Chief Geologist

Company Overview

Golden Queen Mining Co., LLC (the “Company”) operates a gold and silver, open pit, heap leach operation on its Soledad Mountain property, located just outside the town of Mojave in Kern County in southern California. The Project uses conventional open pit mining methods and the cyanide heap leach and Merrill-Crowe processes to recover gold and silver from crushed, agglomerated ore.

The Chief Geologist reports to Manager – Mining. This is a safety sensitive position.

Job Responsibilities

• Supervise the Production Geology team at Golden Queen.
• Efficiently mine ore while minimizing dilution to meet the company’s budget expectations.
• Track the delivery of ore grade from the open pit to the primary crusher or ore stockpiles.
• Provide oversight and guidance on stockpile blending requirements, ensuring progress is monitored.
• Implement efficient sampling procedures at the face and drill rigs, coordinate the delivery of samples to the laboratory, and manage the receipt of sampling results.
• Mark ore on the working faces to ensure accurate grade control.
• Model ore and create geological and grade control plans and sections using mining software such as MineSight or Surpac.
• Supervise a team that includes geologists, grade control technicians, and samplers.
• Collaborate with mine planning engineers, surveyors, mine operations management, foremen, and process engineers.
• Develop and maintain reporting procedures for all aspects of mine grade and dilution.
• Provide regular updates to management, including daily reports on ore tonnages and grades.
• Work closely with Mine Operations to achieve shared goals.
• Review reconciliation reports, sampling procedures, and audit results to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
• Establish, refine, and implement best practices for the production geology team, conducting regular improvement reviews to optimize operations and precision.
• Demonstrate a successful track record of developing team members and enhancing their skills and capabilities.
• Participate in model reviews and assist with the development of technical reports.
• Ensure the accuracy and timeliness of royalties and claims maintenance.
• Promote a safe working environment for all geological staff, ensuring full compliance with safety, health, and environmental regulations.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• At least 10 years of experience in metalliferous open-pit mining, with a background as a Chief Geologist or Senior Geologist.
• A Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field with substantial geological content.
• Strong proficiency in Leapfrog with a minimum of five years of hands‑on experience.
• Working knowledge of MineSight preferred.
• Proven safety track record.
• Ability to present complex information in a clear and understandable manner.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.

Compensation & Benefits

• 401K with Company Matching
• PPO & HMO Health Insurance Plans
• 9 Paid Holidays
• Vacation Accruals