Infrastructure Study Principal

Job Description

Job Description

Job Summary

Reporting to the Study Manager, or any other individual designated by the Company, the Infrastructure Study Principal is the technical lead for the site infrastructure and non-process facilities scope of the study, covering site layout, power, water supply, access, transport and logistics, and buildings, through concept, pre-feasibility and subsequent study phases.

The role develops the site layout and infrastructure concept, defines the infrastructure design criteria, and directs the external engineering firms that perform infrastructure design. The role is accountable for the technical quality, cost, schedule and risk of the infrastructure scope, delivered through consultants and the project team. Infrastructure decisions on power, water, access and layout set the physical footprint of the project and affect every other discipline, so the role integrates infrastructure requirements across the study.

Responsibilities

Site Layout & Infrastructure Concepts

·      Develop the Project site layout and infrastructure concept to the level of definition required by each study gate, integrating the mining, processing, mine waste, water and infrastructure footprints.

·      Lead trade-off and options studies on infrastructure siting, routing and configuration, and document the basis on which each option is retained or rejected.

·      Develop and maintain the infrastructure design criteria and the demands each infrastructure system must meet, using inputs from the mining, processing and environmental scopes.

·      Test the site layout against land, access and environmental constraints with the Environmental & Permitting Principal.

Power, Water Supply & Utilities

·      Lead the power supply concept, including demand estimate, supply options and the connection or generation requirements each implies.

·      Lead the water supply and conveyance infrastructure concept to the requirements set by the site water balance and water management concepts.

·      Define fuel, communications and other site utility requirements and reflect them in the layout and cost estimate.

Access, Logistics & Facilities

·      Develop road, rail and site access concepts, including the movement of product, consumables and personnel.

·      Develop concepts for non-process buildings and support facilities, including administration, maintenance and warehousing.

·      Define the geotechnical investigation needs of infrastructure footprints and agree them with the Mining Study Principal, who holds the geotechnical scope.

Consultant & Contractor Direction

·      Develop scopes of work, evaluation criteria and budgets for infrastructure engineering consultants and specialist providers.

·      Direct and technically review consultant deliverables, and accept or reject them against the study design criteria and applicable standards.

·      Maintain the technical relationship with providers, with the commercial relationship held by Supply.

Cost, Estimate & Study Integration

·      Develop the infrastructure inputs to the capital and operating cost estimates, including the basis of estimate, quantities and unit rate assumptions.

·      Provide infrastructure inputs to the project economic model and test them for sensitivity.

·      Integrate infrastructure requirements with the mining, processing, tailings, water and environmental scopes so that study deliverables are consistent across disciplines.

Risk, Governance & Reporting

·      Maintain the infrastructure entries in the risk and opportunity register and drive the actions that close them.

·      Prepare and present the infrastructure sections of study reports, gate submissions and shareholder-facing material to the President & General Manager, the Board of Managers and technical committees.

·      Ensure infrastructure work meets study governance requirements and the expectations of shareholders.

·      Interface with Engineering and Technical Services to share standards, data and lessons, while maintaining the independence of the study scope and schedule.

·      Provide technical coaching and mentorship to less experienced engineers and technical staff supporting the scope.

·      Maintain the infrastructure design basis, key assumptions, models and consultant records so the discipline can be handed over or covered without loss of continuity.

Other Duties

• Perform additional duties and responsibilities as assigned to meet operational needs.

This job description is intended to provide a summary of the typical functions of the job and is not a comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks, and duties. The company reserves the right to modify or assign other duties as necessary to meet operational needs.

Qualifications

·      Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Mining Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering or a related discipline.

·      Professional Engineer (PE) license in good standing in civil, mining, mechanical, electrical or a related engineering discipline.

·      Minimum of 15 years of progressive experience in infrastructure engineering, site development or project engineering within the mining or heavy industrial sector.

·      Demonstrated experience leading the infrastructure discipline through at least one concept, pre-feasibility or feasibility study to a completed gate decision.

·      Demonstrated experience developing site layouts and infrastructure concepts for greenfield mining projects.

·      Experience with power supply, water supply, site utilities and logistics concepts for remote or greenfield mining sites.

·      Experience developing scopes of work for, and technically directing, external infrastructure engineering consultants.

·      Experience designing infrastructure for cold climate operating conditions is considered an asset.

·      Experience contributing to public technical reports or disclosure is considered an asset.

·      Advanced degree is considered an asset.

Skills and Abilities

·      Ability to develop and defend a site layout and infrastructure concept on incomplete information, stating assumptions and their consequences explicitly.

·      Ability to integrate requirements from the mining, processing, water and environmental disciplines into a coherent site concept.

·      Recognized authority in the infrastructure discipline, able to provide advice and guidance to others across the organization on approaches and issues.

·      Strong command of infrastructure design criteria and of the interpretation of power, water and logistics demand into a defensible concept and cost.

·      Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships with peers, the Study Manager, the President & General Manager and Joint Venture member representatives.

·      Strong technical writing, presentation, verbal and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to make a technical case to a non-technical audience and to a shareholder review.

·      Ability to independently lead a technical discipline, setting priorities and sequencing work with limited daily direction.

·      Willingness to challenge both external consultants and the internal team on technical substance, and to push for value while keeping outcomes practical and achievable.

·      Commercial judgment in scoping work to the level of definition each study stage requires.

·      Commitment to continual learning in industry standards, community considerations, and advances in the infrastructure discipline.