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Upstream Engineering Jobs (NOW HIRING)

SwiftCruit

Senior Engineer, Data Science

Oklahoma City, OK · On-site

$150 - $190/hr

... upstream engineering background. Duties and Responsibilities * Leads the design, development, and deployment of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning solutions for upstream subsurface and well ...

iTech US, Inc.

Technical Program Manager

Phoenix, AZ · On-site

$128K - $165K/yr

Drive design discussions and facilitate consensus on solution architecture decisions across all upstream engineering SMEs, Enterprise Architects and Raven SMEs. * Manages the planning, coordination ...

bp

Facilities Engineering Team Lead

Denver, CO · On-site

$119K/yr

Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in oil and gas production operations, facilities engineering, or related upstream engineering roles. * Direct experience with surface production facilities ...

BP PLC

Facilities Engineering Team Lead

Denver, CO · On-site

$206 - $242/hr

Minimum 8 years of relevant experience in oil and gas production operations, facilities engineering, or related upstream engineering roles.* Direct experience with surface production facilities ...

Intersect

Head of Gas Commissioning

Charleston, WV · Remote

$221K - $292K/yr

Strong ability to lead third-party teams while providing technical guidance and challenge to upstream engineering and design decisions. * Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering.

Intersect

Head of Gas Commissioning

$221K - $292K/yr

Strong ability to lead third-party teams while providing technical guidance and challenge to upstream engineering and design decisions. * Bachelor's degree in Mechanical or Electrical Engineering.

Airswift

Senior Principal Electrical Engineer

Reading, PA · On-site

$133K - $163K/yr

Role Context This role sits within an engineering environment supporting customers across upstream engineering, procurement, and construction management activities. The company has established ...

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Upstream Engineering information

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How much do upstream engineering jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 17, 2026, the average yearly pay for upstream engineering in the United States is $62,977.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $47,000.00 and $72,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is upstream engineering?

Upstream engineering refers to the branch of engineering focused on the exploration and production of oil and natural gas. It involves locating oil and gas reserves, drilling wells, and designing the extraction processes needed to bring these resources to the surface. Upstream engineers work with geologists, drillers, and other professionals to ensure efficient and safe operations. This field is critical to the energy industry and requires expertise in geology, reservoir engineering, and drilling technologies.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an upstream engineer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Upstream Engineer, you need a solid background in petroleum engineering, geoscience, or a related field, often supported by a relevant degree and industry certifications. Familiarity with reservoir modeling software, drilling technologies, and data analysis tools such as Petrel, Eclipse, or Python is typically required. Strong problem-solving skills, teamwork, and effective communication are essential soft skills in this role. These competencies are vital for optimizing resource extraction, ensuring operational safety, and maximizing project efficiency in the oil and gas industry.

What are some common challenges faced by upstream engineers when working on oil and gas exploration projects?

Upstream engineers often encounter challenges such as unpredictable geological formations, fluctuating commodity prices, and logistical complexities in remote locations. They must collaborate closely with geologists, drilling teams, and field personnel to adapt to changing conditions and ensure safe, efficient extraction. Managing project timelines while adhering to environmental and safety regulations is also a significant aspect of the role. Overcoming these challenges requires strong problem-solving skills, adaptability, and effective communication across multidisciplinary teams.

What is the difference between Upstream Engineering vs Reservoir Engineering?

AspectUpstream EngineeringReservoir Engineering
Required CredentialsBachelor's in Petroleum Engineering or related field; often requires professional engineering licenseBachelor's in Petroleum Engineering, Reservoir Engineering, or Geosciences; often requires similar certifications
Work EnvironmentField operations, drilling sites, and production facilitiesReservoir simulation labs, office-based analysis, and field data interpretation
Industry UsageExploration, drilling, and production of oil and gasReservoir performance analysis and recovery optimization

Upstream Engineering focuses on the exploration, drilling, and production of oil and gas, involving field operations and equipment. Reservoir Engineering specializes in analyzing subsurface reservoirs to maximize hydrocarbon recovery through simulation and modeling. While both roles require similar educational backgrounds and certifications, their work environments and primary responsibilities differ significantly.

What are common upstream engineering jobs?

Common upstream engineering jobs include roles such as reservoir engineers, drilling engineers, production engineers, and facilities engineers. These positions focus on exploration, drilling, extraction, and production of oil and gas, often requiring knowledge of geology, reservoir management, and the use of specialized software and tools.

What does an upstream engineer do?

An upstream engineer is responsible for exploring, developing, and producing oil and gas resources from underground reservoirs. They design and oversee drilling operations, manage reservoir performance, and ensure safety and efficiency using tools like seismic imaging and reservoir modeling. The role often requires technical skills, knowledge of industry regulations, and experience with specialized software.
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What states have the most Upstream Engineering jobs?

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Upstream Engineering jobs near you
Infographic showing various Upstream Engineering job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 91% Full Time, 4% Part Time, 4% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 86% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 9% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $62,977 per year, or $30.3 per hour.

Senior Engineer - Data Science

Continental Resources, Inc.

Oklahoma City, OK • On-site

Full-time

Re-posted 11 hours ago

Job description

Job Summary
The Senior Engineer, Data Science is a hands-on technical role who designs, builds, and operationalizes advanced analytics and Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning solutions that drive measurable value across subsurface, drilling and completions, production operations, HSE, and commercial functions at Continental Resources. This role partners with multidisciplinary stakeholders to translate business problems into data-driven solutions, develop robust models and pipelines, and deploy them to production with strong Machine Learning Ops and governance practices. The ideal candidate combines a Master of Science in Data Science with strong applied analytics capability, solid data engineering skills, and practical oil and gas domain experience comparable to a seasoned upstream engineering background.
Duties and Responsibilities
  • Leads the design, development, and deployment of Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning solutions for upstream subsurface and well operations, including physics-informed and hybrid modeling approaches for reservoir, drilling, and production optimization.
  • Builds advanced Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning solutions for commercial analytics use cases such as pricing, supply chain, marketing, and trading to improve profitability and decision speed.
  • Executes complex AI initiatives from ideation and discovery through model development, deployment, and sustainment as part of integrated, enterprise-level teams.
  • Architects and implements reliable data pipelines and features using modern data platforms (e.g., Databricks, cloud services), ensuring data quality, lineage, and performance for analytics workloads.
  • Applies Machine Learning Ops best practices to automate training, testing, deployment, monitoring, and model lifecycle management at scale in production environments.
  • Translates complex business problems into analytical approaches with clear hypotheses, success criteria, and measurable outcomes across upstream and commercial domains.
  • Develops and delivers communications that convey a clear understanding of technical concepts, model results, and business implications to diverse technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Builds strong partnerships and cross-functional relationships with geoscience, engineering, operations, commercial, IT, and leadership stakeholders to drive adoption and sustain business impact.
  • Gains the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and follow-through while championing responsible and secure use of data and AI.
  • Actively seeks new ways to grow and be challenged by staying current on emerging Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, generative AI, optimization, and computational techniques relevant to energy and integrating them where they add value.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Skills and Competencies
  • Collaborates - Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.
  • Action oriented - Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy, and enthusiasm.
  • Drives results - Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
  • Self-development - Actively seeking new ways to grow and be challenged using both formal and informal development channels.
  • Nimble learning - Actively learning through experimentation when tackling new problems, using both successes and failures as learning fodder.
  • Situational adaptability - Adapting approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations.
  • Instills trust - Gaining the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor of Science in Petroleum, Mechanical, Chemical, or related Engineering discipline from an accredited college or university and Master of Science in Data Science, or a closely related data science or analytics field, from an accredited college or university.
  • Minimum five (5) years of hands-on experience delivering production-grade data science/Machine Learning solutions, including end-to-end lifecycle from discovery to deployment and sustainment.
  • Proficiency in Python and SQL; experience with Machine Learning frameworks and tooling (e.g., scikit-learn, PyTorch/TensorFlow), and data platforms such as Databricks and cloud services.
  • Experience building and maintaining data pipelines and features and applying Machine Learning Ops practices for model deployment and monitoring in enterprise environments.
  • Demonstrated ability to partner with technical and business domains in energy, including upstream subsurface, drilling/completions, production operations, and/or commercial analytics such as pricing, supply chain, marketing, or trading.
  • An acceptable pre-employment background and drug test.

Preferred Qualifications
  • Oil and gas industry experience, particularly in upstream engineering, subsurface, drilling and completions, production operations, or commercial energy analytics.
  • Background in computational sciences, optimization, or high-performance computing for engineering applications.
  • Familiarity with enterprise data governance, security, and responsible AI practices in regulated environments.
  • Five (5) or more years of combined oil and gas engineering/domain experience and applied data science experience.

Physical Requirements and Working Conditions
  • Requires prolonged sitting, some bending and stooping.
  • Occasional lifting up to 25 pounds.
  • Manual dexterity sufficient to operate a computer keyboard and calculator.

Continental Resources, Inc. provides equal employment opportunities and access for all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other category protected by law.

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