Senior Geotechnical Engineer - Newmont Mining Corporation

Newmont Mining Corporation is a leading global gold producer with key assets in Nevada, Peru, Australia, Ghana and Suriname.

Newmont’s Africa Operations holds two gold mining operations in Ghana: the Ahafo Mine located in the Brong-Ahafo region and the Akyem Mine located in the Eastern region. There is also near mine exploration and development focus in Ghana to annually replace gold reserves. Newmont Africa also has early-stage exploration programs in the African countries of Ethiopia and Morocco.

Our Africa operations employ approximately 5,900 employees and contractors, with the majority working at the Ahafo Mine. We offer an unparalleled blend of opportunity and career satisfaction with all the benefits you would expect from a global company. This, combined with our growth opportunities, makes Newmont a great company to work.

Our Akyem and Ahafo mines have made significant sustainable community development investments in our host communities. These include establishing Development Funds at our Akyem and Ahafo operational areas with each mine contributing US$1 per ounce of gold sold and 1% of net pre-tax annual profit into its community development fund.

The only gold company listed in the S&P 500 index, Newmont 2007 became the first gold company selected to be part of the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index. Newmont’s industry-leading performance is reflected through our Africa operations’ high standards in environmental management, health and safety for our workforce and creating value and opportunity for our employees, host communities and Newmont’s shareholders.

Dimensions

About This Role

The Senior Geotechnical Engineer is responsible for all geotechnical and backfill functions, systems and processes at Akyem UG. This includes making critical decisions regarding safety and production aspects.

IN THIS ROLE, YOU WILL

Geotechnical Operational Management and Execution

• Responsible for updating, establishing and maintaining systems and processes to ensure compliance with the Newmont Akyem Underground Ground Control Management Plan (GCMP), Ground Control Standards, and the Fatality Risk management processes.
• Has to establish, implement, document and maintain the GCMP, standards, systems and processes to ensure ongoing updates to an integrated mine geotechnical model, containing interpretations of the geotechnical, hydrogeological, rockmass properties and behaviour data.
• Establish, implement, document and maintain standards, systems and procedures for data collection, data management, data analysis, excavation design and mine design validation.
• Ensure that data collection, data management, data analysis, excavation design and design analysis occur according to the defined standards, systems and procedures.
• Ensure that processes exist and are maintained for geotechnical review and acceptance of all mining designs.
• Ensure compliance to design by monitoring actual excavations against the designs and collaborating with relevant stakeholders further to improve future designs, planning and execution activities.
• Ensure adequate geotechnical consideration is captured in all aspects of mine design, planning and scheduling, including short, medium and long-range mine planning and Stage gate studies.
• Ensure developing geotechnical hazards and risks associated with mining to increasing depths are continually re-assessed and proactively managed, including seismic hazard and squeezing ground conditions.
• Develop and implement a geotechnical risk education programme for all underground personnel.
• Ensure management are kept informed about geotechnical concerns and information is distributed on time.
• Ensure all significant ground related incidents are inspected and reported appropriately.

Backfill Operational Management and Execution

• Assist in the development of an Akyem underground backfill management plan (BMP) and establish and maintain systems and processes to ensure compliance to the BMP as well as the Newmont Backfill standard and Fatality risk management processes.
• Establish, implement, document, maintain and update backfill standards, systems and processes pertaining to:
  • Optimization of the rockfill delivery system.
  • Establish, implement, document and maintain the backfill quality control system.
• Collaborate with Mining operations to ensure backfill activities are carried out safely in accordance with plan and budget.
• Ensure that effective processes exist for backfill to enable auditing and review of the mine design plan.
• Ensure backfill considerations are captured in all aspects of mine design, planning and scheduling.
• Establishing, implementing, documenting and maintaining backfill systems that monitor progress against the business plan and quarterly forecast.
• Identify and apply best practices, and continuous improvement to improve safety, increase efficiency, and improve compliance to plan and reduce cost.
• Ensure management is kept informed about backfill issues, and this information is distributed on time.

Functional Planning and Scheduling

• Develop functional work plans, operating budgets, data acquisition and analysis campaigns for all short- and long-term deliverables.
• Achieve annual business plans and quarterly forecasts related to geotechnical and backfill through ongoing monitoring and improvement.

Additional Responsibilities

Reporting

• Ensure all required and statutory periodic monthly, bi-annual and annual reporting is completed and distributed on time.
• Generate operating and capital budgets for annual business planning.
• Generate capital requests such as Applications for Expenditure (AFE’s) and justification documentation.

Safety and Environment

• Act responsibly for many aspects that relate directly to safe production activities and make final decisions on the following in conjunction with the Technical Services and Productions Managers:
• Mine extraction sequencing, which determines the buildup of stresses and rock behaviour such as seismicity.
• Ground support selection to ensure safe working conditions for underground workers.
• The appropriate response to ground behaviour such as rockfalls and seismicity.
• Following the approved filling strategy.

Personnel

• Assign and build an underground geotechnical team as the mine moves into the operational phase.
• Successfully work with many functions to align and coordinate the geotechnical section.
• Work with the open pit geotechnical team to address interaction aspects between the open pit and underground operations.
• Train the open pit geotechnical team to transition them to the underground operation.

Your Training, Skills And Experience Checklist

Formal Qualification (including Professional Registrations):

• Bachelors’ degree in Civil, Mining or Geological Engineering or a similar relevant degree.

Additional Knowledge

• A working knowledge of relevant Mine design software, preferably Dips, Unwedge, Phase2, Map3D and Deswik.

Experience

• At least five years of direct experience in Underground Geotechnical Engineering.
• Preferred experience in supervising a team or projects.

Skills And Abilities

• Extensive geotechnical engineering experience in underground mines, preferably in deeper mines with stress difficulties.
• Competent in underground excavation design, risk management, and in the use of relevant geotechnical software.
• Exposure to project management in a cross-functional setting.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Communication (written and verbal) and interpersonal skills.
• Computer literacy skills – Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook).
• Planning, organizing and prioritizing skills.

WORKING CONDITIONS

You will be exposed to a combination of office and underground mining conditions. Other working conditions for this role, include:

• Potential for extreme dust particles and high heat/humidity.
• Noise exposure within the requirements for earplugs or/and ear muffs.
• The dark environment requires personal attachment of lit headgear.
• Potential for seismic activity underground.
• Underground conditions include steep decline with sections of uneven terrain.
• Unventilated areas with asphyxiating gaseous environments.
• Working with corrosive chemicals.

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