Senior Production Technologist – Nairobi, Kenya at WTS Energy

Job Description


We are seeking to hire a Senior Production Technologist who will provide technical leadership in production engineering and well performance optimization to maximize hydrocarbon recovery, improve asset uptime, and support safe and cost-effective field operations. The role will lead production surveillance, artificial lift optimization, well performance diagnostics, and production enhancement initiatives. The ideal candidate must have extensive upstream oil & gas experience in production engineering, artificial lift systems, and well performance optimization. Nairobi based role with regular field visits.


Key Responsibilities:


Lead production surveillance and well performance monitoring programs, analyzing production data to identify underperforming wells and recommending corrective and optimization actions.
Perform nodal analysis, inflow/outflow modeling, well deliverability studies, and decline curve analysis to support production forecasting and field development decisions.
Design, select, and optimize artificial lift systems including ESP, PCP, gas lift, and rod pump systems, ensuring optimal well performance and reliability.
Diagnose well performance issues such as scale, sand production, wax deposition, corrosion, and increasing water cut, and define appropriate remediation and intervention strategies.
Develop and manage production testing programs including PLT/IFT execution, interpretation, and integration with reservoir and production models.
Provide technical input into well intervention planning, completion reviews, and workover proposals, including risk assessments and execution planning.
Collaborate with production operations and facilities teams to optimize choke settings, surface constraints, and overall production system efficiency.
Lead root-cause failure analysis for downhole and surface equipment failures and drive corrective actions and reliability improvement initiatives.
Manage production data integrity, dashboards, forecasting models, and technical reporting to support asset and management decision-making.
Evaluate and implement new production technologies including chemical treatments, downhole sensors, scale inhibitors, and digital monitoring solutions.
Support continuous improvement initiatives focused on increasing production efficiency, reducing downtime, and optimizing asset recovery.
Mentor junior production engineers and technologists and contribute to development of technical standards, best practices, and training programs.
Ensure compliance with HSSEQ standards, well integrity requirements, and regulatory obligations for production operations and interventions.
Perform any other duties as assigned in support of production optimization and field performance improvement activities.


Required Qualifications:


Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline.
Minimum of ten (10) years' experience in upstream oil & gas production engineering or production technologist roles, with strong exposure to artificial lift and well performance optimization.
Proven experience in well performance monitoring, production surveillance, and production optimization across onshore or offshore assets.
Strong expertise in artificial lift systems including ESP, gas lift, PCP, and rod pump systems, including design, troubleshooting, and optimization.
Experience in nodal analysis, decline curve analysis, production forecasting, and well test interpretation (PLT/IFT).
Strong understanding of flow assurance challenges including scale, wax, hydrates, corrosion, and multiphase flow behavior.
Experience supporting well interventions, workovers, and production enhancement projects.
Proficiency in production engineering software, SCADA systems, and real-time production monitoring tools will be an added advantage.
Strong analytical, problem-solving, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.
Professional certifications or advanced training in production optimization, artificial lift systems, or multiphase flow will be an added advantage.