Mechanical Engineer — Product Development & Sustaining (Oura™ Gas Lift Systems)

Location: Nisku, Alberta Schedule: Monday–Friday, 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Employment: Full‑time, on‑site (some field travel)

About Precise Downhole Solutions

Precise Downhole Solutions Ltd. designs, builds, and deploys advanced reservoir monitoring and production optimization technologies for conventional and unconventional assets. Our Oura™ gas lift systems and broader instrumentation portfolio help operators produce safely, efficiently, and intelligently.

The Opportunity

We’re hiring a Mechanical Engineer (P.Eng or eligible) to drive new product development, commercialization, and sustaining engineering for Oura™ gas lift systems. This role blends inventive, hands‑on rigor with reservoir and customer‑first mindset: you’ll move products from concept to field, analyze production outcomes, and close the loop with continuous improvements. It’s customer‑facing, fast‑paced, and highly collaborative. This is an individual‑contributor role working in parallel with our Mechanical Engineering and Manufacturing teams (not a lead role at the outset), with growth opportunities as scope increases.

What You’ll Do:

Product Development & Commercialization

- Lead and work under supervision for mechanical design and sustainability of downhole tools/components for gas lift systems—from concept, prototyping, verification/validation (V&V), through design transfer, commercialization release and sustainability.

- Own DFM/DFA, tolerance stacks, material selection, sealing strategies, corrosion/erosion considerations, and environmental testing for HP/HT and sour‑service contexts.

- Build and execute test plans (bench, flow‑loop, pressure vessels, field pilots); document V&V results and shepherd approved design changes.

- Prepare technical documentation: drawings, BOMs, work instructions, assembly procedures, and service bulletins. Create/maintain procedures, manuals, quick guides, and checklists for manufacturing, field service, and customers.

- Support R&D initiatives for tool design, including surface hardware/software, downhole programming/coding, and telemetry requirements.

Sustaining Engineering

- Triage field issues; perform structured RCAs (5‑Whys, Fishbone, Fault‑Tree, FRACAS) and implement corrective/preventive actions (CAPA).

- Troubleshoot decisively and meet customer/company deadlines with timely containment, corrective actions, and documentation.

- Drive cost‑out, reliability, manufacturability, and supply‑chain resilience (alternate materials/vendors, design simplification, standardization).

Fast‑Track Program & Field Installations

- Participate in a fast‑track learning program covering Oura mechanical design, assembly practices and field deployment.

- Conduct field installations under mentorship; transition to independent site support as competency is demonstrated.

Electrical/Mechatronics Interface

- Collaborate on actuator/sensor integration, harnessing, ingress protection, and hazardous‑area considerations.

- Read/markup schematics, specify requirements, and align designs with customer requirements.

- Connectivity & controls: specify, troubleshoot, and program network/edge requirements (IP networking/VLANs/VPNs, cellular gateways, SCADA protocols such as Modbus‑TCP/MQTT/OPC‑UA); assist with PLC/embedded configuration and data routing for Oura systems.

Data, Coding & Analytics

- Interface with Oura software/controls: read and reason about code and data structures; contribute lightweight tools/scripts.

- Develop utilities for test automation and data parsing (e.g., Python/Matlab); use Git for version control and code reviews.

Reservoir & Production Focus

- Review production results and well surveillance; perform PTA (pressure transient analysis) where applicable to quantify reservoir properties and performance.

- Advise customers on wellbore design specifications/requirements (e.g., mandrel spacing, valve sizing, metallurgy, temperature/pressure envelopes) to align with Oura operating constraints.

- Contribute to gas‑lift diagnostics and optimization with a systems mindset; translate findings into actionable operating windows and design updates.

- Present technical findings to customers—clearly connecting design intent, operating envelopes, and production outcomes.

Project Management & Customer‑Facing

- Plan milestones, risks, and resources; coordinate cross‑functionally (R&D, Manufacturing, Field Services, QA/QC, Supply Chain).

- Support tenders/proposals and lead customer presentations, design reviews, and post‑job debriefs.

- Support cross‑functional efforts within the Core and PureLight product lines for sales enablement, tool designs and project‑management duties.

- Follow up with customers (PM tasks) to communicate project status and success criteria; capture lessons learned and provide ongoing support.

- Support field installations and visit wellsites to observe and assist—building familiarity with installation practices and constraints.

- Travel occasionally for customer meetings, conferences, pilots, and installation support (typically short trips).

- External engagement: participate in industry conferences/technical forums; deliver presentations, posters, and short courses/training to customers and partners.

- Track and log projects/design changes within Precise’s in‑house resource planning tool; maintain accurate records for configuration control and reporting.

What You Bring

Education & Licensure

- B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent) — required.

- M.Sc. (Mechanical) preferred; Ph.D. - desired

- P.Eng. (APEGA) or E.I.T. working toward licensure — required.

Eligibility & Travel

- Legally eligible to work full‑time in Canada.

- Valid passport and ability to travel domestically and internationally without restrictions.

Experience

- 4–10+ years in mechanical design and productization of engineered hardware (oil & gas strongly preferred).

- Familiarity with gas lift operations and conventional/unconventional production environments.

- Management experience an asset but not required.

Technical Strengths

- CAD (SolidWorks or similar), detailed drawings/ GD&T, tolerance analysis, and PDM practices.

- Materials for downhole service (stainless/duplex/nickel alloys), wear/corrosion, coatings, sour service and sealing technologies.

- Test/validation development for HP/HT; vibration, shock, and pressure cycling.

- Standards: familiarity with relevant API/ISO/ANSI standards for oilfield equipment (e.g., gas‑lift, wellhead/valving, materials, and pressure‑containing components) and how they inform design, test, and documentation.

- Electrical literacy: can interpret schematics, specify connectors/harnesses, and design with sensors/actuators in mind; awareness of CSA/UL/IECEx/ATEX contexts.

- Coding & tooling: proficiency in Python and/or Matlab for analysis/test automation; experience with C/C++ for embedded/firmware and C#/.NET for tooling is an asset; understanding of PLC environments (ladder/structured text) beneficial.

- Tech stack (Oura):

- Downhole firmware: C or C++.

- Surface applications/services: Python with Docker as the base for packaging/deployment.

- Socket server & web UI: HTML, JavaScript, and PHP built on a Docker base.

- Docker: containerization to make code run consistently on any hardware.

- Industrial networking/SCADA connectivity: IP/VLAN/VPN fundamentals, cellular gateways, and protocols such as Modbus‑TCP/MQTT/OPC‑UA; basic PLC/embedded configuration and troubleshooting.

- Data analysis for production trends; exposure to nodal analysis or gas‑lift modeling tools (e.g., Prosper/GAP) is a plus.

Ways of Working

- Self‑driven, proactive, and ownership‑oriented; comfortable prioritizing and moving work forward with minimal oversight.

- Thrives in a high‑pace, hands‑on environment; equally effective independently and in a multidisciplinary team.

- Management skills: capable of coordinating small teams (squads) and operating within large, matrixed programs; can lead workstreams without formal authority, facilitate stand‑ups/design reviews, and align stakeholders.

- Soft skills & communication: excellent presentation skills (customer demos, technical talks) and crisp technical writing (test plans, RCAs, design reports); active listener; able to simplify complex topics for both technical and non‑technical audiences; skilled at facilitation, stakeholder management, and constructive conflict resolution.

- Takes direction & accountability: clarifies scope and priorities, provides crisp status updates, owns outcomes and deadlines, and escalates risks early with options.

- Mentorship: coach and support team members to advance product support, installation practices, and engineering skills.

- Organized and accountable: balances urgency with quality, follows procedures, and closes actions.

Nice to Have

- DFMEA/PFMEA and stage‑gate/NPI exposure; FRACAS ownership experience.

- Manufacturing/process familiarity (CNC, additive, heat‑treat, surface finishing) and supplier development.

- SCADA/edge data experience; scripting for test stands and lab automation.

- Experience supporting field deployments and on‑site investigations.

Quality, Safety & Compliance

- Follow and adhere to QHSE and QMS management systems; comply with company standards and policies.

- Work within ISO 9001:2015 directives—ensuring traceability, revision control, and audit‑ready documentation.

- Support continuous improvement through nonconformance management, CAPA effectiveness checks, and lessons learned.

Why Join Precise

- Impactful work on real‑world production challenges with rapid iteration from lab to field.

- Tight‑knit team, direct access to decision‑makers, and room to grow your scope.

- Competitive compensation, benefits package and opportunities for advancement as we scale.

How to Apply

Submit your résumé/CV (and a brief note on a product you’ve shepherded from idea to field use) via this posting. If you’re detail‑driven, customer‑oriented, and excited to build the next generation of gas‑lift technology, we’d love to meet you.

Precise Downhole Solutions is an equal opportunity employer. We thank all applicants for their interest; only those selected for an interview will be contacted.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: $60,000.00-$100,000.00 per year

Benefits:

- Casual dress

- Dental care

- Extended health care

- On-site gym

- On-site parking

- RRSP match

Work Location: In person