Lead Shaft Sinking Package Engineer

The Lead Shaft Sinking Package Engineer is responsible for providing technical leadership and engineering coordination for the shaft sinking package on a mining project. This position leads the development, coordination, and execution of shaft sinking engineering activities, working closely with mining, geotechnical, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, hoisting, construction, procurement, and project management teams. The Lead Shaft Sinking Package Engineer ensures the shaft sinking package is engineered and executed safely, efficiently, and in accordance with project requirements, schedules, budgets, and applicable mining regulations and standards.

Responsibilities:

Shaft Sinking Engineering

• Lead the engineering and technical development of the shaft sinking package from design through construction and commissioning.
• Develop and maintain shaft sinking methodologies, design criteria, technical specifications, scopes of work, and engineering deliverables.
• Coordinate engineering requirements for shaft excavation, ground support, shaft lining, sinking stages, and associated temporary and permanent works.
• Review shaft sinking methods, sequencing, construction methodologies, and equipment requirements.
• Provide technical direction and support to engineers, designers, consultants, contractors, and other technical resources.
• Ensure shaft sinking engineering is integrated with the overall mine development and project execution strategy.

Shaft Sinking Systems & Temporary Works

• Provide technical oversight for shaft sinking systems, including sinking stages, hoisting arrangements, mucking systems, platforms, conveyances, guides, access systems, ventilation, dewatering, and associated infrastructure.
• Coordinate the design and engineering of temporary works required to support shaft sinking activities.
• Review shaft excavation, ground support, lining, and concrete placement methodologies.
• Evaluate construction methods and equipment to support safe and efficient shaft sinking operations.
• Participate in constructability reviews and identify opportunities to improve shaft sinking sequencing and execution.
• Ensure interfaces between temporary sinking systems and permanent shaft infrastructure are appropriately managed.

Multidisciplinary Coordination

• Lead coordination between mining, geotechnical, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, instrumentation, hoisting, and construction disciplines.
• Manage technical interfaces between shaft sinking and underground development, surface infrastructure, headframe, hoisting, utilities, and site services.
• Lead multidisciplinary design reviews, constructability reviews, and technical coordination meetings.
• Identify design gaps, conflicts, and technical risks and drive their resolution.
• Review engineering calculations, drawings, specifications, reports, and other technical deliverables.

Contractor & Vendor Coordination

• Develop and review contractor scopes, specifications, and procurement documentation for shaft sinking works and equipment.
• Support technical evaluations of shaft sinking contractors, equipment suppliers, and specialist vendors.
• Review contractor methodologies, engineering submissions, shop drawings, calculations, and technical documentation.
• Coordinate responses to contractor and vendor technical queries.
• Monitor contractor engineering deliverables and ensure alignment with approved design and project requirements.

Construction & Field Engineering Support

• Provide technical support throughout shaft sinking construction and execution.
• Participate in site inspections, construction meetings, progress reviews, and technical workshops.
• Provide engineering direction for unexpected ground conditions, construction constraints, and technical issues.
• Support the review and approval of field changes, RFIs, technical queries, and design deviations.
• Coordinate engineering responses to construction issues and ensure changes are properly documented.
• Support commissioning, testing, handover, and closeout activities.

Schedule, Cost & Risk Management

• Support development and maintenance of shaft sinking engineering and execution schedules.
• Monitor engineering deliverables, construction milestones, and package interfaces.
• Provide technical input into cost estimates, forecasts, productivity assessments, and construction trade-offs.
• Identify technical, constructability, schedule, and execution risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Provide regular package status updates and technical input to project management.

Quality & Safety

• Ensure shaft sinking engineering and construction activities comply with applicable mining regulations, codes, standards, and project requirements.
• Promote safe design and construction practices throughout the shaft sinking package.
• Ensure appropriate QA/QC processes are incorporated into engineering and construction activities.
• Review technical deliverables and construction methodologies for safety, constructability, operability, and maintainability.
• Support continuous improvement in shaft sinking engineering, construction methods, and project execution practices.