs we deliver to, and the source of truth for hours collected, hours delivered, and hours usable. You will partner closely with the Operations Manager, Robotics Data, who owns the workforce, floor execution, and daily fleet readiness.
Key Responsibilities
  • Manage the rig fleet end-to-end (UMI grippers, GoPros, VR headsets and controllers), including procurement, lifecycle, asset tracking, spares, and vendor relationships
  • Own rig calibration cadence and drift detection, including GoPro intrinsics, fisheye calibration, UMI gripper width drift, and per-operator VR eye-tracking calibration
  • Define success criteria with the model team, translating high-level data needs into rejection rules an assembler can apply consistently
  • Author SOPs and hand them to the Operations Manager for floor execution
  • Own new task ramp-up, including spec, SOP, pilot batch design, and quality gate sign-off before full production
  • Curate gold-standard demos (20-50 reference demos per task), maintained against drift
  • Run post-capture QA (sampling + success classifier) and pre-delivery validation against model team spec
  • Track diversity and coverage across task variants, object positions, lighting conditions, and operator styles
  • Run daily capture logs and weekly dataset reporting to model and research stakeholders, including hours captured, hours usable, mix vs. target, top rejection reasons, and blockers
  • Own task spec versioning, coordinating SOP updates, retraining triggers, and data v1/v2 marking when the model team changes a spec
  • Own the 48-hour handoff SLA, including staging, upload integrity, episode schema enforcement, and metadata completeness (operator ID, task ID, success label, timestamp written atomically)
  • Run RCA when batches get rejected and close the loop with the floor
  • Define and report against program-level OKRs for usable hours delivered, mix accuracy, and SLA attainment
  • Own data governance and compliance, including episode-level metadata for auditability, retention and deletion policies, and adherence to data handling standards required by frontier lab partners
What We're Looking For
  • 3-5 years as a strong PM or TPM with exposure to hardware, data pipelines, or physical workflows
  • Proven ability to build data collection or technical operations programs from the ground up and improve on existing ones
  • Comfortable owning task specs, QA programs, and standardization
  • Equally effective at a desk and on the floor, with deep hands-on experience calibrating a rig one hour and writing a stakeholder update the next
  • SQL or Python proficient enough to pull your own data and build your own dashboards
  • Track record tracking and improving program metrics (usable hours, mix accuracy, SLA attainment, rejection rates)
  • Experience providing technical input in a cross-functional environment with researchers and engineers
  • Collaborative by nature, you consider downstream impacts on operators, model teams, and infrastructure when making program decisions
  • Bias toward action, scrappy problem solving, and moving fast without sacrificing rigor
Nice to Have (Not Required)
  • Experience supporting vendor or hardware supplier relationships
  • Exposure to robotics, VLA models, or foundation model training data
  • Experience scaling a data collection program from prototype to high-volume production
  • Familiarity with computer vision, sensor calibration, or robotics data pipelines
Why Join Us?
This is one of the only places where world-class manufacturing operators, mechanical engineers, robotics researchers, and software engineers sit in the same room - building production systems together.
We are committed to being deeply embedded in the U.S. industrial base. Our focus is simple: build adaptive robotic assembly systems that make American manufacturing scalable, resilient, and competitive again.
If you want to run a mature, well-defined commercial org, this may not be the role.
If you want to build the commercial engine that brings AI-driven manufacturing to every industrial and energy customer in America - this is it.
The base salary range for this full-time position in the location of San Francisco is:
$150,000-$250,000 USD
Compensation packages at Foundry Robotics for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position, determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, interview performance, and relevant education or training. Foundry Robotics employees in eligible roles are also granted equity based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. You'll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: Comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, and generous PTO.

Apply