Much discussion has been taking place about the short-term business outlook of our industry. Factors such as low gas prices, development of new markets for ever increasing gas inventories, and the continued uncertain regulatory environment play the largest role in that conversation. 

But hiring decisions and especially career decisions do not get made with a short timeline in mind. Whether the wellness of the organization is at stake where organizational planning and staffing decisions are key or whether the individual is contemplating career moves - these decisions are not affected by day to day fluctuations in prices or demand. 

In this context, we thought it might be a good time to look at the current situation with U.S. visas for workforce planning  purposes. Demand remains strong for technical experts, and some companies are re-evaluating their policies concerning the addition of foreign experts to their staff.

If as an individual you are interested in the subsea sector  of our industry but have never worked in it, you may still possess much needed talent even if it was obtained outside the industry. We hope you find some of our ideas helpful while you consider entering this fascinating work arena.

Upcoming Events

Employers can seek H-1B candidates through a third party staffing agency and the agency remain in line with USCIS requirements for satisfying the employer/employee relationship. While no one factor is decisive, employers using H-1B candidates through staffing agencies should pay attention to the four questions above when determining if the situation is compliant. These clarifications of what constitutes an employer/employee relationship were put in place specifically to keep staffing companies from working with businesses that may be using H-1B visa workers illegally, fraudulently, or abusively. Companies found to be in violation can be hit with stiff penalties that include monetary fines up to $35,000 per violation.

The USCIS reached the statutory cap for visa petitions for FY 2013 back in June 2012. Any companies who had not already sent in a petition before that date were effectively shut out until April 2013 when new petitions can once again be filed; however, companies who successfully petition at this time cannot employ the candidates before October 2013. Therefore, if you need critical staff now and are considering using a staffing agency that specializes in supplying qualified visa candidates, make sure that the agency is well versed in the new requirements for establishing the proper relationships and has systems in place that allow them to truthfully answer "yes" to the questions above. Better yet, call your friends at Collarini Energy Staffing first, and allow us to find you the staff you need now. We are experts at connecting the industry's experts! May your New Year be filled with all the right staff!

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Talent Pool

The following biographies are just a small sampling of the kind of talent available in our talent pool of over 20,000 experts.  Please call our placement managers if you are interested in learning more about these professionals, or check out our website for more candidates.

Electrical Engineer with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering and 16 years of domestic and international experience with operating and service companies. Expert in electrical hardware design and software development associated with distributed control systems, programmable logic control systems, SCADA systems, and advanced PID systems. Additionally experienced in the controls for drilling and production operations, power generation, cement, and water treatment. Geographic areas include the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana. Software and systems proficiency in Honeywell TDC 3000, Bailey Infi 90, Siemens S7 90, Assembler, INTools, AutoCAD, PDS modeling, and Koyo205.  Ask for IE223.

Subsea Engineer with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and more than 20 years of domestic and international experience with engineering firms and operating companies. Experienced in design and construction, including HPHT, subsea pipeline and rigid riser design in water depths from zero to 10,000 feet, subsea manifolds, subsea isolation valves, and subsea high-integrity pressure protection system structure and piping design. Additionally experienced in floating production system interfaces, flexible risers and pipe, rigid reeled pipe-in-pipe and towed pipeline bundles. Software proficiency in Primavera, MathCAD, LUSAS, ANSYS, FS2000, and AutoPIPE.    Ask for F527.

Design Engineer with a master's degree in naval architecture and 10 years of experience in the oil and gas industry with operating companies and EPC firms. Experienced in the design of manifolds, jumpers, and umbilicals. Additionally experienced in fabrication and manufacturing design, subsea layout design, Christmas trees, and in writing equipment specifications. Software proficiency in SolidWorks, AutoCAD, and Pro/E.  Ask for TD514.

Facilities and Construction Engineer with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering and over 20 years of experience in the oil and gas industry with operators and services companies. Experienced in asset management, forecasting, full-cycle planning, estimating, scheduling, design, logistics, and cost control. Additionally experienced in production operations, FEED, HAZID and HAZOP studies, and economic evaluation studies. Geographic areas include east Texas, Louisiana, the Gulf of Mexico, and Malaysia. Ask for F1793.

Flow Assurance Engineer with a master's degree in subsea engineering and 12 years of deepwater experience in the oil and gas industry. Expert in flow assurance and operability including steady state and transient thermal hydraulic analysis, and subsea processing including separation and boosting. Experienced in subsea system design with economic analysis, well optimization including enhancement and management techniques, economic forecasting, and project interface management. Geographic areas worked include the Gulf of Mexico, Angola, Nigeria, and the United Arab Emirates. Software proficiency in PIPESIM, Multiflash, advanced user of PVTsim, OLGA 2000 and OLGA 5, and FieldPlan.  Ask for F1732.

Petrophysicist with a master's degree in geophysics, a bachelor's degree in natural science and mathematics with over 10 years of experience working for large and medium oil and gas companies. Expert in mapping, 3-D seismic interpretation, and data integration in the Rockies and mid-continent. Additionally experienced in both petrophysical and geophysical interpretations of shale plays, tight gas sands, and carbonates. Geographic areas include basins in west, northwest, southwest, south, and eastern United States, and Alaska. Software proficiency in Petra, Geolog, Powerlog, and Techlog. Looking for opportunities in Denver.   Ask for GS403.

Petrophysicist with a PhD in geology and 15 years of experience working for major E&P companies in the oil and gas industry. Expert in core-log calibration and well evaluations in the analysis of unconventional shale and tight gas wells. Additionally experienced in the analysis, development, and implementation of QI recommended practice and gamma ray index databases. Geographic areas worked include Eagle Ford, Woodford, Barnett, Bakken, and Niobrara shale plays, Arkoma basin, Permian Basin, Rocky Mountains, the Gulf of Mexico, Alaska, Argentina, and China. Software proficiency includes GeoGraphix, PETREL, ArcGIS, and advanced MS Excel.  Ask for GS402.

Division Order Analyst Supervisor with a bachelor's degree in business administration and over 30 years of experience in the oil and gas industry working for large and midsized operators. Experienced in abstracts of title, title opinions, conveyances, leases, unit designations, operating agreements, farm-in/farm out agreements, trust agreements, side letter agreements, probate documents, and. due diligence reporting as it relates to acquisition and divestiture of oil and gas properties. Additionally experienced in management, training, and mentoring of a team of division order analysts. Geographic areas include east Texas and southern Louisiana. Software proficiency in SAP and the PRA revenue module.   Ask for L1054.

Geoscientist with a bachelor's degree in geology and over 20 years of international and domestic exploration, exploitation, and development experience with a major oil company and independents. Experienced in prospect generation, seismic data mapping, risk analysis, well proposals, well planning, well report writing, and collaboration with exploration and development teams. Geographic areas include the Permian Basin, Texas, the Gulf coast, south Louisiana, and Paraguay. Software proficiency in Petra, SMT, GESX, and Eclipse.  Ask for GG258.

Geologist with a bachelor's degree in geology and a master's degree in accounting and finance with over 30 years of experience in the oil industry working for mid-sized to major E&P companies, a large service company, and as a consultant. Experienced in screening prospects, generating drillable locations and recompletion zones, evaluating producing properties, calculating reserve risks, well site evaluation using MWD and 3-D seismic, well planning, well log analysis and reservoir characterization studies. Additionally experienced in regional trend mapping studies that resulted in new oil and gas plays. Geographic areas include the Texas and Louisiana Gulf of Mexico offshore and onshore, Permian Basin, and Anadarko basin. International experience includes Mexico, Venezuela, Ecuador, Trinidad & Tobago and Peru, in both clastic and carbonate depositional trends. Software proficiency in Tigress, Stratamodel and StratWorks, SMT, RMS, Tempest, FracPerm and Petra. Language proficiency in Spanish. Ask for G424.

Reservoir and Production Engineer with a bachelor's degree and two years of oil and gas experience working for an operator. Experienced in acquisition evaluation, capital budgeting, reserve reporting, hydraulic fracturing, and oversight of production and workover operations. Geographic areas worked include the Permian Basin and south Texas. Software proficiency in ARIES, WellEZ, PI Dwights, and Drilling Info. Ask for PR638.

Drilling Engineering Manager with a bachelor's degree in petroleum engineering and 33 years of experience working for drilling companies and operators. Experienced in planning and executing offshore projects, leading drilling managers, engineers, and logistics and operations personnel; establishing operational bases, and overseeing and managing drilling budgets in excess of a half billion dollars. Geographic areas worked include the Gulf of Mexico deepwater, Africa, South America, the Middle East, the North Sea, Montana, California, Texas, Louisiana, and Alabama. Registered Professional Engineer in the State of Louisiana.  Ask for D524.

Reservoir Engineer with a master's degree in petroleum engineering and eight years of oil and gas experience working for service companies and an operator. Experienced in economic analysis, SEC reporting, budget planning, history matching, production forecasting, and reserve bookings. Additionally experienced in hydraulic fracture analysis, fracture and well spacing optimization, well design, and artificial lift evaluation. Geographic areas worked include Texas, Pennsylvania, and Saudi Arabia. Software proficiency in ARIES, Fekete RTA, and AFE Navigator.   Ask for R702.

Drilling and Production Engineer with a master's degree in chemical engineering and 44 years of experience working for operators, service companies, and as a consultant. Experienced in drilling, completion, and reservoir engineering; trouble-shooting operations, equipment selection, and supervision of operations on land and offshore. Additionally experienced in the development of subsea equipment and deepwater drilling and production operations. Licensed Professional Engineer in the State of Texas. Ask for DP230.

Drilling Supervisor with more than 40 years of experience working for operators and drilling service companies. Experienced in drilling, completions, and production operations including horizontal, extended reach, and HPHT drilling; multi-stage fracturing, acid jobs, drill outs, washouts, coiled tubing operations, and cementing. Geographic areas worked include Texas and Louisiana. Ask for DO490.

Engineering Technician with more than 10 years of experience working for various oil and gas companies. Experienced in fiscal year-end reporting, improvements and implementation of ARIES, and assisting various teams such as land, accounting, reservoir, and exploration. Software proficiency in ARIES, PEEP, VolTS, Oracle and SQL tables, Excel, Hyperion Essbase, PetroLook, and TOW. Ask for TE501.

Engineering Technician with a bachelor's degree in industrial engineering and two years of experience working for an operator. Experienced in reserves estimation, booking, and reporting, maintaining and running ARIES economic models for production, capital reporting and forecasting, and data management. Software proficiency in ARIES, Microsoft Excel and Access, Spotfire, and AutoCAD.  Ask for TE584.

Geoscience Technician with an associate's degree in biology and 20 years of experience working for major and mid-size oil and gas companies and service companies. Experienced in log correlations, seismic maps, digital files, maintaining databases, cross-sections, 2-D and 3-D navigation, generating computerized structure maps, creating databases for in-house geophysical base map and seismic inventories, and creating montages. Additionally experienced in preparing Landmark OpenWorks and SeisWorks projects to migrate from R2002 to R5000. Software proficiencies include Velocity Data Bank, Energy Graphics, MicroStation SE/J, ZEH Montage, GMA, UNIX, GeoGraphix, P/I Dwights, and OpenWorks, and Geolog.  Ask for TG490.

Geoscience Technician with over 25 years of experience working for large and mid-sized producing companies. Experienced in designing, implementing, and maintaining company filing systems, data management, and creating archive systems for digital well log images. Software proficiency in SMT, Neurasection, Neuralog, UNIX, and SONRIS.  Ask for TG683.

Engineers and project professionals in subsea technology are in high demand, so it is no surprise to find these individuals at the top of the income ladder. Talented professionals without a detailed background in subsea issues are taking a keen interest in the cutting-edge technology and wondering how to enter this lucrative oil and gas sub-sector. Although new technology comes with technical problems, malfunctions, and accidents, on the whole nobody is seriously questioning the long-term outlook in deepwater around the world. And it is good, because the very largest oil reservoirs of the future will be developed offshore in very deep waters.

So what does one with interest but no specific oil and gas background in subsea do to get in? Here are some potential areas for newcomers to investigate, as they may provide the bridge into the industry even without immediate and direct subsea expertise.

      In many ways, subsea developments resemble other super-large scale projects . Putting aircraft into space or developing and building airliners with the newest technologies and materials requires you to possess multiple project management and support skills. Managing the flow of resources between multitudes of participants internationally cannot be done on a small spreadsheet, but requires substantial knowledge of project controls software and processes, cost engineering, and logistics. Certified Individuals with a project management pedigree such as PMP have a good chance in the subsea arena. 

2.    Materials science

      The waters of the oceans are a very harsh environment and put extreme demands on the equipment used. The selection of the right materials and the constant development of newer materials that are lighter, more resistant to the natural environment, and that are less expensive are of utmost importance. Whether related to steel or plastics, there are many areas of particular expertise that are needed. For professionals who have experience in materials development, selection, and testing, the subsea industry can prove to offer a very fulfilling career track. 

3.    HSER

      The oceans are dangerous places, both above and below the wave line. This is true for both the people who work there and the wildlife that call the ocean "home." This simple fact has spurred a slew of policies generated to protect all involved. Professionals with a background in government policies, especially an understanding of maritime law, may find that they can cross over from other industries. This in particular is an area with a tremendous amount of specialization, so an individual introducing his or her skills has to be just as specific whether the experience lies in conservation, climatology, marine biology, or in HAZMAT or HAZOP. Experts are needed in a variety of areas. 

4.    Math and Natural Sciences

      Mathematics and natural sciences play a large role in oil and gas, but there are crucial differences that rely on physics and calculations when it is not always feasible or even possible to evaluate the results by observation. We are now looking at projects in over 10,000 feet of water. There must be a calculable margin of error when the results of collective work cannot be immediately assessed by human senses. For those who remember the row of mathematicians with slide rules managing the Apollo program, we have, of course, come a long way. Thankfully, computing has made giant leaps forward, and calculations can be made faster and more reliably now, which in turn has generated a whole new industry of computing experts. But behind the curtain there is still the necessity to understand how things actually work in the physical world by applying the basic sciences. Strong fundamental scientists in fields of ocean engineering, physics, computing technology, and related fields will find possibilities that apply to subsea technology. 

5.    Manufacturing

      When we see impressive photos of gargantuan offshore drilling and production platforms, it is easy to overlook the many different pieces of equipment that go into these complex installations. There is an almost infinite number of manufacturers supplying ever smaller and special pieces of equipment. All of these manufacturing companies require people with a love for the oil and gas industry who are able to interact with the larger EPC companies to provide the information necessary to secure a sound application of the product. This seems to be the area most often overlooked by individuals wanting to enter the industry. 

Newly graduating professionals who have specialized in the subsea industry will have no problem advancing their careers going forward. But even if you have not been working in this fascinating industry, there is still room for you provided that you connect with other professionals already established in the industry and if you do your homework and highlight where your particular experience fits in.

Let us know about your progress.

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About Us

Connecting the Industry's Experts...

Collarini Energy Staffing Inc. is a full-service agency specializing in the placement of energy and EPC personnel and including the disciplines listed below (other supporting personnel are managed upon request):

Accounting and finance personnel Administrative and clerical personnel Business analysts Civil and architectural engineers Data Management Drilling engineers Drilling operations supervisors Energy trading professionals Executives Facilities engineers Geologists, geophysicists, and petrophysicists Health, safety, and environmental personnel Human resources personnel Instrument and electrical engineers IT professionals Land, legal, and supporting personnel Marine engineers and naval architects

Materials and corrosion engineers Mechanical engineers Operations supervisors Pipeline, riser, and subsea engineers Process engineers Procurement personnel Production engineers Production operations supervisors Project managers and support personnel Quality control and inspection personnel Reservoir engineers Sales and marketing professionals Technical writers Technicians, drafting and graphic Technicians, engineering and geoscience

Guiding Careers to the Next Level...

Collarini Career Management applies its deep understanding of the career paths of technical professionals in the E&P and EPC communities to help companies and professionals build successful organizations and careers. We leverage Collarini's unique combination of industry knowledge and technical expertise to guide companies and individuals during transition, training existing employees for high performance, and designing customized technical training plans for companies and individuals.

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Contact Us
10497 Town and Country Way, Suite 950 Houston, Texas 77024 832.251.0553

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