A professional who plans and directs engineering activities of a petroleum company to develop oil fields and produce oil and gas. Responsibilities include:

• Formulates programs for developing oil fields, planning schedules for drilling wells and for constructing pumping units, crude-oil treating units, and other production facilities.
• Coordinates projected activities with civil, electrical, and other engineering departments.
• Directs, through subordinate workers, selection, installation, use, and repair of oil field equipment.
• Directs petroleum engineers in engineering work concerned with drilling new wells and producing flow of oil or gas from wells, in maintaining well logs, and in other engineering activities.
• Directs laboratory and field research to develop new or to improve old methods and equipment for recovery of oil and gas.
• Keeps abreast of new developments in petroleum engineering.
• Selects, trains, and promotes engineering personnel.
• May direct mechanical, civil, electrical, and other engineering activities.
• May direct engineering and drilling activities in developing geothermal field and be designated Director, Geothermal Operations.