Lead Production Researcher Job

Location: Westhill, GB, AB32 6FE

Company

hirify.global Europe supports hirify.global, an integrated energy and chemicals company, through technology advice, research, innovation, and operational services. European research centres develop technologies for operational performance, safety, and sustainability.

What you will do

• Lead advanced applied research across production and completions, including completion design, production optimisation, artificial lift, stimulation, flow assurance, well integrity, intervention, production chemistry, and equipment reliability.
• Define research priorities, proposals, roadmaps, investment cases, success criteria, and portfolios aligned with operational objectives.
• Develop, test, qualify, and validate technologies, tools, materials, methodologies, and digital solutions through laboratory studies, modelling, simulations, field trials, and pilots.
• Analyse production, completion, intervention, well-integrity, facility, operational, and subsurface data to diagnose constraints, identify trends, predict risks, and recommend solutions.
• Translate research outcomes into engineering solutions, technical standards, operating practices, qualification protocols, decision-support tools, and implementation plans.
• Direct multidisciplinary projects and external collaborations, provide technical advice, protect intellectual property, and mentor technical professionals.

Requirements

• Typically 15+ years of relevant production and completions research experience, including advanced applied research programmes addressing complex challenges.
• Experience developing and validating technologies, tools, materials, digital solutions, or methodologies through laboratory studies, simulations, prototypes, qualification programmes, field trials, or operational pilots.
• Experience with experimental methods, advanced analytics, statistical techniques, physics-based modelling, predictive modelling, or data-driven approaches.
• Strong record of resolving complex, non-routine problems by integrating scientific, subsurface, well, production, facility, and operational data.
• Experience progressing at least one technology from concept or research through prototype development, qualification, field validation, deployment, or scale-up.
• Experience leading significant research projects or technical workstreams and converting outputs into engineering solutions, standards, operating practices, protocols, or decision-support tools.
• Deep expertise in at least one production or completions technology domain, with the ability to integrate solutions across the broader well-delivery and production system.
• Experience defining baseline performance, measurable success criteria, and realised operational value; preparing technical reports, research outputs, briefings, invention disclosures, patents, publications, or standards.
• Experience collaborating across multidisciplinary teams and managing partnerships with research centres, universities, institutes, technology providers, operators, service companies, and specialist laboratories.
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in Petroleum, Production, Completion, Mechanical, or Chemical Engineering, Applied Physics, or a closely related discipline; substantial progressively responsible experience may substitute for formal qualifications.
• Two to four years of advanced or strategic mentoring experience with senior professionals or specialists.

Nice to have

• Experience in artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced analytics, automation, robotics, digital production technologies, advanced sensing, or predictive optimisation.
• Chartered Engineer status through the Engineering Council UK or equivalent accreditation; European Engineer recognition.
• PRINCE2 Practitioner, PMP, or equivalent project or programme management certification.
• Patents, invention disclosures, technology licensing, field-deployed technologies, industry research, publications, conferences, technical standards, or professional organisation contributions.

Culture & Benefits

• Work on high-impact research and technology projects within a large integrated energy and chemicals company.
• Collaborate with leading technical experts, hirify.global research centres, universities, technology partners, operators, and industry bodies.
• Contribute to technologies addressing operational performance, safety, reliability, efficiency, and lower-carbon energy challenges.
• Support knowledge transfer, mentoring, technical capability development, research governance, and long-term technology strategy.