Oil and Gas Jobs in Angola: Who Hires, Key Roles and How to Apply

Updated October 2026

Oil and gas jobs in Angola are concentrated in a small group of offshore operators (TotalEnergies, Azule Energy, Chevron and ExxonMobil), the national oil company Sonangol, the regulator ANPG and the international service contractors that support them. Most roles are filled through company career portals and contractors rather than public job boards, and local content rules mean Angolan nationals get priority while foreigners are hired mainly for specialist roles that cannot yet be filled locally.

How the sector is organized

Angola is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest oil producers, with output of roughly one million barrels per day; consultants quoted by Lusa in early 2026 forecast around 1.14 million barrels per day for the year. Angola left OPEC at the start of 2024. Almost all production comes from offshore blocks, many in deep water, run by international operators under contracts with the state.

• ANPG (Agência Nacional de Petróleo, Gás e Biocombustíveis) is the concessionaire and regulator. It awards blocks and oversees operators, including on local content.
• Sonangol is the national oil company, with stakes in many blocks and activities in refining, distribution, logistics and services.
• Operators run the fields and employ engineers, geoscientists and support staff in Luanda and offshore.
• Service companies and contractors provide drilling, subsea equipment, floating production vessels (FPSOs), fabrication, logistics, catering and staffing. They employ far more people than the operators.

Who hires: the main employers

Other operators and partners, such as Equinor and Sonangol’s partners in individual blocks, also hold stakes. On the service side, look at the large international drilling, subsea, FPSO and oilfield-services companies, and at Angolan contractors registered as local suppliers. Many expat roles in Angola are contract positions with these firms rather than staff jobs with an operator.

Roles in demand

Technical and engineering

• reservoir, petroleum, drilling and completions engineers;
• subsea, pipeline and FPSO process engineers;
• geologists and geophysicists;
• maintenance, instrumentation, electrical and mechanical technicians;
• offshore installation managers, control room operators and marine crew.

Support and corporate

• health, safety and environment (HSE) advisers;
• supply chain, procurement, contracts and logistics (base, aviation and marine);
• finance, tax, joint-venture accounting and audit;
• HR, training and local content coordinators;
• IT, data and digital roles;
• legal and government relations, where fluent Portuguese is essential.

Offshore staff usually work rotations, with equal periods on and off, though the exact pattern depends on the employer and the contract. Ask about rotation, travel days and how the time off is paid before you accept.

Local content and Angolanization: what it means for applicants

Angola’s local content regime for the petroleum sector, approved by Presidential Decree 271/20 of 20 October, requires oil companies to give preference to Angolan companies, goods and workers. Companies must recruit, train and develop national staff, and foreign technical assistance contracts must include detailed training and knowledge-transfer programs, with the aim of gradually replacing expatriate specialists with Angolans.

• For Angolans: this is a real advantage. Operators run graduate programs and internships, such as the professional and community internship program run by ANPG and Azule Energy with block partners. Watch the ANPG and company sites for openings.
• For foreigners: expect to be hired for senior, scarce or highly specialized skills, often with a mandate to train an Angolan counterpart. Being able to show you have mentored local staff strengthens an application.
• For EU nationals early in their career: TotalEnergies regularly advertises VIE (Volontariat International en Entreprise) positions in Luanda. The French VIE scheme is generally open to EU/EEA nationals aged 18 to 28; check current eligibility with Business France.

Warning: Fake “Sonangol recruitment” and “oil company hiring” posts circulate regularly on social media and WhatsApp. Real employers do not charge application, training or visa fees. If a post does not appear on the company’s official website or on ANPG or Sonangol’s official channels, treat it as a scam.

How to apply, step by step

1. Pick your target employers. List the operators, Sonangol and five to ten contractors that hire your skill set in Angola.
2. Create profiles on their career portals and set job alerts for Angola or Luanda. Many operators recruit only through their portals.
3. Tailor your CV for oil and gas screening. Put certifications, equipment, field names, water depths and safety record near the top. Our free CV builder (in Portuguese) produces a clean, ATS-readable layout.
4. Get your safety certificates in order. Offshore roles usually require recognized basic offshore safety and emergency training, helicopter underwater escape training and an offshore medical. Ask the employer exactly which certificates they accept.
5. Show Portuguese. Even basic Portuguese helps on a field team; for corporate and government-facing roles, it is often required.
6. Use your network. Rotational crews and contractor managers often refer people they have worked with. Professional associations and industry events in Luanda are useful.
7. Plan the paperwork. Foreign hires need a work visa sponsored by the employer. Read our Angola work visa guide before you resign from your current job.

Local job boards

Angolan service companies, suppliers and onshore employers also post on local job sites. Browse our job listings in Angola (in Portuguese) and filter for oil and gas, logistics and engineering.

Pay, packages and taxes

We do not publish salary figures here because pay in the sector varies hugely by employer, role, nationality and contract type, and reliable public data for Angola is scarce. When comparing offers, look beyond base pay:

• Is the contract local (in kwanzas), international, or split between the two?
• Who pays housing, transport, security, schooling and health insurance?
• How are rotation flights and travel days handled?
• Is pay subject to Angolan IRT and INSS, and is there tax equalization?

For locally paid salaries, you can estimate net pay after IRT and INSS with a salary calculator. For the bigger picture on expat life, see working in Angola as an expat.

Frequently asked questions

How do I get a job at Sonangol?

Sonangol accepts spontaneous applications through its official website and announces formal recruitment through its own channels. Ignore social media posts that announce “phases” or ask for fees without an official notice.

Can foreigners get oil and gas jobs in Angola?

Yes, mainly for specialist and senior roles. Local content rules require companies to prioritize Angolans and to train national staff, so foreign hires are usually expected to transfer skills.

Do I need to speak Portuguese?

English is widely used by international operators and offshore, but Portuguese is a strong advantage and often essential for corporate, legal and government-facing roles.

Are there internships for Angolan students?

Yes. ANPG and operators such as Azule Energy run professional internship programs for university students and recent graduates. Check the ANPG news page and company career sites for the next intake.

Sources: ANPG; Sonangol, spontaneous applications; Azule Energy careers; TotalEnergies jobs, Angola; Chevron Angola; ExxonMobil Angola; Presidential Decree 271/20 (local content); Plataforma/Lusa, 2026 production forecast; Business France, VIE.

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