Technical Product Manager – Robotics Solutions

The Technical Product Manager – Robotics Solutions is responsible for defining the product strategy, operational workflows, and technical requirements for Patterson-UTI's robotic drilling solutions.

This role combines product management with technical solution development, serving as the primary link between drilling operations, engineering, customers, and technology partners. The Technical Product Manager identifies operational challenges, develops automation concepts, evaluates available technologies, and translates business and operational objectives into actionable engineering requirements.

Working closely with Operations, Controls Engineering, Software Engineering, Technical Services, HSE, customers, equipment vendors, and robotics suppliers, this role develops automated drilling workflows, identifies equipment and process limitations, evaluates solution alternatives, and defines the requirements necessary to successfully integrate robotic systems into Patterson-UTI's drilling fleet.

This position is expected to understand drilling operations, drilling equipment, and industrial automation technologies sufficiently to identify design challenges, evaluate technical alternatives, and develop practical solutions before engineering implementation begins.

The successful candidate will demonstrate strong technical leadership, excellent project management skills, outstanding communication, and the ability to collaborate across multiple engineering disciplines while maintaining a clear focus on customer value and operational performance.

This position reports to the Director of Controls & Automation.

Detailed Description

Product Strategy & Roadmap

• Develop and maintain the product roadmap for Patterson-UTI's robotic drilling solutions.
• Identify opportunities to improve safety, operational efficiency, drilling performance, and automation capability.
• Develop business cases supporting new automation products and features.
• Prioritize product features and releases based on customer needs, operational value, business objectives, and engineering capacity.
• Evaluate industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitive automation solutions to support long-term product strategy.

Operational Workflow Development

• Develop automated workflows supporting drilling connections, tripping operations, pipe handling, tubular handling, and other repetitive drilling activities.  
• Define how operators, robotic systems, drilling equipment, and control systems interact throughout each workflow.
• Develop operational playbooks, process maps, workflow diagrams, and use cases that clearly define expected system behavior.
• Define operational acceptance criteria and product success metrics.
• Validate workflows with drilling personnel, customers, technical services, and subject matter experts.

Solution Development & Equipment Gap Analysis

• Evaluate existing drilling equipment and operational processes to determine suitability for automation.
• Identify mechanical, electrical, controls, instrumentation, communications, software, operational, and safety limitations that prevent automated operation.
• Develop conceptual solutions to eliminate identified gaps.
• Recommend equipment modifications, instrumentation upgrades, sensing technologies, tooling, or process improvements required to support robotic automation.
• Develop high-level solution concepts prior to engineering implementation.
• Support development of retrofit strategies for existing drilling equipment.

Technology Evaluation & Vendor Management

• Identify and evaluate commercially available robotics, automation, sensing, vision, tooling, and industrial control technologies.
• Work with robotics suppliers, OEMs, system integrators, and technology vendors to evaluate solution alternatives.
• Develop high-level technical requirements for