Drilling Fluid and Cement Superintendent

Key Responsibilities:

Drilling Fluids Management

• Provide technical and operational leadership for all drilling fluid activities across assigned onshore drilling rigs.
• Review and approve drilling fluid programs and ensure they are aligned with well objectives and drilling conditions.
• Monitor drilling fluid properties, performance, treatment, and consumption throughout the drilling operation.
• Ensure drilling fluids are properly designed and maintained for:
  • Vertical and deviated wells
  • Horizontal sections
  • High-pressure/high-temperature conditions where applicable
  • Lost circulation zones
  • Reactive formations
  • Wellbore stability challenges
  • High-density drilling environments
• Monitor rheology, density, filtration, chemical treatment, solids control, and fluid performance.
• Provide technical support for differential sticking, lost circulation, wellbore instability, contamination, and other drilling-fluid-related problems.
• Optimize drilling fluid systems to improve drilling performance while controlling costs and environmental impact.
• Review daily drilling fluid reports and identify trends, abnormalities, and potential operational risks.
• Ensure proper testing, sampling, treatment, and documentation of drilling fluids.
• Coordinate closely with Drilling Engineers, Drilling Supervisors, Mud Engineers, Solids Control personnel, and service companies.

Cementing Operations

• Provide technical oversight of all primary, remedial, and abandonment cementing operations.
• Review and approve cementing programs, designs, laboratory testing, and job procedures.
• Ensure cementing designs are appropriate for well conditions, casing programs, formation characteristics, temperature, pressure, and well objectives.
• Review cement slurry properties, laboratory results, compatibility testing, thickening time, compressive strength, and fluid-loss requirements.
• Supervise cementing service companies and ensure compliance with approved programs and procedures.
• Monitor cementing operations, including:
  • Casing cementing
  • Liner cementing
  • Squeeze cementing
  • Remedial cementing
  • Plug and abandonment cementing
  • Stage cementing where required
• Ensure proper pre-job planning, equipment preparation, pressure testing, and execution of cementing operations.
• Review cementing job results and identify any deviations from the approved program.
• Provide technical support for cementing failures, poor bond, losses, channeling, pressure integrity issues, and remedial operations.
• Support well integrity objectives through effective cement placement and evaluation.

Operational & Field Supervision

• Provide on-site technical leadership and support for drilling fluids and cementing activities.
• Coordinate activities across multiple onshore drilling rigs and field locations when required.
• Participate in daily drilling meetings, operational planning meetings, and well reviews.
• Review drilling and cementing performance against approved programs and operational objectives.
• Monitor service company performance and ensure agreed technical and operational standards are maintained.
• Verify availability and readiness of required chemicals, additives, cement, equipment, laboratory facilities, and personnel.
• Ensure adequate contingency materials are available for critical operations.
• Provide technical input during well planning and pre-spud meetings.
• Participate in risk assessments, technical reviews, and pre-job meetings.
• Support drilling teams in resolving operational problems and unexpected well conditions.
• Ensure effective communication between the office, drilling rigs, service companies, and technical departments.

Service Company & Contract Management

• Manage and monitor drilling fluids and cementing service companies operating onshore in Algeria.
• Monitor contractor performance against contractual, technical, HSE, and operational requirements.
• Review service quality, equipment availability, personnel competency, and operational performance.
• Participate in technical evaluations of drilling fluids and cementing service providers.
• Review service company reports, performance indicators, and operational records.
• Identify opportunities for cost optimization and operational improvement.
• Ensure service companies comply with company procedures, approved programs, and HSE requirements.

HSE & Environmental Responsibilities

• Promote and maintain a strong HSE culture across drilling fluids and cementing operations.
• Ensure compliance with Company HSE policies and Algerian regulatory requirements.
• Participate in risk assessments, Job Safety Analysis (JSA), toolbox meetings, and pre-job safety meetings.
• Ensure safe handling, storage, transportation, and disposal of drilling chemicals and cementing materials.
• Monitor environmental aspects associated with drilling fluids, waste management, and chemical handling.
• Ensure appropriate PPE and safety procedures are followed by employees and contractors.
• Stop or intervene in unsafe operations when necessary.
• Support incident investigation and implementation of corrective and preventive actions.

Well Integrity & Technical Support

• Provide technical input into well integrity management throughout the drilling and completion phases.
• Support casing and cementing design reviews.
• Monitor cement integrity and provide recommendations for remedial actions where required.
• Support investigations of sustained casing pressure, cement failure, losses, and wellbore integrity issues.
• Participate in technical reviews of challenging wells and lessons learned.
• Ensure drilling fluid and cementing practices contribute to effective well control and well integrity.

Reporting & Performance Management

• Review daily drilling fluids and cementing reports.
• Prepare technical summaries and performance reports.
• Monitor key performance indicators related to:
  • Drilling fluid consumption
  • Chemical consumption
  • Cement consumption
  • Non-productive time
  • Lost circulation
  • Stuck pipe
  • Cementing efficiency
  • Remedial cementing requirements
  • Service company performance
  • Cost performance
• Maintain accurate operational records and technical documentation.
• Prepare lessons learned and recommendations for future wells.
• Identify opportunities to improve drilling performance, reduce costs, and optimize fluids and cementing programs.