Senior Geotechnical Engineer

PURPOSE & OBJECTIVE

Reporting to the Chief Mine Engineer, the Senior Geotechnical Engineer acts as a key technical resource, providing guidance and support for all geotechnical aspects (geotechnical risk management, slope stability and ground control) and holds accountability for hydrogeology – including groundwater modelling, the Surface Water Management Plan, and in-pit and ex-pit dewatering – to ensure safe operating conditions for personnel and equipment in all active pits.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

General

• Develop geotechnical design criteria to support safe and optimal mine operations.
• Plan and manage the installation of the mine-wide geotechnical monitoring systems.
• Support Mine Operation and Engineering by providing geotechnical guidance during working near, on, below slopes. This also include to provide geotechnical services to mine infrastructures and facilities.
• Coordinate with the Drill & Blast Engineer and Mine Operations to ensure maximum utilization of production drilling equipment as it relates to Geotechnical Wall Control blasting.
• Perform geotechnical risk assessment and hazard identification and establish a proactive approach to geotechnical risk management.
• Use 2D/3D modelling software to perform geological/structural/geotechnical data analysis and simulations on slope stability concerns.
• Assist with continuous improvements in drilling and blast designs while ensuring they comply with mining regulations and site standards related to Geotechnical Wall Control blasting.
• Relay information with regard to ground control and other geotechnically related issues for operating personnel.
• Ensure a sound geotechnical model covering mine geology, geological structures, rock mass quality, and hydrogeology is built and updated through the collection, analysis, and interpretation of geotechnical data.
• Responsible for the presentation of data for the weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly reports.
• Establish the weekly and monthly geotechnical programs in the Mine Planning section.
• Responsible for the security, deployment, optimisation, and maintenance of the site Slope Stability Radar (SSR) equipment.
• Manage slope stability radar information and alarm settings according to geotechnical zones.
• Manage the communication protocol as described on the TARP.
• Develop and manage Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Ground Control Management Plans (GCMPs), and Trigger Action Response Plans (TARPs).
• Hold full site accountability for hydrology and hydrogeology, and propose and manage the geotechnical, hydrogeological and hydrological drilling programs.
• Build, calibrate and maintain the site groundwater model, and use it to forecast pit inflows, pore pressures and slope depressurisation requirements for pit slope design.
• Develop, implement and maintain the site Surface Water Management Plan, covering storm water diversion, sediment and erosion control, pit inflow management and wet season preparedness.
• Develop both in-pit and ex-pit mine dewatering plans, and manage the pit pumping/dewatering personnel and the daily/routine water abstraction quantities.
• Exploit hydrological and piezometric data from dewatering boreholes and observation wells, maintain the site water balance, and report groundwater and surface water status to all stakeholders.
• Ensure all hydrological and hydrogeological work complies with permit conditions and statutory water management requirements, and provide the water-related inputs to mine planning, design and closure studies.
• Identify the knowledge and skills needs of the Geotechnical unit and develop a staff training and development plan.
• Set an effective mentoring and coaching for Geotech and Hydro team.

Health and Safety:

• Demonstrate personal commitment in regard to safety and environmental and Social Responsibility practices.
• Implementation of agreed procedures, safeguards, and controls.
• Ensure all activities are conducted safely and in accordance with Company standards and procedures.
• Ensure hazard management plans are observed and reported.
• Active participation in Health & Safety.

Environment and Social Responsibility:

• Comply with Endeavour’s Environmental and Sustainability Policies.
• Conduct work in a socially responsible and ethical manner.
• Proactively protect the environment and safety of our employees and communities.
• Comply with all applicable environmental legislation in our jurisdiction to adopt responsible environmental practices.

SKILLS, KNOWLEDGE & EXPERIENCE

• Engineer’s Degree or master’s degree in mining or Geology.
• A minimum of eight to ten (8 to 10) years of working experience in mining open pits as a Geotechnical professional, including demonstrated responsibility for mine hydrology and hydrogeology.
• Practical experience with advanced geotechnical monitoring instruments and techniques (having solid knowledge and practice on the Ground Probe SSR-FX unit will be highly preferred).
• High level of computer knowledge and skills in MS Office Suite.
• A high level of computer literacy with specialised mining software package: Surpac; Rocscience Inc. products as Slide2, Slide3; RS2; RS3; Swedge, Dips, Global Mapper, Sirovision and the powered SSR-Viewer from GroundProbe Pty Ltd are recommended.
• Demonstrated capability in groundwater modelling and hydrogeological analysis – numerical modelling (e.g. MODFLOW / Groundwater Vistas, FEFLOW), pumping test interpretation, water balance development and preparation of Surface Water Management Plans for open pit operations.
• Must have strong communication skills in French; English is desirable.
• Experience working in a multicultural environment
• Ability to manage multiple projects and tasks at the same time.
• Demonstrated leadership skills.
• Hold a valid light vehicle driving license

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