3. Manage and Lead

• Providing visible leadership across all underground operations
• Acting as the senior operational leader on shift
• Leading and promoting a strong safety culture and behavioral standards
• Directly managing Overseers and ensuring effective supervision across all areas
• Supporting performance management, coaching, and development of team members
• Reinforcing standards, accountability, and operational discipline set by the Operations Manager
• Chairing shift production and engineering meetings

4. Decision Making & Problem Solving

• Making real-time operational decisions to maintain safe and efficient production
• Applying judgement aligned with business priorities, safety standards, and operational strategy
• Prioritising tasks and allocating resources to meet objectives
• Managing incidents, equipment issues, and changing mining conditions
• Escalating significant risks or issues appropriately

5. Operational Parameters

• Taking responsibility for the mine during the shift in the absence of senior management
• Preparing and delivering pre-shift plans and briefings aligned to operational priorities
• Ensuring all officials are briefed prior to shift start
• Spending sufficient time underground to manage operations effectively
• Reviewing and countersigning statutory and production reports
• Producing detailed shift reports including safety, performance, and key events
• Ensuring effective structured handovers between shifts

6. Communication

• Communicating operational priorities, risks, and changes clearly across teams
• Reporting abnormal or significant events with mitigation actions to the Operations Manager
• Supporting communication of business objectives and performance expectations
• Liaising across departments to ensure coordination and interdependency management
• Providing clear verbal and written shift handovers
• Presenting operational performance and issues where required

7. Performance & Continuous Improvement

• Supporting delivery of KPIs set by the Operations Manager
• Monitoring shift performance including production, safety, and equipment reliability
• Identifying improvement opportunities and supporting defect elimination activities
• Driving adherence to operational standards, procedures, and best practices
• Supporting implementation of new initiatives, technology, and operational improvements

8. Information Management

• Using geological, survey, and operational data to guide decisions
• Ensuring compliance with plans, instructions, and statutory documentation
• Maintaining accurate records and contributing to performance data collection
• Supporting effective use of operational systems (e.g. SAP, planning tools, reporting systems)

9. Financial & Resource Awareness

• Managing shift resources efficiently to minimise waste and downtime
• Supporting cost control through effective use of equipment and materials
• Contributing to efficient delivery of production at optimal cost per tonne

The Requirements

Experience & Knowledge

• Ideally educated to degree level in relevant engineering discipline or to be experienced in mining operations with relevant qualifications.
• Several years experience of working in heavy industry and significant knowledge of operations in their relevant discipline.
• Proven track record including supervision and management of operations teams and equipment.
• Knowledge of equipment relating to mining.
• Highly motivated and demonstrable history of improving safety performance, productivity and reliability in an operational environment.
• Capable of effective communications at all levels within the business with written, verbal, and visual presentation.
• Good working knowledge of Operational Excellence and application of lean techniques in mine production environments.
• Demonstrable leader with a high level of team skills allowing ability to lead and inspire teams.
• Proficient in PC skills, having a thorough knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and other Microsoft Applications.
• Knowledge of operational techniques to improve production outputs.
• Creative thinking and excellent problem-solving skills.
• Ability in solving problems in a new way, seeing past what is established and creating a new way of doing things.
• Track record of applying innovation and technology to improve operational efficiency.

Qualifications / Certificates

• NEBOSH General Certificate (or equivalent).
• Risk Assessment training.
• Degree Mine Management qualification or willing to work towards.
• In the absence of a Degree, a recognised operational qualification with significant supervisory experience.
• Effective communication skills.
• Certificate of Management Studies (CMS).

Professional Body

• Membership of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3)