Superintendent, Remote Operations (IROC)

The Integrated Remote Operating Centre (IROC) Control Room Superintendent is responsible for leading multi-site control room operations across ASARCO’s copper business, including Mine, Mill, SX-EW, and Autonomous Haulage Systems (AHS). This role provides strategic oversight of Control Room Supervisors and their teams, ensuring safe, efficient, and reliable execution of daily operations in alignment with production plans and business objectives.

Reporting to the Manager – Unity Hub, the Superintendent plays a critical role in driving operational discipline, maintaining data integrity, and enabling technology-enabled decision-making across the value chain. By fostering collaboration, building team capability, and ensuring alignment between site stakeholders and the Unity Hub, the Superintendent ensures the IROC delivers maximum value to ASARCO’s integrated operations.

This position is based in Mesa, but to maintain strong working relationships with site operations and stakeholders, the Superintendent is expected to visit sites on a regular basis.

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead and mentor a team of Control Room Supervisors overseeing mine, mill, SX-EW, and AHS operations.
• Monitor and coordinate integrated operations across the full value chain, from mine to cathode production.
• Ensure effective application of advanced process control (APC) systems in the mill to optimize throughput, recovery, energy efficiency, and metallurgical stability.
• Oversee SX-EW performance monitoring, including leach solutions, reagent usage, electrowinning cell efficiency, and cathode quality.
• Drive effective use of fleet management and AHS systems in the mine to align haulage and drilling with production schedules.
• Maintain operational data integrity, ensuring reporting accuracy for production metrics, delays, blends, recovery, and shift outcomes.
• Lead structured shift reviews, ensuring lessons learned are captured and shared across functions.
• Support operational readiness for new control room tools, technologies, and automation systems.
• Collaborate with the Principal – Mine, Mill, and SX-EW Operational Excellence roles to embed best practices across the IROC.
• Champion a zero-harm safety culture and ensure compliance with ASARCO’s safety, health, and environmental standards.
• Provide structured performance reports and updates to the General Manager – Unity Hub and senior leadership.
• Act as the key liaison between the IROC, site operations, technical services, and business functions.
• Set and reinforce the workplace health and safety culture within IROC operations.
• Ensure all incidents, including those related to mining, milling, SX-EW, and AHS, are reported and escalated promptly.
• Support reviews of SOPs, risk assessments, and safety protocols for integrated operations and remote control.
• Translate production plans, operational risks, and business priorities into clear, actionable instructions and decision tools for control room operators.
• Ensure all documentation enables fast, correct decisions under real-time operating conditions, including abnormal and upset scenarios.
• Validate documentation through direct observation of control room execution and adjust based on operator feedback and performance outcomes.

Execution & Documentation Ownership

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve daily, weekly, and shift-based control room checklists aligned to operational risks and priorities.
• Author, update, and enforce control room SOPs, work instructions, and escalation protocols to ensure consistent 24/7 execution.
• Establish and maintain standard routines and rhythms (shift handovers, daily reviews, weekly performance routines).
• Define and continuously refine decision rights, escalation triggers, and authority levels for control room personnel.
• Ensure documentation is field-tested, behaviorally adopted, and audit-ready, not theoretical or static.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in mining engineering, Metallurgy, Process Engineering, or related discipline (or equivalent industry experience).
• Minimum 8–10 years of experience in mining, milling, SX/EW, or remote operations, with at least 3 years in a leadership role.
• Strong leadership and team development skills, with experience managing frontline supervisors.
• Solid knowledge of mine, mill, and SX/EW fundamentals, including integrated production systems.
• Demonstrated experience with advanced process control (APC) systems in milling operations.
• Familiarity with fleet management systems (MineStar, Modular, or similar) and AHS.
• Ability to manage complex priorities and make sound decisions under pressure.
• Strong organizational, problem-solving, and negotiation skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Demonstrated experience authoring and improving operational documentation, including SOPs, checklists, shift handover standards, and execution playbooks.
• Proven ability to embed documentation into daily routines and drive sustained adherence in 24/7 operations.
• Strong attention to detail, follow-up discipline, and document governance (version control, review cadence, ownership).

Preferred:

• Experience establishing or operating within an Integrated Remote Operating Centre.
• Advanced computer literacy and familiarity with digital transformation technologies in mining and processing.
• Lean, Six Sigma, or Operational Excellence certification.
• Frontline Management or equivalent leadership training.

Working Conditions:

• This role is based in Mesa at the Unity Hub and operates on a rostered schedule to support continuous operations.
• Flexibility to work outside normal business hours and coordinate across multiple shifts is required.
• Regular site visits to mine, mill, and SX-EW operations are expected to maintain strong stakeholder relationships and operational alignment.

*All employees are subject to annual physical examinations as a condition of employment.

A core value of ASARCO LLC is “Safety First.” The Company is committed to help employees continuously improve their efforts to work in the most safe, inclusive, socially and environmentally responsible manner practicable. Employee safety and health, both on and off the job, are critically important to the Company. Therefore, ASARCO LLC requires employees to have and effectively demonstrate good working knowledge of modern safety systems. Each employee will take prime responsibility for ensuring that they work within all required safety procedures and processes.

ASARCO LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates must possess a current and valid driver’s license. Offers of employment are contingent upon a successful criminal background check and pre-employment physical including a drug screen.

ASARCO LLC offers an excellent low-cost benefits package for medical/prescription/ dental/vision, disability coverage, life insurance and other optional coverage and 401(k) plan with company match.