Director Underground Mining Innovation

Posted: 31 Jan 2012
Apply deadline: 30 Apr 2012
Location: CO-Denver,USA

Job Description:

Description

 Founded in 1921 and publicly traded since 1925, Newmont (www.newmont.com) is one of the largest gold companies in the world.  Headquartered in Denver, Colorado, the company has approximately 34,000 employees and contractors, with the majority working at Newmont's core operations in the United States, Australia, Peru, Indonesia and Ghana.  Newmont is the only gold company listed in the S&P 500 index and in 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 high standards in environmental management, health and safety for its employees and creating value and opportunity for host communities and shareholders. Purpose:

• The Director, Underground Innovation works in a quasi matrix structure directly reporting to the Senior Director, Mining Innovation and with dotted line responsibility to the Group Executive, Innovation.
• The Director, Underground Innovation is the functional lead to advance and support Innovation throughout the Company.
• The Director, Underground Innovation will be part of a multi-functional team that will include Geology, Metallurgy and other core functions that have the responsibility to promote and advance Innovation.
• The Director, Underground Innovation draws on broad industry experience to identify Innovation opportunities, from field applications to advanced planning and analysis techniques. 
• The Director, Underground Innovation will provide senior level review and guidance to the corporation and its regional offices regarding potential Innovation projects and the long term direction of Innovation at Newmont.

Essential Duties:

• The Director, Underground Innovation will work to understand the current status of technology and methods within (i) Newmont, (ii) the Gold Mining Industry and (iii) the Mining Industry and develop gap analyses base on the above work. The candidate will develop the vision to close these gaps and a strategy that includes business cases and tactical plans to implement the strategy.
• The Director, Underground Innovation will need to understand, trend and communicate the status of key issues facing the Company, including; Environmental & Social Responsibility, Power, Processing, Water Resource, Skills and Tax & Royalty regimes around the world.
• The position will be responsible for evaluating the status of Newmont’s Resource Pipeline and that of the gold/copper industry as it relates to Innovation in mining and the opportunities therein.
• Provide Mine Engineering support and input to the other Functional Leads for Innovation to ensure Innovation projects have considered cross functional impacts and benefits.
• Work closely with the Regions to define their particular needs for Innovation and engage the appropriate representatives and staff to support and deliver Innovation project evaluations and pilot programs.
• Develop relationships external to Newmont that include other corporations, academia and research groups to identify and leverage current trends and recent developments in mine equipment and systems technology.
• Develop relationships within Newmont to ensure that Innovation is being incorporated into ongoing projects and studies.
• Clearly define and communicate the Innovation strategy to all levels at Newmont, from Senior Management to Operating Staff.
• Participate in / review early stage project execution plans to ensure that Innovation is being considered in a manner appropriate for the project or study.
• Provide senior level QA/QC for Innovation projects within the Regions.
• Engage Study Directors at corporate offices and in regions and other appropriate stakeholders to define value drivers targeted at Innovation.  Use these analyses to develop Innovation business cases and pilot project plans.
• Engage with Study Directors to support and advance AFEs for funding of Innovation projects.
• Leverage the Innovation projects to develop Newmont’s current employees and help to attract new, high potential employees.

The above duties and responsibilities are representative of the nature and level of work assigned and are not necessarily all-inclusive. Working Conditions: The Director, Underground Innovation is based at the Palazzo Verde office in Greenwood Village, Colorado.  Performance of the work requires travel (30-50% of work time) to domestic and international operations. Travel can be at a moments notice to overseas or domestic locations, including Newmont and Non-Newmont locations and Greenfield areas.

 

Qualifications

 

The minimum requirements for the job are:

• Minimum of +15 years mining experience, preferably at large-scale, complex or unique operations possibly with multiple process operations.
• B.Sc. Mining Engineering and an advanced degree are preferred.  Other formal learning may be acceptable.
• Overseas work experience preferred
• Seasoned knowledge of mine equipment selection, application, and cost estimation.
• Seasoned knowledge of mine methods, mine design, production scheduling, and expert systems.
• Experience and proven implementation of innovative or novel solutions in mining operations.
• Proven ability to advance projects from concept through to application in a timely and cost effective manner.
• Ability to build and maintain strong communications network with peers, Project Managers, Mine Managers, Chief Engineers, and JV partner representatives.
• Ability to consolidate technical, business and research goals and direction into a focused, measurable and results oriented plan.
• Strong technical writing, group presentation, and interpersonal skills including cultural sensitivity.
• Bilingual skills, or English as a second language a plus.

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