Drilling Supervisor

About the company: 

KoBold Metals is a mineral exploration company looking to discover ore deposits with the metals needed for clean energy and electrification: copper, cobalt, nickel, and lithium. We are building an outstanding exploration team and project portfolio in Zambia, both on 100%-owned projects and partnerships with other exploration and mining companies.  Our global team includes the best of the industry in exploration geoscience, data science, software engineering, and business personnel. 

Mingomba Mining Ltd is managed and operated by KoBold Metals in partnership with EMR Capital and ZCCM-IH.  The company is building a rapidly growing team of Zambian geologists, engineers, operators, and executives to identify, acquire, explore, and develop exploration opportunities and mineral resources drawing upon KoBold’s technology and the expertise of colleagues worldwide.

We are seeking to hire Drilling Supervisors and Engineers to help accelerate our mission.  We are committed to equal employment opportunities for all people.

About the position

In the role of Drilling Supervisor, you will be responsible for overseeing exploration drilling operations at project sites. You will work closely with our Field Drilling Manager to manage drilling operations, and ultimately manage drilling in their absence.  You will conduct exploration drilling without causing harm to our people, our contractors and partners, or the communities and environments where we operate. The role will also require responsibility in financial, commercial and technical operations involved in drilling

Work Location: Zambian Copperbelt 

 Ideal Candidate Must have:

1.  Demonstrable exceptional abilities in Health, Safety, Environment & Quality management on a drill operation
2.  Good understanding of different mineral exploration drilling methods and equipment and maintenance principles and oversee the drilling process to ensure its safety and efficiency. 
3. Good drill contract management experience - ability to assess commercial and technical proposals and performance of drill contractors and manage drill contract relationships
4. Solid Technical background in drilling.

 

Job Duties General:

1. Standardize Kobold Metals Zambia drilling practice, equipment and record keeping.
2. Lead and manage across departments through collaboration
3. Partner with geological personnel to develop and execute drill programs safely and effectively 
4. Liaise with Kobold Metals Zambia Contracts, Environmental and Safety stakeholders to coordinate contracts and tenders.
5. Promote and participate in the application of new technologies (tools, equipment, and fluids).
6.  Identify and maintain operational cost reductions and/or productivity improvements to safely and effectively achieve drilling targets.

 

Job Description 

Drill Contract Management

•  Collaborate with Exploration, Development and Contracts teams to uphold the drill tender process for planned programs. 
• Manage contract renewal or termination processes including negotiation drill contract terms and conditions
• The scope of work shall include technical and equipment specification requirements, (identifying appropriate contractors).
• Ensure contractor compliance with KoBold Metals’ Group Safety Policies and other related policies
•  Partner with Kobold Metals Zambia representatives and contract administrators to review the Contractor Safety Assessment Checklist prior to awarding Drilling Services contracts.
• Establish protocol, instilling the importance of regular liaison between drilling supervision, management, contracts, and contractor representatives for the timely completion of contracts before commencing any drilling activity.
•  Drive the process for conducting preliminary start-up safety inspections (post contract award) of all drilling and support equipment, providing accurate and regular reports to ensure rigs and equipment arrive as scheduled and are Standard-compliant.
•  Lead and advise the Commercial teams in engaging industry for exploration drilling services ensuring screening for industry recognized and accredited drilling companies with the highest safety standards. 
• Validate and approve drilling invoices before submission to finance

 

Production & Project Management Monitoring

• Daily presence and oversight on all active drill sites
• Develop and support daily logistics plan for core and sample movement
• Hold Monthly Management meetings with contractors. 
• Utilize the KoBold Drilling Technology system dashboard and ensure Contractor compliance to reporting accurate drilling data. 
• Provide expert drilling advice to Drill Contractors in a collaborative manner
• Conduct regular technical discussions with regional drill managers and project managers to effectively identify and quickly resolve problems.
•  Generate Daily, Weekly and Monthly reports for management team and provide management updates on the performance of the drill program

• Reports shall include individual rig information (Rig Performance Availability & Reliability statistics); 

• Identify and report on potential technical modifications at drilling operations that would improve production and/or reduce cost. 

 

Technical Skills & Competence 

• Good Understanding of drilling systems on drill equipment and technical specifications and applicability in exploration 
• Demonstrated track record of pre-empting and solving drilling problems
• Costing and scheduling drilling operations.
• Ability conduct technical post-drilling programs for technical studies - eg. geotechnical and hydrological testing post hole completion
• Analyze and design drilling plans according to data and rate of production.
• Designing directional paths
• Identify opportunities to improve cost efficiency (e.g., minimizing downtime)
• Good understanding of auxiliary equipment, spares and consumables required for coordination with material suppliers and contractors.
• Adhere  to relevant government rules and guidelines for drilling procedures.
• Take care to preserve natural environment
• Keep informed about the latest engineering techniques and software
• Risk management of drill program
• Major Emergency Management (MEM)

Leadership

• Support Drilling Manager and supervising KoBold staff on rigs.
• Drive a culture of training and development
• Plan off site training annually for drilling personnel - entry level, advanced, and expert.
• Be eager to self-develop
• Manage teams across cultures (local and international)
• Supervising drilling and solving technical problems.
• Enforcing safety and disaster recovery procedures.
• Manage drill contractors as business partners by:
• Clearly communicating KoBold approach and procedures
• Monitor progress and provide adjustments for optimal drilling
• Solve engineering problems that arise during drilling
• Ensure safe operations

 Qualifications:

• An accredited engineering degree, diploma or certificate is necessary - Mechanical/Mining related degree or courses.
• More than 8+ years fieldwork experience in mining & exploration drilling projects in particular
• Added advantage of master level in civil engineering, mechanical engineering or mineral/mining engineering, geology and earth sciences is also beneficial 
• Experience as Drilling Supervisor or Drilling Section Leader 
• Rigging certification - added advantage
• Valid Driver’s license
• Registration with Engineering Institute of Zambia (Engineer, Technician, Craftsperson) or relevant international body

Desirable Attributes: 

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills, as well as the ability to build and maintain relationships with a range of people
• Have a heart to develop talent
• a good technical understanding of the scientific principles of disciplines such as geology, physics, math and chemistry
• a high level of numeracy and IT skills
• the analytical ability to think through potentially complex problems and develop solutions
• Initiative and drive, willingness to learn
• teamwork skills and the ability to cooperate with others
• sensitivity to different cultures and ways of working
• the ability to work under pressure

 This position is a full-time contract role.  At this time we are only accepting applications from Zambian nationals.

What to Expect

Joining KoBold means getting the opportunity for hands-on exposure to our exploration projects around the world. All employees are expected to travel to project sites, with a minimum of one week per year. Field-facing and technical roles spend significantly more time in the field.