Lead Mine Planning

Location: Nigeria/Guinea, West Africa
Experience: 20+ Years
Industry: Bauxite Mining
Employment Type: Full-time

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Lead Mine Planning professional to lead mine planning activities for large-scale bauxite mining operations in Guinea. The ideal candidate should have 20+ years of overall mining experience, with extensive and mandatory hands-on experience in bauxite mine planning and operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead short-term, medium-term and long-term mine planning for large-scale bauxite mining operations.
• Develop and maintain Life of Mine (LOM) plans, annual mining plans and production schedules.
• Optimise mine sequencing, pit development, stripping ratios, haulage routes and material movement.
• Prepare detailed monthly, quarterly and annual mine production plans in line with geological reserves and production targets.
• Work closely with Geology, Mining Operations, Survey, Grade Control, Processing and Logistics teams.
• Develop optimal mine designs considering ore quality, geological conditions, equipment capabilities and production requirements.
• Monitor actual production against mine plans and identify deviations, bottlenecks and corrective actions.
• Optimise fleet requirements, equipment productivity, mining costs and resource utilisation.
• Support reserve estimation, pit optimisation and mine feasibility studies.
• Develop and maintain production schedules, mine layouts, pushback designs and sequencing plans.
• Conduct scenario analysis and evaluate alternative mining strategies to maximise resource recovery and profitability.
• Provide technical inputs for CAPEX and OPEX planning related to mining operations.
• Ensure mine plans comply with applicable HSE, environmental and regulatory requirements.
• Support implementation of advanced mine planning systems, digital tools and data-driven optimisation.
• Provide technical leadership and mentoring to mine planning engineers and local teams.
• Prepare regular mine planning reports and present operational performance and planning updates to senior management.

Educational Qualifications

• Bachelors Degree in Mining Engineering is mandatory.
• A degree in Mineral Engineering or a closely related mining discipline may be considered with extensive relevant experience.
• Master’s Degree in Mining Engineering, Mine Planning, Mineral Economics or an MBA will be an added advantage.
• Professional certifications in Mine Planning, Project Management or relevant mining software will be preferred.

Mandatory Requirements

• 20+ years of overall experience in the mining industry.
• Bauxite mining experience is mandatory.
• Extensive experience in mine planning for large-scale open-pit bauxite operations.
• Strong expertise in LOM planning, strategic mine planning, pit optimisation, production scheduling and mine design.
• Proven experience managing mine planning functions for large-scale mining operations.
• Strong knowledge of bauxite geology, grade control, ore quality management and mining methodologies.
• Hands-on experience with mine planning software such as MineSched, Deswik, Surpac, Whittle, Micromine or equivalent.
• Strong understanding of mining equipment productivity, fleet optimisation and cost management.
• Experience working in Africa/West Africa, particularly Guinea, will be highly preferred.
• Strong analytical, leadership, communication and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to work effectively with multicultural and multidisciplinary teams.
• Willingness to be based in Guinea, West Africa.

Preferred Candidate Profile

Candidates with experience in large-scale bauxite mining operations in Guinea or other major bauxite-producing regions, particularly those who have led mine planning functions, will be strongly preferred.

Important: Candidates without substantial hands-on Bauxite Mining and Mine Planning experience will not be considered, regardless of their overall mining experience.