Digital Solutions Engineer MDT
Patterson-UTI · Houston
The Digital Solutions Engineer will be pivotal in bridging software implementation into field operations. This role will require a 75% Field to 25% Office blend
Role Purpose
The Technical Product Lead serves as the primary product and domain interface between Software Development and the Product Service Lines (PSLs).
The role is responsible for converting operational needs into clear, validated, and prioritized software requirements and maintaining product continuity through development, testing, field validation, implementation, and performance measurement.
The position is not primarily a programming role. Its value comes from combining operational understanding, structured analysis, product ownership, and software translation.
Core Responsibilities
Operational Need & SME Engagement
- Clarify the operational problem and desired business outcome.
- Identify and coordinate the appropriate operations, maintenance, engineering, and field SMEs.
- Document current and future workflows, constraints, dependencies, and edge cases.
- Distinguish scalable product requirements from individual or localized preferences.
- Reconcile conflicting stakeholder input and maintain clear decision ownership.
Product & Software Translation
- Translate operational workflows into functional requirements, user stories, business rules, process diagrams, algorithm requirements, and acceptance criteria.
- Provide clear functional direction to software and controls teams.
- Maintain traceability between the original business problem and developed functionality.
- Support backlog refinement, scope clarification, prioritization, and release planning.
- Ensure requirements are operationally valid, technically understandable, and testable.
Development Interface
- Serve as the primary source of product clarification for assigned software-development work.
- Participate in planning, design reviews, demonstrations, testing, and release-readiness activities.
- Coordinate access to SMEs when additional technical or operational input is required.
- Reduce the need for software engineers to independently interpret operational requirements or resolve conflicting stakeholder direction.
Validation & Implementation
- Define operational and functional acceptance criteria.
- Coordinate bench, integration, field, and user-acceptance testing.
- Ensure testing reflects representative operating conditions and edge cases.
- Support field implementation, training, readiness, and adoption.
- Maintain continuity from development through operational use.
Product Performance
- Define and track product-level KPIs.
- Monitor utilization, reliability, operational performance, and adoption.
- Collect field feedback and translate it into future product priorities.
- Support documentation of operational and financial value.
Role Boundaries
The Technical Product Lead does not replace Software Engineering, Controls Engineering, PSL leadership, or specialized SMEs.
PSLs provide operational priorities, domain expertise, field workflows, and business outcomes.
The Technical Product Lead converts that input into structured product direction and manages it through the software-development process.
Software Development owns architecture, technical design, programming, integration, technical quality, reliability, and deployment.
Ideal Profile
The strongest candidate would have:
- Completions, field, engineering, maintenance, or related domain experience
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capability
- Ability to translate operational workflows into technical requirements
- Experience working with software, controls, or digital-product teams
- Strong stakeholder and SME facilitation skills
- Understanding of Agile and software-development processes
- Ability to manage priorities, actions, testing, and implementation activities
- Strong written and technical communication skills
Programming experience may be beneficial but is not required.
Measures of Success
Success would be measured through:
- Quality and completeness of requirements
- Reduction in requirement-driven rework
- Timeliness of product decisions
- Effective SME engagement
- Improved development-team clarity
- Field-test and release readiness
- Product adoption and utilization
- Achievement of defined operational KPIs
- Consistent documentation and knowledge retention
Minimum Requirements
3-5 Years of Hydraulic Fracturing Engineering Experience
4 Year STEM / Engineering Bachelor's Degree
Summary
The Technical Product Lead provides the structured bridge between operational need and software execution.
The role ensures the correct SMEs are engaged, operational workflows are accurately understood, requirements are translated into development-ready direction, and assigned products remain connected to their intended business outcome from initial concept through field implementation.
Patterson-UTI is committed to a workplace free from discrimination and harassment, offering equal employment opportunities to all individuals regardless of personal characteristics protected by law. Employees are encouraged to report any concerns through multiple channels.