The project details:

• 48 well development program.
• depths range from 3500 ft to 14,000 ft
• wells are primarily normally pressured but some above normal, some with H2S
• wells are located in south central Libya
• Office located in Tripoli
• Project duration, 2 years plus

We require 2 x Drilling Engineers, 2 x Completion Engineers, 2 x Drilling Superintendents and 2 x logistics personnel

We are assembling additional CV’s for experienced ERD Drilling Supervisors, ERD completions Supervisors, ERD Drilling Engineers and Completion / Workover Engineers.

Rotating and residential positions available. Experience in complex ERD wells is mandatory.

Apply Now

Pajak Engineering began as Pajak Land and Offshore in 1966. It started off providing wellsite supervision and drilling engineering in all parts of Canada, the Arctic, and offshore on the east coast of Canada. During the 1970s, the company branched out to the North Sea, Southeast Asia, and Africa. In 1985, the company’s name changed to what it is today.

Pajak is a professional engineering firm specializing in field supervision and engineering services for exploration and production (E&P) companies domestically in North America and around the world. Field services include supervision of surveying, construction of leases, access roads, drilling, completion, and testing operations. The company’s engineering personnel includes wellsite engineers, superintendents, drilling managers, and country managers.

With its headquarters located in Calgary, a staff of 25 people is split in two with half the group working on sales and the other half on accounting. The company’s field engineering and field supervision departments have up to 300 people involved in various assignments. About a third of those people are on international duty while the remaining two-thirds work domestically across North America. Pajak also has sales offices in Houston and Denver.

Currently, Pajak has operations underway in Syria, Libya, Mozambique, Qatar, India, China, Peru, Chad, Angola, France, Russia, and Trinidad in addition to North American work in Canada and the US. The projects include both land-based and offshore operations. According to Sutherland, the key to maintaining an excellent reputation as a professional engineering company with the ability to handle such complex programs across a wide geography is to carry out each project to a degree of professionalism high enough to guarantee the customer and the general public is protected at all times.

“We have invested in safety, training, and continued upgrades of our personnel so that the customer can be assured of a quality engineer or supervisor anytime we are involved,” he said.

To propagate its name throughout the industry, Pajak advertises in trade publications, across the Internet, and also makes use of its own Web site. Also, the company’s 40-plus years in the industry have provided countless contacts in the service industry and with the E&P companies. Its dedicated sales and marketing group in Canada and the US communicates daily with both existing and potential engineers and supervisors because the company strives to specialize in bringing in a properly experienced engineer or supervisor to fit with the exact need of the customer.

Future foundation 
Because of the increases in activity in E&P activities in North America and beyond in recent years, the competition for the best available people is tight, but Pajak tries to overcome this by rewarding its staff with compensation that is at the peak of the industry and based on an individual’s expertise. “It has been a challenge during the last few years for us to attract and maintain the best people available for our customer as well as the rapid startup of some projects with little lead time to get the best people,” said Sutherland.

Selling its services involves a continuous effort by Pajak’s business development and sales group, which actively approaches operators with projects pending and in need of assistance with their field operations. Outreach is initially done via telephone and is followed up by a face-to-face meeting to determine if Pajak’s services will fit the needs of each individual company. It is this diligence that communicates the message to each operator that Pajak stands ready to assist them when any opportunity arises.

Realizing that its customers are of the utmost importance and that an unhappy customer soon becomes an ex-customer, Pajak strives to execute all its projects according to approved project specs, on time, and within budget. Daily communication with customers ensures operations proceed as the customer envisioned and allows both sides to make changes quickly whenever required.

Many of Pajak’s customers have worked with the company for years. It isn’t so much that the companies have long-term contracts; Sutherland said the relationships are typically built on a series of one-year contracts that have regularly been extended. Extensions are based solely on performance, making it critically important for Pajak to consistently deliver on its promises. But the fact that it has so many long-term customers is a clear indication that its project performance is top class, not surprising given its longevity in the industry.

“Since our company has been in the business for so long we have developed these lasting relationships. We have always been a solid, reputable company, and we will always continue to conduct business in that manner,” said Sutherland.

The biggest challenge for the organization now is to continue to find the highest quality of supervisors and engineers in the business while doing so in increasing numbers. This is due both to the reality of an aging workforce and the increased demand for high quality personnel to meet the needs of increasing numbers of projects worldwide. To face this challenge, Pajak has ramped up its recruiting efforts to identify and pursue the best of the best that is out there in the industry and try to bring them onboard once they are found.

But in the end, with a vast array of projects, an influence that stretches around the world, and a history of successfully meeting the needs of its customers, Pajak should be able to maintain and grow its position in the industry as a partner of choice for E&P companies everywhere. “Our commitment is to be the best possible provider of oilfield supervisors and engineers for the E&P companies. We strive to attain the best results possible every single day, and that will remain our goal,” said Sutherland.

See the original article at http://www.energytodaymagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=6867:pajak-engineering-engineering-success&catid=134:exploration-processing&Itemid=178

Recent Petroleum Engineering Technology or Engineering Grads are welcomed; some previous practical oilfield experience is a definite asset, Civil Site Construction Superintendents, HSE Supervisors, upstream Logistics and Procurement supervisors and co-ordinators are also welcome to submit resumes for consideration.

Our ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in engineering is required

Knowledge and Experience:

• A minimum of 10 years experience preferably in drilling and completions offshore development engineering
• A minimum of 5 years in work over operations
• A minimum of 5 years experience working physically offshore in operations would be an asset
• Collaborative experience with reservoir engineering

Specific Skills/Competencies:

• Excellent computer skills.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Able to work collaboratively within a team, and with others outside of the formal organization (e.g. service providers, vendors, contractors), to achieve goals

There may be occasions you will travel and work offshore to support offshore operations.

Key responsibilities include:

• Providing shore based support to the offshore drilling/completion operations
• Developing well specific drilling and work-over programs
• Compiling well license documentation (Approval to Drill a Well) for submission to CNLOPB
• Interfacing with and directing third party contractors in the development of detailed operations programs
• Interfacing with Geologists and Geophysicists to ensure efficient planning of wells
• Monitoring and interpreting drilling parameters and make recommendations for increasing the efficiency of the operation
• Assisting Senior Staff Drilling and Completions Engineers in management of long lead inventory equipment
• Performing casing designs and optimizations
• Developing time and cost estimates for drilling and work-over programs
• Assisting accounting staff in administration of invoicing and cost control for ongoing operations
• Finalizing End of Well Reports for Submission to CNLOPB
• Participating on Emergency Response Team, which may include the requirement to carry a pager/cell phone and be on call

Our ideal candidate will have the following qualifications:

• An undergraduate degree in a relevant engineering discipline, and eligibility for membership with PEGNL

Knowledge and Experience:

• A minimum of 5 years experience in drilling/completions or production operations
• Experience that includes exposure to an offshore and/or harsh weather subsea development environment is preferred

Specific Skills/Competencies:

• Excellent computer skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Able to work collaboratively within a team, and with others outside of the formal organization (e.g. service providers, vendors, contractors), to achieve goals

There may be occasions you will travel and work offshore to support offshore operations.

Pajak set up a system within the company to train drillers and rig personal in blowout prevention. He developed a curriculum to instruct employees how to “safely approach the drilling of wells and how to successfully control the wells when they kicked and blew out,” Sutherland notes. Tragically, Pajak suffered a brain aneurism and passed away in the late 1970s. Dexter and Robertson continued in his footsteps, but also expanded the company’s services to include engineering in the mid-1980s.

Meanwhile, Sutherland was developing his career “as a roughneck on the drilling rigs in the late 1960s,” while continuing his education, he says. After operating rigs for various oil and gas companies in Calgary, he joined Pajak Engineering in 1996 and moved up to president and CEO in 2005. A year later, after the last of the original partners retired, Sutherland became the sole owner.

He now oversees a 300-person staff that provides engineering services, project management and well-site supervision for oil and gas majors around the world, such as Conoco Philips, Exxon, Shell Oil and Encana. In an interview with Exploration + Processing, Sutherland discusses the company’s current position within the industry and where he intends to take it in the future, as well as observations he’s made in the international marketplace.

Exploration + Processing: How would you describe Pajak’s position in the industry?

Mickey Sutherland: We’re a service company, and we have good expertise in what we do, be it drilling completion operations or providing logistics for helping well operators get their wells drilled, completed and tested in the most cost-effective, safe manner. We’re not a company that does everything; we’re specialized in what we do.

We know how things work domestically, internationally and offshore. We work in all environments and on all types of wells.

We have the level of expertise that matches the needs of the customer for their particular well project.

E+P: How does the company separate itself from its competitors?

MS: Our mandate is to be a professional entity in this business. Every operation that we undertake we run as a professional operation, and everything complies with my code of ethics as a professional engineer.

We’re 100 percent compliant on every action that we take on the operator’s behalf. We don’t associate with companies that don’t want to follow the required rules or regulations, so I can go to sleep at night knowing that if it’s not done right, we refuse to do it. We’re a solid operation.

E+P: What is in store for the company?

MS: We have set up an office in Denver and an office in Houston. Dave Hubbard will run the Houston sales operation.

So, I would think we will certainly be well placed in the market to assist companies that require our expertise. If they are drilling wells, completing wells or testing wells, we will be in the position to offer them assistance on those projects on a fee-for-service basis, providing them the best quality personnel they can receive.

We’re not into nuclear physics or brain surgery. We just do the job we’re comfortable  performing, and do it well.

A lot of companies have gotten away from the old mold, where they have a full-service staff of geologists, geophysicists and operations engineers.

It is more cost effective for clients to come to a company like Pajak and say, “We need to get this project done,’ and have us do it as opposed to trying to hire four or five engineers on staff and set up the infrastructure to do a short project.

I think you’ll see that continue into the future because we are paid for the days we work, and if we’re not working, we’re not on a company’s payroll.     I think that’s a slick way for an operator to get the expertise required for a quality job done well that is executed correctly and not be saddled with large amounts of overhead on a yearly basis.

View the original article at http://www.exploration-processing.com/cms2/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=575:pajak-engineering-a-job-well-done&catid=130&Itemid=84

The son of an oil rig worker, Sutherland started working as a roughneck when he was 16 years old. “Everything our company does out in the field, I’ve done myself at some point in my career,” he said. “So I guess you could say I’m a hands-on business owner.”

Sutherland got a degree in petroleum engineering from Montana College of Mineral Science and Technology in 1977, primarily to give himself “a break from working on the rigs,” he said. He then spent the next 20 years working in a variety of different petroleum engineering roles, including a 12-year stint with Anderson Exploration, before accepting an offer to join Pajak Engineering in 1996.

Pajak was founded in 1966, and, 30 years later, the owners were ready to retire and wanted Sutherland to eventually take over for them. Ten years of sweat equity later, Sutherland was the owner of the company. After 38 years in the industry, he still loves what he does. “When this starts to feel like a job, I’ll look for something else to do.”

Expansion pays off
Pajak Engineering provides engineering, project management, and wellsite supervisory services to the oil and gas industries. This includes wellsite preparation, drilling, completion, and production and lease restoration, both onshore and offshore. It works with major oil and gas companies like Exxon-Mobil, Shell, and Chevron, as well as smaller independents and startups.

The company employs more than 300 people worldwide and has offices in Calgary, Alberta; Denver, Colo.; Houston, Texas; Doha, Qatar; and Abu Dhabi, UAE. Worldwide revenue will top $100 million this year, according to Sutherland.

This worldwide expansion has helped Pajak stay afloat during what have been a rough couple of years in the industry. The company currently works on wells in 19 countries, and more than a third of its employees live and work overseas. This has helped offset the drop in its domestic wells from 26,000 in Canada a few years ago to about 9,000 today, which Sutherland attributes primarily to plunging gas prices and new gas reserves that are being discovered in the Southern US.

Pajak has been especially active in the Middle East and the Far East, where economies are still growing rapidly. “We’ve been dented the past couple of years, like just about everyone else in our industry, but things are starting to turn back around for us,” said Sutherland. “This has always been a peak and valley business, where things are constantly changing.”

The company is known throughout the industry for the quality of its on-site engineers and their technical knowledge and expertise. Sutherland said Pajak hires only the best of the best. “We’re looking to hire high-performing engineers and supervisors with 20 or more years of experience. The best people want to be in a great work environment, so we’ve raised the bar for our managers when it comes to social skills and overall leadership, and we’re providing more training in these areas.”

Pajak often supplies supervisors to larger companies when they are in a pinch and need top-notch employees, Sutherland added, “because they know the quality of our people.”

The big spill
The big news story this summer, of course, has been the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. “It just makes me sick. I feel so bad for the people there,” said Sutherland. “It’s going to haunt them for a long time. Everyone in our industry tries to do the best job they can. This was just one of those situations where enough bad things lined up in sequence to cause a catastrophe.”

The impact of the spill will be felt far beyond the Gulf region, he believes. “There’s going to be much more scrutiny and regulation of the offshore oil and gas industries in North America, which will increase the cost of drilling and producing energy here and, eventually, the cost of a barrel of oil. It may drive operators to drill in less-regulated environments, like the west coast of Africa and the Middle East. If regulations become too onerous here, producers will go somewhere else. Oil is going to be found and sold, but it may be far away from our shores.”

Sutherland said that when a disaster of this magnitude occurs, there’s usually an initial overreaction on the part of government and regulators. “The pendulum eventually swings back, but it may take a decade or longer.”

Sutherland believes that the increased regulations to come will result in oil and gas companies handling most (if not all) of their offshore drilling work inhouse. “But this may result in more business for us due to the increased supervision, scrutiny, and checks and balances that will be required and that we specialize in providing to the industry.”

Going forward, Pajak Engineering plans to continue investing in the high levels of technology and training that are required by its operators to keep the Pajak name at the top of their list of preferred partners.

“We pride ourselves on getting the work done as safely and efficiently as possible and doing a great job for our customers every time,” said Sutherland. “I’ve been on the operator side, wondering who’s out there on my rigs and what they’re doing, so we work hard to eliminate that anxiety for our operators.

“We don’t want to be the biggest company in the industry,” he concluded. “Instead, we want to be known as the company that gets the job done right. That’s how Pajak Engineering has always approached its business, and how we always will.”

See the original article at http://www.energytodaymagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7113:pajak-engineering-hands-on-deck&catid=134:exploration-processing&Itemid=178