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Group Principal Tailings Engineer
First Quantum Minerals LTDJohannesburg, ZA17 days ago
Job descriptionAlthough our production and financial results are the engine that drives our business, it is the depth of capability in our people that will continue to determine First Quantum’s ongoing success. Reporting to the TMF & Water Dams Group Engineer and as a part of FQM Corporate Tailings, the Group Principal Tailings Engineer will be a Certified Professional Engineer involved in the effective life cycle stewardship of First Quantum Mineral’s (FQM) tailings and water dams, including planning for closure. The role will focus on advising and assisting mine site leadership and site teams to achieve the objectives of the Tailings and Dams Management System (TDMS). To be successful in this role, we require a self-motivated individual with strong technical, interpersonal and communication skills, who can collaborate and excel within a decentralised technical team and can demonstrate the ability to promote and influence best practice at site level. Whilst primarily focused on our Zambia mine site tailings and water dams, the incumbent will periodically visit our other global sites and offices, building further relationships and broadening their experience and corporate influence toward best practice across FQM. This is an exciting opportunity to make a real difference in our ongoing pursuit of safe, efficient and environmentally responsible management of tailings and water dams. The Group Principal Tailings Engineer’s general accountabilities include, but are not limited to, the below : Work to continually improve group alignment to ICOLD, GISTM and relevant standards Perform a Corporate EoR role for our Zambia TSFs and EoR for our British Columbia closed site Pro-actively support site’s conformance to the Tailings and Dams Management System Provide technical guidance and support on dams and tailings management related issues Help to ensure internal reporting from the sites is complete and available Engage with mine and project sites on tailings and water dams work scopes, expectations and performance of Engineers of Record and Consultants engaged at site level Provide direct support to sites on quality, stewardship, risk assessment and reporting Provide SME support to site risk assessments and development of critical controls Ensure site operating, maintenance, and surveillance manuals and emergency preparedness and response plans are kept up to date, relevant and effective Ensure Designs, Construction Records, Construction vs Design Intent Verification, DSI inspections and TARP processes are in place at the sites, suitably approved, and effective Support tailings facility plans development at site level, including mass balances, deposition plans and water balance Interact with engineering, environment and processing departments during site visits Pro-actively continue your professional development and promote the same for site personnel via the FQM Learning & Development initiatives in tailings and water dams Mentor site personnel on dams inspections, monitoring and operations improvement Assist sites, as needed, in their interactions and consultations with external entities. Degree in Civil or Geotechnical Engineering, with relevant Masters and PhD well regarded Registered, or immediately eligible to register and attain, Chartered Professional Engineer (Civil and / or Geotechnical), or equivalent, issued by a recognised industry organisation 12+ years of civil / geotechnical engineering experience across planning, design, construction, operations, monitoring of tailings and water dams, with direct site experience highly regarded Experience performing an EoR role for TSFs Demonstrated technical excellence in geotechnical engineering Understanding of tailings behaviour, technologies, geotechnical investigation methods and analyses, advanced soil mechanics, and surface and subsurface monitoring systems. Strong computer skills (i.e. EXCEL, WORD, PowerPoint) Proficient in the use of specialized geotechnical software (eg. GeoStudio, Plaxis, FLAC) Demonstrated Project Management skills Strong attention to detail and working through issues in a logical, structured manner TSF inspections experience, including DSR’s and DSI’s is essential, with water dams well regarded Understanding of permitting and legislative processes, and a broad knowledge of best practice guidelines from ANCOLD, CDA, ICOLD, MAC, ICMM, GISTM Ability to influence sound outcomes whilst developing and maintaining strong relationships Experience working with external specialists, such as EoR, risk engineers and with regulators Excellent communication, leadership, mentoring, writing, interpersonal, presentation and time management skills Candidates must have the right to work in the applicable region without visa sponsorship Can travel to FQM mine and project sites globally - Approximately 25% international travel Fluent in the spoken and written English language, with Spanish additional and well regarded Comfortable working and driving manual transmission 4WD light vehicles in a variety of environments, including left and right hand drive, rural, mine site, construction and remote sites Engineering / Technical jobs
Job title : Group Principal Tailings Engineer
Job Location : Gauteng, Johannesburg
Deadline : October 11, 2025
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Principal Engineer • Johannesburg, ZA