Petroleum pump system operator
Also called petroleum refinery pump operator
Petroleum pump system operators tend pumps that keep the circulation of oil and derived products running smoothly. They monitor the flow within the pipes at a refinery and test the equipment to ensure minimum disruptions. Pump systems operators work from a highly automated control room, where they communicate with other workers to coordinate pump activities. Pump system operators undertake minor repairs and maintenance, and report as called for.
What you'd do
Petroleum and natural gas refining plant operators · ILO- Operating electronic or computerized control panel from a central control room to monitor and optimize physical and chemical processes for several processing units
- Adjusting equipment, valves, pumps, controls and process equipment
- Controlling process start-up and shut-down, troubleshooting and monitoring outside process equipment
- Verifying equipment for malfunctions, testing well pipes for leaks and fractures and arranging for maintenance
- Analysing sample products, performing tests, recording data and writing production logs
- Mostly outdoors
- A mix of sitting and standing
- Lots of contact with people
- Good freedom to decide
- Usually 40 hours a week
- Deadlines most weeks
- Some repetitive tasks
Will there be jobs?
Average prospectsA typical number of jobs will need filling by 2035.
Solid: measured. Dashed: forecast.
What does it pay?
About averagePay depends a lot on the country: from about €1,600 a month (Bulgaria) to €6,500 (Denmark), before tax.
Pick a country at the top of the page to see typical pay there, for people under 30, and compared with all jobs.
Among technicians and associate professionals in the EU, women earn 16% less per hour than men. Technicians and associate professionals · Eurostat
What do I need to study?
Usually post-secondary or a short degreePost-secondary training or a short degree in chemistry is the usual route.
697 institutions in the EU offer science and maths bachelor's degrees. Pick a country at the top of the page to see where to study and the official course finders.
Will AI change it?
Very littleAI could help with only small parts of the tasks.
Average task score 0.29 on a scale from 0 (AI can't do it) to 1 (AI could do it fully).
See the score for each of the 5 tasks
Based on what AI could technically do when assessed in 2025. It is not a forecast for a future year, and not a forecast of job losses. Scores for petroleum and natural gas refining plant operators. Source: ILO (2025), adapted (credits).