Controls and Automation Engineering Manager

In this role, you’ll lead the Controls and Automation Engineering team in designing, implementing, commissioning, and supporting control systems for drilling and industrial equipment. You’ll set technical direction and execution priorities, develop your team’s capabilities, and drive improvements in equipment safety, reliability, quality, and operational efficiency while ensuring solutions are well documented and meet company requirements and applicable industry standards.

You’ll have the opportunity to shape both the technology and the team behind it—guiding solutions from design through field deployment, solving complex engineering challenges, and seeing your work translate into stronger equipment performance. Your leadership will help engineers grow, strengthen how the team delivers, and advance automation across demanding operating environments.

Responsibilities

Controls & Automation Engineering Leadership

Primary Skills: System Architecture • Process Automation • Hardware Design • Software Design

• Lead the Controls and Automation Engineering team in developing and executing automation projects from requirements through design, programming, testing, commissioning, and operational handoff.

• Provide technical direction for PLC, DCS, SCADA, HMI, instrumentation, industrial networking, motor-control, and process-control solutions used in drilling and industrial applications.

• Ensure control-system architectures, interfaces, configurations, and design decisions support safe, reliable, maintainable, and scalable operations.

Project Delivery, Commissioning & Technical Support

Primary Skills: Project Management • Project Execution • System Deployment • Technical Support

• Establish scope, priorities, resources, milestones, cost expectations, and technical deliverables for concurrent controls and automation projects.

• Oversee system integration, factory or site testing, commissioning, deployment, and functional verification, resolving delivery risks and escalating material constraints.

• Provide technical escalation and structured troubleshooting support for automation systems, including urgent field issues and after-hours operational needs.

Safety, Quality & Engineering Governance

Primary Skills: Workplace Safety • Risk Assessment • Quality Assurance • Standards Compliance

• Ensure engineering and field-support activities comply with HSE, quality, regulatory, and company requirements, including disciplined design reviews and release controls.

• Lead or sponsor incident and failure investigations involving automation or controls; identify root causes, implement corrective actions, and verify sustainable closure.

• Maintain complete and controlled specifications, drawings, software records, test evidence, manuals, network architectures, and other engineering documentation.

Team Leadership & Cross-Functional Partnership

Primary Skills: Team Management • Employee Development • Cross-functional Teamwork • Communication Skills

• Set clear priorities and accountability for engineers while coaching technical judgment, design discipline, troubleshooting capability, and project execution.

• Partner with Operations, Product Management, Manufacturing, Quality, HSE, Supply Chain, IT, Field Service, and customers to identify automation needs and deliver practical solutions.

• Plan team capability, workload, hiring, training, and knowledge transfer to sustain controls and automation expertise and coverage.

Continuous Improvement & Technology Development

Primary Skills: Continuous Quality Improvement • Conducting Research • Technical Prototyping • Performance Improvement

• Evaluate emerging controls, automation, sensing, networking, and software technologies for technical viability, operational value, and lifecycle supportability.

• Drive improvements to engineering methods, standard architectures, code practices, testing approaches, commissioning playbooks, and troubleshooting workflows.

• Use operating feedback, incidents, defects, project outcomes, and reliability data to prioritize product and process improvements.

Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Controls Engineering, Computer Engineering, or a related engineering field; eight or more years of relevant controls and automation experience may be considered as an alternative pathway.

• Minimum 8 years of progressively responsible experience in controls and automation engineering, preferably supporting drilling, industrial equipment, energy, or related operations.

• Demonstrated experience leading engineers and delivering automation projects involving PLC, DCS, SCADA, HMI, instrumentation, industrial networking, and process control.

• Experience with control-system design, programming, integration, commissioning, troubleshooting, technical documentation, and incident or root-cause investigation.

• Strong project leadership, analytical problem solving, written and verbal communication, stakeholder management, and team-development capability.

• Ability to read and interpret technical specifications, electrical drawings, network architectures, manuals, procedures, and applicable standards

Preferred

• Master's degree in Controls Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Engineering Management, or a related discipline.

• Experience with Rockwell and/or Siemens controls platforms, PLC and HMI development, industrial communications, sensors, I/O, AC drives, and motor controls.

• Experience in oil and gas, drilling equipment, energy, heavy industry, or other safety-critical industrial environments.

• Working knowledge of ISO, API, and other relevant industry standards and engineering governance practices.

#LI-SMO

Nabors is a leading provider of advanced technology for the energy industry. With operations in about 20 countries, Nabors has established a global network of people, technology and equipment to deploy solutions that deliver safe, efficient and responsible hydrocarbon production. By leveraging its core competencies, particularly in drilling, engineering, automation, data science and manufacturing, Nabors aims to innovate the future of energy and enable the transition to a lower carbon world.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Nabors is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibiting discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, religion, age, color, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws. This applies to all terms and conditions of employment including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training. To learn more about our Fair Employment practices, please refer to the Nabors Code of Conduct.