Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Upstream Supervisor

🎯 Role Definition

The Upstream Supervisor is a frontline operations leader responsible for day-to-day supervision of upstream production and well operations for assigned assets (onshore or offshore). This role combines operational oversight, safety and environmental stewardship, team leadership, contractor management, and coordination with engineering and commercial functions to deliver planned production, maintain well and facility integrity, and execute maintenance and intervention activities on time and on budget. The ideal candidate is experienced in upstream oil & gas operations, skilled in incident prevention and root cause analysis, and proficient at translating technical plans into safe, repeatable field execution.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Production Operator / Field Technician with 2–5 years of upstream experience
Drilling/Completion Supervisor or Rig Floor Supervisor transitioning to production
Facilities / Maintenance Team Lead in oil & gas operations

Advancement To:

Production Superintendent / Operations Superintendent
Asset Manager / Field Operations Manager
Senior Upstream Manager or Area Manager (multi-field responsibility)

Lateral Moves:

Wellsite Supervisor / Drilling Supervisor
Facilities Supervisor / Maintenance Supervisor

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead day-to-day upstream production operations for assigned field assets, ensuring safe, reliable, and cost-effective delivery of hydrocarbons while meeting production targets, contractual obligations, and company KPIs.
Supervise and mentor multi-disciplinary field crews and contractors (operations, maintenance, HSE), setting clear performance expectations, conducting toolbox talks, and enforcing permit‑to‑work procedures to minimize incidents.
Plan, coordinate and execute well interventions, routine workovers, and well integrity activities in close collaboration with drilling, completions and reservoir engineering to maximize uptime and recovery.
Manage startup, shutdown and turnaround activities for surface facilities and production equipment, ensuring thorough pre-job risk assessments, isolation, and management of hazardous energy.
Oversee day-to-day well and facility surveillance using SCADA/DCS, production logs, and field inspections to detect anomalies, diagnose issues, and initiate corrective actions to restore production quickly.
Monitor and optimize production performance by implementing production enhancement plans, artificial lift adjustments, choke and flowback management, and liaising with reservoir engineers on inflow/outflow behavior.
Ensure compliance with all HSE, environmental and regulatory requirements, lead incident investigations and root cause analyses, and drive corrective and preventive actions to closure.
Prepare, review and submit accurate operational reports, daily production logs, incident reports, and regulatory notifications; present operational status to management and stakeholders.
Manage operational budgets, track cost performance, approve work orders within delegation, and support budget preparation for routine operations and minor capital projects.
Coordinate and manage contractor selection, scopes of work, performance monitoring, and compliance with contractual HSE and QA/QC requirements.
Supervise integrity management activities including pressure testing, pigging, corrosion monitoring, valve and wellhead inspections, and completion of integrity workpacks.
Develop and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs), emergency response plans, and local operating instructions; ensure all personnel are trained and competent.
Plan and schedule preventative and corrective maintenance with maintenance planners to maximize equipment reliability and reduce unplanned downtime.
Lead hazard identification and risk assessment processes (JSA, HAZOP inputs, LOPA where applicable) to ensure safe execution of complex jobs.
Coordinate cross-functional support for capital and infrastructure projects (tie-ins, upgrades, well tiebacks) from engineering through commissioning and handover.
Manage inventory of critical spares and materials, recommending replenishment strategies to maintain minimum operating stock and avoid production delays.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives (5S, Kaizen, lessons learned) to improve operational efficiency, reduce waste, and lower unit operating costs.
Ensure effective communication with commercial and regulatory stakeholders, including landowners, local authorities, and joint venture partners, to resolve operational issues and maintain social license to operate.
Provide on-call support and lead emergency response during operational incidents, activating escalation protocols and coordinating recovery and remediation activities.
Maintain accurate records for well and facility history, maintenance logs, and compliance documentation to support audits and regulatory inspections.
Implement and monitor performance metrics (uptime, production variance, HSE rates, MTTR/MTBF), and develop action plans to address performance gaps.
Ensure competency management by identifying training needs, organizing on-the-job training and formal competency assessments for field personnel.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis.
Contribute to the organization's data strategy and roadmap.
Collaborate with business units to translate data needs into engineering requirements.
Participate in sprint planning and agile ceremonies within the data engineering team.
Support the continuous improvement of digital workflows (SCADA alarms rationalization, mobile inspection tools, log digitization) to improve decision speed and data quality.
Assist in development and review of technical and commercial bid packages for third‑party services.
Participate in community engagement and local hiring initiatives to strengthen workforce capability and social responsibility programs.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proven knowledge of upstream production operations and artificial lift systems (ESP, rod pump, gas lift) and the ability to optimize lift performance.
Well operations and well integrity management experience including wellhead, tubing, casing and packer inspections, pressure testing and well intervention oversight.
Strong HSE competency: permit-to-work, incident investigation (Root Cause Analysis), HAZOP/JSA facilitation, emergency response planning.
Familiarity with SCADA/DCS systems, telemetry, remote well monitoring and alarm management to support surveillance and automated control.
Experience with production surveillance tools, basic reservoir/production engineering concepts, and interpreting well performance data.
Operational maintenance planning skills, including RCM/CBM concepts, maintenance planning, and coordination with CMMS systems.
Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, well schematics, equipment datasheets, and technical workpacks.
Contract and vendor management capabilities: scope development, performance oversight, and cost control.
Proficient in operational reporting and data analysis using Microsoft Excel, Power BI/Tableau or similar visualization tools.
Knowledge of regulatory and environmental compliance requirements relevant to upstream oil & gas operations.
Experience managing turnarounds, start-ups and shutdowns, commissioning and handovers.
Budgeting and cost control skills, including tracking OPEX and small CAPEX items for field operations.

Soft Skills

Strong team leadership and people management skills with a coaching mindset and experience developing field talent.
Clear, concise communicator able to present complex technical status to non-technical stakeholders and senior management.
Decisive under pressure with excellent problem solving, troubleshooting and prioritization abilities.
Effective stakeholder management and negotiation skills across contractors, vendors, regulators and joint venture partners.
High integrity and commitment to safety culture, ethical decision-making and regulatory compliance.
Adaptability and resilience to operate in remote or high-stress environments (offshore rotations, shift work).
Continuous improvement mindset with curiosity to apply digital and operational best practices.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Technical diploma / associate degree in Petroleum, Mechanical, Chemical, or Electrical Engineering, or equivalent vocational qualification plus substantial upstream experience (typically 5+ years).

Preferred Education:

Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or related field is strongly preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Petroleum Engineering
Mechanical Engineering
Chemical Engineering
Electrical/Instrumentation Engineering
Process Technology / Operations Management

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–12 years of upstream oil & gas experience with progressive operational responsibility; minimum 2–3 years in a supervisory role preferred.

Preferred: 8+ years of upstream operations experience with demonstrable track record in supervising production/well teams, running well interventions, managing contractors, and delivering safe, reliable production in onshore or offshore environments. Experience with regulatory reporting and multi-stakeholder operations (JV partners, service companies) is highly desirable.