About the role
Everything the mine plans to do rests on the geological model, and everything it is allowed to do rests on the statutory documents that describe it. This role owns both.
You will lead exploration and resource definition on the lease, own grade control so despatched ore meets smelter feed specification, and be the company's technical authority on the ore body in dealings with the Indian Bureau of Mines and in the preparation of mining plans and schemes.
Key responsibilities
- Own the geological model of the lease and the resource and reserve estimate derived from it
- Plan and direct exploration — drilling programmes, core logging, sampling and assay quality assurance and control
- Lead grade control so ore despatched to the smelters holds the chrome-to-iron ratio the furnaces need
- Prepare the geological content of mining plans, schemes of mining and statutory returns to the Indian Bureau of Mines
- Direct the mine survey function, including statutory plans and sections and monthly volumetric measurement
- Reconcile geological prediction against production and beneficiation results and improve the model from the difference
- Maintain the geological database and modelling in Surpac, Datamine or equivalent software
- Advise on lease boundary, extension and prospecting matters, and support technical due diligence
- Lead and develop the geology and survey team, including its statutory certificate holders
Qualifications and experience
- M.Sc. or M.Tech in Geology or Applied Geology
- Mineral exploration and mine geology, including senior charge of a geology function at an operating mine
- Command of resource and reserve estimation and of the reporting conventions that go with it
- Thorough knowledge of the Mineral Conservation and Development Rules and IBM submission requirements
- Experience directing an exploration programme from design through to interpretation
Preferred, not essential
- Chromite or other stratiform deposit experience, particularly in the Sukinda Valley
- Geological modelling software — Surpac, Datamine, Micromine or Leapfrog
- Exposure to kriging, variography and geostatistical estimation
- Laboratory QA/QC programme design for assay data
Skills we look for
- Mine geology
- Resource and reserve estimation
- Exploration drilling
- Core logging
- Grade control
- Surpac
- Datamine
- Geological modelling
- MCDR compliance
- IBM returns
- Assay QA/QC
- Team leadership