Surface Planning Engineer

Post Date

Feb 10, 2026

Location

Houston,
Texas

ZIP/Postal Code

77046
US
Apr 13, 2026 Insight Global

Job Type

Contract

Category

Mechanical Engineering

Req #

HOU-87d7e4b4-a2c1-4737-b607-6d94323068a0

Pay Rate

$54 - $68 (hourly estimate)

Job Description

An employer is seeking a Drilling and Completions Surface Planning Engineer who will be responsible for coordinating with multidisciplinary teams to ensure operational readiness in Permian Basin. The planning workflow includes assessing and optimizing the operational flexibility for multiple scenarios in accordance with a field development plan, presenting the proposed surface plan to stakeholders, submitting, and tracking survey requests, evaluating plats, and maintaining the company's planned and staked records. Additionally, the engineer will evaluate and recommend optimal well pad placement and directional trajectories accounting for constraints dictated by the stakeholders including but not limited to Land & Regulatory, Execution & Operations, Subsurface and Construction teams. The Drilling and Completions Surface Planning Engineer will be tasked with working on multiple projects at once across the organization based on business needs and activity established by the Drilling Rig Schedule. The Engineer will be responsible for keeping projects moving forward by resolving obstacles and facilitating the readiness of Oil and Gas operations for new drills in his or her area of responsibility.

We are a company committed to creating diverse and inclusive environments where people can bring their full, authentic selves to work every day. We are an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer that believes everyone matters. Qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment regardless of their race, color, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, marital status, national origin, ancestry, genetic factors, age, disability, protected veteran status, military or uniformed service member status, or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable laws, regulations, and ordinances. If you need assistance and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application or recruiting process, please send a request to HR@insightglobal.com.To learn more about how we collect, keep, and process your private information, please review Insight Global's Workforce Privacy Policy: https://insightglobal.com/workforce-privacy-policy/.

Required Skills & Experience

BS or MS degree in Geology, Petroleum Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or Chemical Engineering
Minimum of 4 years of experience in the upstream oil and gas industry onshore
Project management skills and have the ability to prioritize tasks while meeting deadlines
Team oriented, have interpersonal skills and ability to communicate clearly (written and verbal) to multidisciplinary teams
Demonstrated ability or capacity to use analytical skills to problem solve and identify enhancement and optimization opportunities
Have great presentation skills and ability to drive a decision from multiple stakeholders
Ability to quickly learn new workflows, tools and processes
Passionate about innovation and collaboration

Nice to Have Skills & Experience

A Geology degree and minimum of 5 years of experience in the upstream oil and gas industry with comprehension of wellbore planning and design
Exposure to operations in the Permian Basin
Able to understand key economic drivers with respect to upstream onshore development
Experience with scenario analysis with regards to field or asset development planning and optimization
Experience with GIS or equivalent mapping software
Proficiency with using and/or creating analytics tools (Power Bi, Power Query, Excel, Spotfire)
Experience with VBA, SQL, or Python programming to solve business needs

Benefit packages for this role will start on the 1st day of employment and include medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as HSA, FSA, and DCFSA account options, and 401k retirement account access with employer matching. Employees in this role are also entitled to paid sick leave and/or other paid time off as provided by applicable law.