Lead Automation Engineer - Wellsite Autonomous Operations

Location: United States of America - Colorado - Denver, United States of America - Texas - Houston

Remote Type: This position is a hybrid of office/remote working

Time Type: Full time

Job Description

Entity:

Production & Operations

Job Family Group:

Engineering Group

Job Description:

Role Synopsis

The Lead Automation Engineer for Wellsite Autonomous Operations serves as the single enterprise authority for automation, controls, and related electrical standards supporting autonomous and semi‑autonomous wellsite operations. This role is accountable for ensuring automation architecture, control logic, and electrical design enable measurable value at scale, while remaining aligned with enterprise governance, process safety, cybersecurity, and operating model standards.

The role has final decision authority for automation and control standards within delegated authority and escalates strategic, safety‑critical, or cross‑system changes as required. The position is a cornerstone of the Wellsite Automation Operations, converting field‑level automation innovation into repeatable, governed, enterprise advantage.

Scope & Accountability

• Own the enterprise automation, controls, and electrical standards that underpin autonomous and semi‑autonomous operations.
• Ensure automation strategies enable production uptime, restart reliability, and operational stability across all business units.
• Serve as the automation counterpart to Production Engineering, Facilities Engineering, and Operations leadership within the autonomy governance model.

Performance Management & Learning

• Partner with WAO leadership to define success criteria, KPIs, and OKRs for automation‑enabled autonomous operations.
• Establish clear, outcome‑based measures for automation reliability, restart success, and operational confidence.
• Lead or support root cause failure analyses (RCFAs) for material automation, controls, electrical, or restart‑related events.
• Ensure RCFA outcomes are translated into updated standards, control logic guardrails, and deployment criteria.

Standards & Governance

• Define, steward, and maintain automation and control standards, including:
• PLC / RTU control philosophies and operating modes
• Autonomous and supervised restart strategies for ESPs, compressors, and facilities
• Alarm management, permissives, interlocks, and fail‑safe behavior
• Establish clear criteria for standard application, approved deviations, and required escalation for strategic or risk‑based decisions.
• Ensure automation and electrical designs are consistent with process safety, equipment protection, NEC requirements, and cybersecurity standards.

Value Delivery

• Deliver measurable uptime, reliability, and restart performance improvements through scaled deployment of standardized automation.
• Enable faster replication of successful automation strategies across business units.
• Reduce variability and rework by eliminating bespoke, non‑standard control logic.

Lessons Learned & Continuous Improvement

• Capture positive and negative outcomes from automation and autonomy deployments.
• Convert lessons learned into updated standards, logic refinements, and deployment constraints.
• Ensure learning velocity outpaces deployment velocity to protect value and safety.

Enterprise Interface & Influence

• Act as the trusted automation authority for Business Unit teams, Production Engineering Leads, Facilities Engineering, and Operations leadership.
• Influence outcomes without direct execution ownership.
• Provide clear, data‑based and technically rigorous recommendations to senior leadership.

Essential Experience and Education

Experience

• 10+ years of Automation, Controls, or Electrical Engineering experience in US onshore oil and gas operations.
• Demonstrated enterprise or multi‑asset influence.
• Recognized internally as a technical authority in automation and controls.

Technical Domain Expertise

• Deep experience with PLC‑based control systems, RTUs, and wellsite automation architecture.
• Hands‑on experience supporting gas lift facilities, compression, ESPs, and pad‑level automation.
• Strong understanding of restart sequencing, control system failure modes, and abnormal situation management.

Electrical Engineering Proficiency

• Working knowledge of NEC requirements, hazardous area classification, motor control centers, VFDs, and wellsite power distribution.
• Ability to evaluate electrical design impacts on automation reliability and safety.

Competencies & Skills

• System‑level automation thinking from field devices through operator interface.
• Comfort exercising final technical authority within delegation of authority.
• Disciplined escalation of safety‑critical, cyber‑critical, or strategic issues.
• Trusted advisor with strong written and verbal communication skills.

How much do we pay (Base) $200,000-$235,000. Note that the pay range listed for this position is a good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible base compensation at the time of posting.

Why join us?

At bpx, we support our people to learn and grow in a diverse and challenging environment. We believe that our team is strengthened by diversity. We are committed to fostering an inclusive environment in which everyone is respected and treated fairly.

We offer a reward and wellbeing package to enable your work to fit with your life. These can include, but not limited to, access to health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible working schedule, paid time off policy, discretionary annual bonus program, long-term incentive program, and a generous 401(k) matching program.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us to request accommodations.

Discover your place with us and help our business meet the challenges of reimagining and reinventing the future of energy.

Travel Requirement

Up to 25% travel should be expected with this role

Relocation Assistance:

This role is not eligible for relocation

Remote Type:

This position is a hybrid of office/remote working

Skills:

Asking for Feedback, Asking for Feedback, Coaching, Collaboration, Communication, Conflict Management, Construction, Delegation, Engineering codes, Engineering in Projects, Goal Setting, Inclusive Leadership, Influencing, Managing Performance, OMS and bp requirements, Presenting, Project execution planning, Project HSSE, Project Leadership, Quality, Risk Management, Safe design and operating limits, Schedule and resources, Stakeholder Management, standards and practices {+ 1 more}

Legal Disclaimer:

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, neurodiversity/neurocognitive functioning, veteran status or disability status. Individuals with an accessibility need may request an adjustment/accommodation related to bp’s recruiting process (e.g., accessing the job application, completing required assessments, participating in telephone screenings or interviews, etc.). If you would like to request an adjustment/accommodation related to the recruitment process, please contact us.

If you are selected for a position and depending upon your role, your employment may be contingent upon adherence to local policy. This may include pre-placement drug screening, medical review of physical fitness for the role, and background checks.