A Growing Mining And Exploration Organization Is Seeking To Appoint A Practical, Execution-Focused Open Pit Mine Planner. This Field-Oriented Role Offers The Opportunity To Deliver Safe, Realistic, And Executable Mine Plans That Align With Equipment Capability, Workforce Skills, And Site Constraints, Ensuring Ore Continuity, Stripping Discipline, And Operational Stability.
Key Responsibilities:
- Prepare and maintain short-term (daily and weekly) dig plans, including bench geometry, cut lines, haul road layouts, dump locations, ore routing, and stockpile strategy.
- Develop medium-term (monthly and quarterly) stripping schedules and ore production plans aligned with budget and production targets.
- Contribute to Life-of-Mine (LOM) planning updates, including pit shell optimisation, pushback sequencing, phase designs, and waste dump strategies.
- Integrate drill-and-blast designs into executable short-term plans.
- Coordinate planning inputs with geology, survey, production, maintenance, and HSE departments.
- Track and report plan-versus-actual performance (tonnes mined, strip ratio, ore delivery, dilution, and losses).
- Incorporate water management, pit drainage, and dewatering requirements into mine plans.
- Lead and participate in weekly mine planning and production meetings.
- Produce clear, concise mine plans, maps, and schedules suitable for operational use.
Qualifications & Experience:
- Minimum of 5 years’ proven experience in open pit mine planning.
- Experience in owner-operated mining environments (contractor-only oversight experience is insufficient).
- Strong understanding of bench design, haul road geometry, dump construction, and stripping strategy.
- Exposure to gold and/or copper open pit operations.
- Experience working in African mining environments is advantageous.
Technical Skills:
- Proficiency in mine planning and geological software such as Datamine, Surpac, Leapfrog, Micromine, or equivalent.
- Experience with mine scheduling tools such as MineSched, Deswik, XPAC, or equivalent.
- Strong Excel-based analysis and reporting capability.
- Ability to generate operational-grade plans, sections, and layouts.
Personal Attributes:
- Field-oriented planner who validates plans against site conditions.
- Structured, disciplined, and methodical in approach.
- Strong communicator capable of engaging with operators, supervisors, and management.
- Proactive, safety-focused, and accountable.
- Comfortable working in remote locations with minimal supervision.
Education:
- Bachelor’s Degree in Mining Engineering or equivalent.