SonicJobs Logo
Left arrow iconBack to search

Technical Operations Lead

Bedrock Energy
Posted 7 months ago, valid for 15 days
Location

Austin, Travis 78714, TX

Salary

Competitive

Contract type

Full Time

By applying, a Sonicjobs account will be created for you. Sonicjobs's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions will apply.

SonicJobs' Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy also apply.

Sonic Summary

info
  • Bedrock Energy is seeking a Technical Operations Lead to oversee and coordinate its geothermal heating and cooling operations, requiring a Master’s Degree in Petroleum or Mechanical Engineering and 10-20 years of relevant experience.
  • The role involves managing operations engineers, approving drilling programs, and ensuring technical integrity through structured collaboration and communication.
  • Candidates should have at least 3 years of people management experience and knowledge of drilling engineering principles, with familiarity in geothermal borehole design preferred.
  • The position emphasizes problem-solving, project management skills, and the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments, with a focus on continuous improvement and performance optimization.
  • Salary for this position is competitive, reflecting the experience and expertise required for the role.

Company


The earth beneath our feet holds extraordinary, untapped capacity to accelerate the clean energy transition, with limitless geo-energy available under every real estate asset. Bedrock Energy is on a mission to transform the heating and cooling of buildings, using carbon-free, hyper-efficient, and ultra-safe geothermal energy to radically reduce costs for people and the environment. Incorporated in 2022, Bedrock has raised over $25M in capital and is gathering exceptional talent to scale up geothermal heating/cooling for real estate and infrastructure developers in any city in the world. We seek creative, collaborative, proactive team members who inspire us with their high standards of excellence, integrity, and commitment to our shared mission. 


Role


Bedrock is in its second year of deploying our engineering-intensive, technology-enabled approach to ambient geothermal construction. We seek to establish the foundations for scale up of our technical operations, which require rigorous processes tying engineering best practices to field deployment.


The Technical Operations Lead serves as the central orchestrator of Bedrock’s technical operations, functioning as a coordinator, integrator, and communicator. This role ensures that engineering programs, operational procedures, and technical workflows are developed and iterated with clear ownership, precise communication, disciplined review cycles, stakeholder alignment, and field-ready roll-out.


While this leadership role requires a baseline of technical subject-matter expertise, this person will primarily serve as a quarterback for the technical owners (Operations Engineers), the implementation personnel (Field Operation), and the technology providers (Software/Hardware Engineers and Product). Like a Product Management leader, this role will own the product development lifecycle of technical operations: gathering & triaging drilling/completions requirements to set strategic technical priorities, coordinating cross-functional reviews and learnings, structuring strategic risk assessments, validating implementation readiness, and ensuring seamless handoff to field crews.  Ultimately, the Technical Operations Lead owns the process of ensuring technical integrity through structured collaboration, crisp communication, and disciplined execution. 


Responsibilities


A. Technical Leadership and Mentorship 


Manage, mentor, and technically supervise operations engineers in the development and validation of D&C programs

Approve borehole construction programs (drilling, completion, mud, BHAs, hydraulics).

Oversee engineer rotation for real-time technical support to field crews on downhole or surface equipment problems.

Drive technical capability development through mentoring, structured training, and performance feedback.


Review and technically approve operations engineers’ deliverables before execution

Validate engineering calculations for operational usability and technoeconomic optimization, driving D&C procedures from ideation to field verification. 

Lead solutioning ofcomplex technical analyses, directing operations engineers on timely, accurate, and practical solutions.

Ensure consistency and accuracy in operations engineering products prior to execution.


B. Cross-functional and Operational Interface 


Establish development workflows for technical standards, procedures, and manuals

Collaborate closely with Technology Engineering to develop technical operations guidance for their technologies, tools, and equipment products 

Collaborate closely with Field Operations to establish accountability processes and KPIs 


Manage interface between operations engineering and field operations teams for new releases of technology and operational procedures

Oversee readiness, training, and risk mitigation planning for upcoming field operations.

Coordinate communication and feedback between operations engineering and field operations to ensure seamless deployment and compliance 


Oversee resources, schedules, and deliverables across the operations engineering team and external stakeholders (vendors, clients, corporate).

Represent operations engineering in cross-functional and corporate meetings to align technical initiatives with budget, strategy, and safety objectives.

Support sales engineering for customer acquisition 


Collaborate with Field Operations to ensure health & safety adherence and risk management 

Ensure HSE compliance and borehole control readiness.

Review and approve risk assessments and contingency plans.

Conduct incident investigations and root-cause analyses.

Implement corrective actions and technical safeguards.


C. Performance and Optimization


Integrate daily lessons learned into subsequent operations

Develop trackers/workflows for continuous improvement in drilling & completions performance and reliability (e.g., formation response, bit wear, mud loss).

Review daily drilling reports (DDR) and advise on parameter adjustments.


Lead regular technical optimization reviews and after-action analyses

Regularly evaluate construction efficiency and adherence to best practices in partnership with Field Operations Lead.

Drive technical solutioning sprints and report cross-functionally on progress and company implications


Benchmark rigs or teams and drive standardization of best practices.

Champion data-driven decision-making by implementing digital drilling systems, real-time analytics, and automation tools to optimize performance.

Drive adoption of performance improvements across rigs and projects through structured rollout plans and measurable KPIs.

Example: Use real-time data analytics to identify inefficiencies like wiper trips duration and length, and roll out improvements fleet-wide.


Work closely with Product and Technology Engineering to identify, specify, and prioritize R&D projects from mechanical/electrical/software engineers to facilitate efficiency and safety


Typical Operations Engineering Deliverables

Daily and weekly operational performance reports

Borehole lookback and lessons-learned reports

Technical and operational KPIs dashboards

Standard operating procedures (SOPs) and design templates

Post-borehole technical summaries


Qualifications

Master’s Degree in Petroleum Engineering or Mechanical Engineering, or related discipline

10-20 years of experience in drilling engineering, e.g. as a drilling engineer and/or O&G wellsite supervisor, with strong knowledge of drilling engineering principles: drilling fluids, wellbore stability, geomechanics, hydraulics, well control, torque and drag, and managed pressure drilling (MPD); rig and surface equipment operations, BHA dynamics; data-driven performance optimization

3+ years of people management experience 

Knowledge of coiled tubing operations and geothermal borehole design and construction are preferred

Relevant certifications such as IWCF, WellCAP, Well Control 

Familiar with software like WellPlan, Landmark, OpenWells, DrillOps, or WellView

Demonstrated experience initiating and communicating new processes based on evolving information and on-the-ground experience

Strong project management and problem-solving skills, especially in environments with new approaches built from scratch, frequent growth-driven changes and contending priorities, and complex stakeholders

Proven ability to build credibility across diverse team members and around diverse technical topics, and to navigate technical and business trade-offs effectively

Exceptional communication skills, with the ability to distill complex ideas and problems into actionable decision trees, and to clearly map out system dependencies

Positive, “yes if” mindset with a bias towards action; proactive and resourceful problem-solver with the ability to drive to consensus while maintaining healthy interpersonal respect and empathy for different viewpoints

Passion for the energy transition


Qualities

Proactive: You take ownership, offer hypotheses, and hold yourself accountable

Coachable: You welcome & react constructively to feedback and seek new skills with gusto

Excellent: You hold yourself, and your team members, to high standards of performance

Creative: You enjoy finding resourceful, unconventional, flexible solutions to problems

Integrity: You take pride in ethical, honest behavior, no matter who is around to see it

Compassionate: You remember empathy, respect, and care in your interactions with others

Inclusive: You actively look to surround yourself & collaborate inclusively with people who are different from you in experience, background, worldview, and resources


Bedrock Energy is building a strong culture based on our Organizational Values. In addition, we are committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Bedrock Energy is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, protected veteran status, disability, age, or other legally protected status.

\n


\n



Learn more about this Employer on their Career Site

Apply now in a few quick clicks

By applying, a Sonicjobs account will be created for you. Sonicjobs's Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions will apply.

SonicJobs' Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy also apply.