Production Tech - Flowback Operations

Overview

We are seeking an experienced and motivated individual to fill the position of Production Technician — Flowback Operations within our Delaware Basin business unit based in Mentone, TX.

This position is responsible for supporting safe, efficient, and reliable flowback operations for newly completed wells, with a strong focus on automated flowback equipment, field automation, surveillance systems, equipment troubleshooting, production testing, fluid handling, pressure monitoring, and coordination with field and engineering teams. The role will focus on optimizing early-life well performance, minimizing downtime, ensuring accurate data capture, and maintaining safe and environmentally responsible operations.

The Production Technician — Flowback Operations & Automation will work closely with production, completions, facilities, automation, measurement, and well site management teams to ensure wells are transitioned effectively from completion and flowback into normal production operations. Non-scheduled call-outs outside normal business hours can be expected.

Types of wells may include flowing wells, gas lift wells, plunger lift wells, and other artificial lift systems. Equipment and facilities may include automated flowback packages, automated choke systems, flowback manifolds, sand separators, production separators, test units, tanks, flowlines, LACT facilities, meters, chemical pumps, automation equipment, natural gas compression, electronic measurement devices, and related surface equipment.

Work is to be performed using safe work practices and acceptable environmental procedures to maximize production, reduce costs, protect equipment integrity, improve uptime, and minimize environmental and safety risks.

Responsibilities

• Adhere to and enforce all applicable company, state, and federal safety and environmental regulations.
• Support daily flowback operations, including monitoring well pressures, fluid rates, gas rates, sand production, and equipment performance.
• Operate, monitor, and troubleshoot automated flowback equipment, including automated choke systems, flowback control panels, pressure transmitters, level controls, flow meters, data acquisition systems, and remote monitoring interfaces.
• Prepare, maintain, and submit daily reports related to gas, oil, water, sand, pressure, chemical usage, automation status, downtime, alarms, and operational activity.
• Monitor early production trends and identify production shortfalls, abnormal pressure behavior, equipment issues, automation failures, communication issues, leaks, spills, or changing well conditions.
• Operate and monitor flowback equipment including separators, sand traps, manifolds, choke assemblies, tanks, meters, chemical pumps, and related surface equipment.
• Coordinate with completions, production, facilities, automation, measurement, and engineering personnel to ensure efficient well cleanup and transition to production.
• Support choke management, automated choke adjustments, and well optimization activities under guidance from engineering and operations leadership.
• Verify accurate measurement of oil, gas, and water volumes during flowback and early production.
• Collect and review gauge readings, production tests, alarm history, automation trends, and operating data to ensure accurate reporting.
• Enter flowback, automation, and production data into local databases and/or corporate production systems.
• Monitor wellhead pressures, casing pressures, tubing pressures, flowline pressures, separator conditions, control signals, set points, and automated equipment response.
• Check flowback and automation equipment to ensure safe, reliable, and efficient operation.
• Inspect wellheads, flowlines, pressure vessels, tanks, automated valves, instrumentation, control panels, and associated equipment for integrity and proper operation.
• Identify and communicate equipment failures, abnormal operating conditions, automation faults, instrument drift, communication losses, safety concerns, and environmental risks.
• Perform or coordinate minor repairs on fittings, valves, dump valves, controllers, chemical pumps, automation equipment, transmitters, wiring, control components, and other production-related equipment as needed.
• Troubleshoot common automation issues, including failed sensors, loss of signal, incorrect set points, controller faults, actuator issues, communication failures, and inaccurate readings.
• Coordinate and supervise contract personnel and service companies during flowback, wireline, fluid transfers, chemical treatments, equipment moves, automation repairs, and other field activity.
• Support safe fluid handling, water transfer, condensate/oil management, and tank operations.
• Ensure coordination of personnel, automation systems, and equipment to optimize production, minimize downtime, and reduce environmental and safety exposure.
• Act as a liaison between field personnel, automation technicians, service providers, and functional support teams by providing operational input and real-time field feedback.
• Participate in cost awareness, operating efficiency improvements, downtime reduction, and optimization of flowback-related expenditures.
• Automation & Troubleshooting Responsibilities
• Monitor automated flowback systems and verify equipment is responding correctly to pressure, rate, level, and choke-control inputs.
• Review alarms, trends, and system data to identify abnormal operating conditions before they become downtime events.
• Troubleshoot automated choke packages, control valves, actuators, pressure transmitters, level sensors, flow meters, communication devices, and control panels.
• Validate field readings against digital data to identify instrument drift, failed sensors, calibration issues, or data quality concerns.
• Support remote surveillance workflows by ensuring automated flowback data is accurate, timely, and available to operations and engineering teams.
• Assist with startup, commissioning, and functional checks of automated flowback equipment before and during well cleanup.
• Coordinate with automation and measurement teams for repairs, calibration, programming support, and communication restoration.
• Document automation-related downtime, failure causes, corrective actions, and follow-up items.

Qualifications

• Prior flowback, completions, production operations, lease operator, automation technician, or measurement technician experience is required.
• Working knowledge of wellhead equipment, automated flowback equipment, separators, tanks, flowlines, valves, meters, instrumentation, and pressure-control equipment.
• Experience with automated choke systems, flowback control panels, pressure transmitters, level controls, electronic measurement, SCADA, or remote monitoring systems is preferred.
• Ability to monitor and interpret pressures, rates, fluid volumes, automation trends, alarm history, and changing well conditions.
• Must be able to meet all conditional job offer requirements including background, drug test, MVR, agility and fit for duty.