Description
Fervo is working to build the most cost-effective, repeatable geothermal power plants in the world. Delivering on this mission requires first-of-a-kind well architectures, disciplined drilling execution, and continuous learning across each phase of well construction. Joining Fervo’s Operations organization means operating where subsurface innovation meets real-world execution, with safety, reliability, and capital efficiency as non-negotiables.
The Senior Drilling Engineer will lead the planning, design, and execution support of complex geothermal drilling programs in a highly dynamic environment. This role is suited for an engineer with deep horizontal drilling expertise, strong field execution instincts, and a track record of improving drilling performance in technically challenging settings. Success requires the ability to adapt conventional drilling practices to high-temperature geothermal applications while maintaining rigorous standards of safety, reliability, and capital efficiency.
This senior individual contributor role is responsible for delivering safe, high-performance wells on schedule and on budget, while systematically improving well cycle time, cost, and reliability across the portfolio. You will own well engineering deliverables end-to-end and help elevate technical standards across the drilling organization.
Requirements
Responsibilities
Well Planning & Engineering Ownership
- Lead full lifecycle well engineering for complex geothermal wells, including trajectory design, casing programs, cementing strategies, drill string/BHA configurations, hydraulics modeling, and contingency planning.
- Develop execution-ready drilling programs and procedures that translate engineering design into clear, field-ready operational guidance.
- Build detailed time and cost models, support AFE development, and ensure engineering assumptions are technically sound and economically optimized.
- Identify and proactively mitigate subsurface and operational risks through formal risk assessments, stress modeling, and scenario planning.
Operations Execution & Performance Optimization
- Serve as the accountable engineering lead during drilling operations, providing real-time technical guidance and ensuring alignment between design intent and field execution.
- Diagnose and resolve drilling dysfunctions (e.g., vibration, wellbore instability, losses, stuck pipe) using structured root cause analysis and data-driven decision making.
- Lead technical response during NPT events, coordinate recovery plans with field teams and contractors, and minimize operational and cost impacts.
- Uphold rigorous HSE standards in all design and operational decisions, reinforcing a culture of safety and execution discipline.
Cost, Schedule & Performance Optimization
- Own plan vs. actual tracking for well cost and schedule performance, identifying variance drivers and implementing corrective actions.
- Develop and monitor performance KPIs (ROP, NPT, flat time, connection efficiency, cost per foot) to systematically improve well cycle time and capital efficiency.
- Lead structured post-well reviews and ensure lessons learned are embedded into subsequent well designs and operational practices.
- Evaluate contractor and service provider performance using quantitative metrics and support data-driven improvements in execution.
Cross-Functional Integration & Technical Leadership
- Collaborate with completions, reservoir, and production engineering teams to ensure integrated well architecture aligned with long-term injection and production requirements.
- Support vendor selection, technology pilots, and adoption of new tools suited for high-temperature and first-of-a-kind geothermal applications.
- Contribute to development of scalable drilling engineering standards, workflows, and documentation as Fervo transitions to multi-well development programs.
- Mentor early-career engineers and elevate technical rigor across the drilling organization through example and knowledge sharing.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related engineering discipline
- 7+ years of drilling engineering experience, including at least 5 years with an operator in US onshore horizontal drilling environments.
- Demonstrated ownership of full well lifecycle engineering; from planning and AFE development through execution support and post-well analysis.
- Strong competency in core well engineering fundamentals, including casing design, torque & drag modeling, hydraulics, drill string/BHA design, directional drilling, cementing, and contingency planning.
- Proven experience improving drilling performance metrics (e.g., cycle time, NPT reduction, cost per foot) through structured analysis and execution discipline.
- Experience building time and cost estimates and managing plan vs. actual tracking during operations.
- Proficiency in industry-standard well engineering software and modeling tools.
- Strong problem-solving capability with the ability to make sound technical decisions in dynamic field environments.
- Demonstrated commitment to Health, Safety, and Environmental excellence.
Preferred
- Experience in geothermal or other high-temperature, technically complex well environments.
- Experience with casing and tubing stress analysis under thermal and mechanical loading conditions.
- Familiarity with WellCat or comparable casing design software.
- Hands-on field experience across drilling, completions, or workover operations.
- Experience working on first-of-a-kind, unconventional, or technically novel well designs.
- Prior experience mentoring or informally leading early-career engineers.
