Petroleum Engineer

A petroleum engineer designs, develops, and optimises extraction, processing, and production systems for crude oil and natural gas in Australian onshore and offshore operations. They apply fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and reservoir engineering principles to maximise recovery rates, minimise operational costs, and ensure compliance with regulatory safety and environmental standards. This role involves field work, technical modelling, and collaboration with geoscientists, drilling crews, and facility managers across the petroleum supply chain.

Conduct reservoir characterisation studies using seismic data, well logs, and core samples to estimate recoverable hydrocarbon volumes and pressure regimes. Design well trajectories and drilling programs, specifying casing sizes, mud weights, and wellbore geometry to optimise production while managing pressure differentials and formation damage. Model reservoir behaviour using commercial software such as CMG, Eclipse, or Schlumberger simulators to predict fluid flow, pressure decline, and production rates under various extraction scenarios. Calculate recovery factors and develop field development plans that determine the number, spacing, and type of wells required to maximise economic return. Size and specify production facilities including separation equipment, compression units, pipelines, and export terminals based on expected flow rates and fluid properties. Perform pressure transient analysis and well testing to evaluate well performance, skin factors, and reservoir boundaries in producing wells. Manage enhanced oil recovery (EOR) schemes including water injection, gas injection, or chemical flooding to improve recovery and extend field life. Ensure compliance with the National Offshore Petroleum Safety and Environmental Management Authority (NOPSEMA) regulations for offshore operations and Department of Mines, Petroleum and Exploration (DMPE) requirements for onshore wells in Western Australia.

The standard entry pathway requires a bachelor degree or higher (ABS Skill Level 1). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The industry is in structural decline in Australia. Major projects are winding down, not expanding. You'll face redundancy risk as companies reduce workforce, and the career ceiling is lower than it was ten years ago. You're also competing with experienced engineers already in the field.

Industry reality is that onshore work is drying up and offshore roles increasingly require FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) arrangements away from major cities.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 2336, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Attention to Detailcore
• Data Entry and Accuracycore
• Negotiationcore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Process Improvement Identificationcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Report Writingcore
• Research and Analysiscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Stakeholder Communicationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Written Communicationcore
• Continuous Learning and Upskilling
• Digital Literacy
• Goal Setting and Planning
• Incident Reporting
• Microsoft Excel Data Management
• Policy and Procedure Adherence
• Power BI Reporting and Dashboards
• Process Documentation
• Reporting and Analytics

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026