Area Manager Technical Services - Mineral Sands M/W

Grande Côte Operations (GCO), a subsidiary of the Eramet Group in Senegal, is involved in the valorisation, production and shipment of mineralised sands, more specifically Ilmenite, Zircon, Rutile and Leucoxene.

Our ambition is to ensure the sustainability of the mining activity of mineralized sands in Senegal by relying on committed, competent and motivated employees who constitute for us the wealth of our organization.

Purpose of the position:

GCO operates a very successful large-scale mineral sands mine in Senegal on a 100 x 5 km concession. A single dredge mines 50 Mtpa of sand with a Dry Mining Unit adding 10 Mtpa. Both are feeding a large floating wet concentration plant. Grade is low and decreases rapidly at depth.

The mine profitability depends largely on the ability of the Area Manager Technical Services and his team to obtain reliable geological and hydrogeological information in order to optimize in the short, medium and long term the dredge path, dry mining pits and water usage while complying with environmental and regulatory constraints as well as community management.

Responsibilities :

In this context you are in charge to:

• Implement best technical practices, audit rituals and routine comparison against actual results.
• Identify production reconciliations against the short and medium term mine plans monthly and yearly.
• Validate the long term mine plans assumptions, methods and results used in mine planning process.
• Define short and long term production objectives with realistic operational excellence indicators.
• Integrate cost optimization into all mining projects and plans. Look for better solutions in terms of selectivity, distances, mining methods to challenge costs and set clear objectives
• Ensure that there is a well-defined exploration program and that QA/QC and adherence to schedule and budget is monitored regularly. New resources are well documented and reports are technically compliant.
• Ensure full validation of resource estimates and annual reports in accordance with required standards.
• Manage water resources: implement best practices/standards to ensure that water use is well controlled and supports mining operations.
• Establish well-defined strategic plans to ensure sustainable water use and recycling optimization.
• Identify and monitor all risks that may affect mining operations and regulatory standards Implement mitigation plans and regular risk reviews
• Ensure that a strong safety culture is developed within your department to achieve the goal of zero accidents.
• Implement regular safety audits to monitor compliance. Employee and contractor training is regularly monitored and corrected for obvious non-compliance.
• Ensure that the technical services budget is well defined and validated to support mining operations. Regular cost reviews are conducted to ensure compliance and cost reduction initiatives implemented and tracked.
• Ensure proper data management systems (data governance, QA/QC, softwares…) are in place for all functions and clear roles and responsibilities defined to ensure data accuracy.

About you :

You graduated a Master’s degree in Geology or Mining (a MBA will be an added advantage).

You have 15 years of experience in mine planning or mining geology, including management position of a large team. Experience in mineral sands mining with dredging and dry mining is required.

You also have :

• Excellent understanding of pit optimisation
• Excellent knowledge of mineral resources and ore reserves standards (JORC or equivalent)
• Previous experience as a Competent Person or equivalent
• Understanding of IRMA standard or equivalent CSR (responsible mining)
• Effective collaboration skills with all stake holders
• Sound project management skills
• Excellent leadership skills to oversee technical staff
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to deal with multiple projects and priorities
• Languages: The comprehension and reading of French is an added advantage

With a presence on five continents and over 66 nationalities, Eramet is by nature a diverse group. Convinced that diversity is an asset, we are committed to welcoming all talents, regardless of gender, disability, age, social or cultural background. We guarantee support and development opportunities for all of them throughout their career.

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