Professional Jobs

These are the jobs done by university graduates to plan and oversee the running of the mine.

Jobs: The roles of the professional include Resident Manager or Registered Manager (depending on which state you are in), Underground Manager, Open cut Manager, Geo-tech Engineer, Planning Engineer, Production Engineer, Senior Geologist, Production Geologist, Planning Geologist, Senior Geologist, Production Geologist, Planning Geologist, Senior Surveyor and Shift Surveyor.

Salary: $70,000 – $500,000

Rosters: Either 8 days on 6 days off fly in fly out. Live in jobs would be typically 5 days on 2 days off.

Companies involved: Rio Tinto, HWE, Barminco, Australian Contract Mining, Newmont Asia Pacific, Newcrest Mining Limited, Barrick Gold, Lightning Nickel, Mincor Resources NL, BHP Billiton Nickel West, Byrnecut Mining, GBF Mining & Industrial Services P/L, Boart Longyear, MacMahon Mining, BHP Billiton Olympic Dam Corporation Pty Ltd, Anglo Gold Ashanti, Gold Fields, Sino Gold, Consolidated Zinc & Xstrata.

Resident Manager

The Resident Manager is responsible for the running of the mine & everything on the lease. They get their instructions directly from the owner of the mine and in most states this is an appointment that has to be registered with the relevant state government agencies.

Open Cut Manager

The Open Cut Manager is in charge of the day to day running of the open cut mine and reports directly to the Resident Manager.

Underground Manager

The Underground Manager is responsible for the day to day running of the underground mine and reports directly to the Resident Manager. The Underground Manager has a ‘back to back’ known as the Alternate Underground Manager. All departments in an underground mine report directly to these Managers. All senior managers and positions have a ‘back to back.’

Geo-tech Engineer

The Geo-tech Engineer is responsible for the ground support used and the level required to be installed in certain different ground conditions in an underground mine. At most mines the Geo-tech Engineer will run the scaling program and monitor the ground movement system.

Planning Engineer

The Planning Engineer is as the title says responsible for the planning of the mine. These Engineers normally have a weekly plan, 12 weekly plan, 12 month plan and a plan to the end of the mine that they will be working on. In large mine sites this job may be performed by a group of engineers.

Production Engineer

The Production Engineer is responsible for the designing and firing of the underground stopes or the open cut pits. Depending on the size of the mine this job is usually carried out by a group of engineers.

Senior Geologist

The Head Geologist is in charge of the geology department and reports directly to the Underground Manager.

Production Geologist

The Production Geologist has the responsibility of making sure the ore is mapped and a direction is given so the drives can be kept on line. In a large mine this job can be or is usually carried out by a group of Geologist.

Planning Geologist

The Planning Geologist is responsible for running the diamond drill programs and maps the ore bodies to give to the Production Engineer the information to design the levels and the stopes

Senior Surveyor

The Head Surveyor is responsible for the survey department and reports directly to the Underground Manager.

Shift Surveyor

The Shift Surveyor is responsible for taking the measurements of the mine and the marking up of any drill patterns for the long hole production drill. Making sure we have a sound map of the mine and where it’s going is an important aspect to the overall safety of the mine.