A professional who analyzes technical and cost factors to plan methods to recover maximum oil and gas in oil-field operations, utilizing knowledge of petroleum engineering and related technologies. Responsibilities include:

• Examines map of subsurface oil and gas reservoir locations to recommend placement of wells to maximize economical production from reservoir.
• Evaluates probable well production rate during natural or stimulated-flow production phases.
• Recommends supplementary processes to enhance recovery involving stimulation of flow by use of processes, such as pressurizing or heating in subsurface regions.
• Analyzes recommendations of reservoir engineering specialist for placement of well in oil field.
• Develops well drilling plan for management approval, specifying factors including drilling time, number of special operations, such as directional drilling, and testing, and material requirements and costs including well casing and drilling muds.
• Provides technical consultation during drilling operations to resolve problems such as bore directional change, unsatisfactory drilling rate or invasion of subsurface water in well bore.
• Advises substitution of drilling mud compounds or tool bits to improve drilling conditions.
• Inspects well to determine that final casing and tubing installations are completed.
• Plans oil and gas field recovery containers, piping, and treatment vessels to receive, remove contaminants, and separate oil and gas products flowing from well.
• Monitors production rate of gas or oil from established wells and plans rework process to correct well production, such as repacking of well bore and additional perforation of subsurface sands adjacent to well bottom.
• May apply knowledge of petroleum engineering to solve problems concerned with environment (environmental engineer).
• May be designated according to specialty as Development Engineer, Geothermal Operations; Drilling Engineer; Production Engineer; Reservoir Engineer.