Group Mining & Exploration Manager (Mining Engineering / Copper / Gold / Exploration) - Zambia

Reference No. LB2564

Job Description

Our client is seeking a Group Mining & Exploration Manager to lead and integrate their copper and gold exploration, mine development, and open-pit mining operations to deliver rapid, disciplined advancement of all projects up the Resource Triangle, ensure consistent supply of high-grade ore feed to the plant, and eliminate exploration drift through strong technical judgment, field leadership, and operational urgency. This is their most critical technical role, the incumbent will be responsible for turning exploration potential into mineable resources and ensuring sustainable, quality production across all licenses.

Responsibilities

Exploration Leadership (Copper & Gold)

• Lead and approve all exploration programs, plans, budgets, drilling, and target generation across 10-12 licenses.
• Oversee and challenge all geophysical/geochemical interpretations and ensure high-quality mapping, trenching, IP, magnetics, and sampling.
• Review and approve sections, drill collars, justification reports, and ensure strict movement up the Resource Triangle.

Mining Engineering Leadership

• Oversee open-pit mine design, scheduling, optimisation, and planning for deeper pits/underground transitions.
• Direct mining engineers and contractors while correcting dilution, ore loss, blasting, and loading issues.
• Ensure benches, stockpiles, and ore movements follow grade-control plans.

Operations Integration

• Act as the main interface between Exploration, Geology, Mining and Processing.
• Ensure predictable, high-quality ore feed and translate geological information into production decisions.
• Lead weekly reviews of ore supply, grade forecasts, pit progress, drill results, and exploration readiness.

Governance & Reporting

• Enforce monthly reporting on completed work, Resource Triangle progress, next steps, and risks/blockers.
• Lead weekly cross-project stand-ups and maintain a central geoscience data repository.
• Enforce drill-readiness gates including geophysics interpretation, updated sections, and full justification packs.

Team Leadership

• Coach and develop geologists and mining engineers, set clear milestones, and build an accountable, performance-driven exploration and mining culture.
• Provide strong, decisive leadership that drives responsibility and performance across all mining teams.

Requirements

• BSc / BEng / MSc in Mining Engineering AND additional qualification in Geology / Exploration / Economic Geology (Diploma, MSc, or significant work experience)
• 10-20 years' experience in Mining Engineering
• 15 years' experience in Exploration and Geology
• Operational Leadership: Must have led multidisciplinary teams of 20-60+ people, driven exploration timelines under pressure, and worked in Zambia, Africa, or similar frontier jurisdictions.
• Comfortable working in field camps, artisanal mining areas, and managing multi-pit coordination; able to act quickly with imperfect data and solve problems in fast-paced, changing environments.
• Assertive, decisive, high-urgency leader who can impose discipline, drive timelines, and challenge leadership, contractors, and surveyors when needed.
• Strong communicator (written and verbal) with high emotional resilience and the ability to operate under pressure.
• Commercially minded with a strong understanding of business and operational drivers.