Head of Drilling & Well Services at Obek Group of Companies Limited (OBEK Group)

Obek Group of Companies Limited (OBEK Group) is a Nigerian & Houston-based international conglomerate involved in manufacturing, agriculture, construction, energy services, and large-scale EPCIC (Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Installation & Commissioning) projects for oil & gas, infrastructure, and real estate, aiming to transform Nigeria's socio-economic landscape through technology and experienced project delivery. The company operates across diverse sectors, focusing on sustainable industrial energy and complex project management.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Head of Drilling & Well Services

Location: Port Harcourt, Rivers

Job Overview

• We are seeking an exceptional Head of Drilling & Well Services to provide strategic leadership for our Drilling & Well Services business, driving operational excellence, commercial growth, and industry-leading safety performance. This executive role is responsible for developing and executing drilling strategies, overseeing rig operations, securing and managing high-value drilling contracts, ensuring regulatory compliance, and leading the growth of a world-class drilling organization across the Niger Delta and beyond.
• The ideal candidate will possess extensive experience in drilling operations, strong commercial acumen, and the leadership capability to build high-performing teams while fostering trusted relationships with operators, regulators, and key stakeholders. You will champion a culture where operational excellence, uncompromising well control, regulatory compliance, and the safety of personnel remain the highest priorities.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic & Delivery Outcomes:

• Deliver the DWMS performance contract: zero Tier-1 events; uptime ≥ 95% per active rig; fleet utilization ≥ 65% within 18 months of first activation; EBITDA-positive at two active rigs plus the services spread.
• Own the tender pipeline (≥ 1.5× next-12-month rig capacity) across ME-01 internal demand and external operators.
• Prepare activation cases against the 65% utilization gate; never activate on optimism.
• Build ME-08’s reputation as the credible indigenous swamp/land drilling contractor in the Niger Delta.

Functional / Operational Responsibilities:

• W6 owner: tenders, drilling contracts, day-rate structures, rate administration, client relationships, compliance register.
• Approve programs (W1), rig acceptances (W5 recommendation), supervisory crew appointments (W7).
• Monthly commercial review: utilization, realized rates, NPT commercial impact, receivables (with ME-18), pipeline.
• Regulator interface: NUPRC, NCDMB; permit strategy per well with ME-19.

Governance, Controls & Compliance:

• Enforce the eight ME-08 Governance Policies; Policy 2 (Well Control) is absolute — never traded against commercial pressure.
• Hold the four-sign-off tender rule (technical, crew cost, ME-18 finance, ME-19 legal).
• Report breaches, incidents and waivers to the Group per policy; unlimited emergency authority during well-control response, ratified within 24 hours.

Stakeholder & Leadership Responsibilities:

• Group CEO and cluster governance; ME-14 (charters), ME-16 (HSE), ME-01/ME-07 (demand).
• Operator drilling managers and C-suites; NUPRC and NCDMB leadership; insurers and class societies.
• Lead, coach and develop the core five; enforce the activation scaling rule and growth triggers.

Required Qualifications

• B.Sc. / B.Eng. Petroleum, Mechanical or related engineering (minimum 2:1 or equivalent).
• MBA or petroleum economics qualification is an advantage.
• IWCF Supervisor-level (current) required; IADC leadership credentials an advantage.

Experience:

• 15+ years drilling operations including 5+ years as rig manager/superintendent or drilling manager; Niger Delta swamp/land experience strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated commercial track record: day-rate contract negotiation and administration with IOCs/NNPCL JVs.
• Experience standing up or turning around a drilling contractor is a differentiator.

Technical Skills & Systems:

• Day-rate contract structures; drilling performance benchmarking; NUPRC/NCDMB regimes; rig reactivation economics; P&L management; DWOP leadership.

Application Closing Date
Not Specified. 

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their Applications to: recruitment.hrm@obekgroup.com using the Job Title as the subject of the email.