Don’t come for an easy career. Stay for a rewarding one.
Santos is a global energy company committed to increasingly cleaner energy and fuels production, with operations across Australia, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and North America.
We are currently PNG’s largest single investor and most active explorer, operating all the country’s producing oil fields and holding an extensive appraisal and exploration portfolio. Our aspirations and strategies reflect our genuine commitment to making a meaningful contribution to the lives of Papua New Guineans.
At Santos, our commitment is to be a global leader in the transition to cleaner energy and clean fuels, by helping the world decarbonise to reach net-zero emissions in an affordable and sustainable way.
Santos is one of Australia’s biggest domestic gas supplier, a leading Asia Pacific LNG supplier and is committed to supplying the critical fuels such as oil and gas in a more sustainable way through decarbonising projects such as the Moomba CCS project.
For more than 65 years, Santos has been working in partnership with local communities, providing local jobs and business opportunities, safely and sustainably developing its natural gas resources, and powering industries and households.
What you’ll do:
Based in the field, the Senior Operator is responsible for leading the safe, reliable and efficient operation of onshore oil and gas production facilities. This role requires advanced technical knowledge and operational experience, enabling the Senior Operator to supervise plant activities, make operational decisions and support junior staff in achieving production and safety objectives.
The position is pivotal in maintaining asset integrity and optimising production performance. The Senior Operator also demonstrates leadership behaviours, serving as a role model for safe practices, operational excellence and continuous improvement.
Key accountabilities include:
- Operating production and utility systems safely, reliably and efficiently, ensuring compliance with procedures, permits and isolation standards
- Undertaking Control Room Operator or Permit Authority responsibilities, including operational decision-making and coordination during normal and abnormal situations
- Supervising and mentoring Operators, providing guidance, training and competency support to build workforce capability
- Conducting inspections, monitoring process parameters and initiating corrective actions to maintain plant performance and safety standards
- Identifying, reporting and following up on operational risks, equipment defects and process deviations in a timely manner
- Maintaining accurate operational records, reports and documentation to support compliance and continuous improvement initiatives
- Participating in emergency response, incident investigations and operational audits to enhance safety and reliability outcomes
- Leading or contributing to continuous improvement initiatives, identifying opportunities to optimise processes, reduce downtime and improve asset efficiency
- Demonstrating leadership behaviours, fostering teamwork, accountability and a high-performance culture among operational staff
- Achieving and maintaining 100% Competency Assurance sign-off and meeting performance and behavioural expectations for the Senior Operator role
What you’ll bring:
You will be experienced in:
- A minimum of ten years' experience in process plant operations
- A minimum of two years' experience in process plant control room operations
- Strong interpersonal and communication skills, including effective engagement, negotiation and influencing
- Sound knowledge of the chemistry and physics governing process operations
- Strong analytical, numeracy and problem-solving skills
- Ideally, you will also bring experience as a Supervisor within a Major Accident Hazard facility. You will hold a trade or diploma qualification in an engineering discipline.
What you’ll get:
Here, you’ll be amongst high-calibre people and get to work on industry-leading projects. We don’t shy away from solving tough problems at pace. We like it that way. You can expect to be challenged and supported; to learn and grow.
At Santos, we’re committed to creating a workplace where everyone can thrive. This means a place that is safe; where you are valued and respected, and your contribution is recognised and appreciated. Join us, and you’ll play a role in this too.
Each of our sites offer access to specific amenities that aim to create the best possible benefits to your health, wellbeing and performance.
What you’re part of:
Everywhere you turn you will be a part of a team who are coming together to contribute to our single uniting purpose - to provide reliable and affordable energy to help create a better world for everyone And because it’s not only what you do, but how you do it, you will also contribute to improving the living standards of the communities where we operate, building enduring and respectful relationships that serve a generation. It’s about each of us, and all of us – together.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted via the online recruitment system before COB Friday 23 October 2026.
A requirement of this role is that you will need to have in place the legal work rights for PNG to apply.
Potential Scams
There are a number of fake adverts that are impersonating Santos Limited, in these instances you will receive an e-mail from a generic e-mail address. We do not make offers without interviews or due diligence taking place. You will know if an advert is genuine if you are directed to the Santos company careers page to apply which is https://recruitment.santos.com/
