Senior Mining Engineer

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Colorado.

📋 Description

• This role acts as a leadership position within the mining engineering functional area, overseeing the daily technical operations as dictated by specific work orders.

• Responsible for generating thorough resource and reserve estimates for various solid mineral deposits, such as metals, coal, industrial minerals, and construction aggregates.

• Formulates detailed mine and reclamation strategies for undeveloped mineral properties, outlining mining techniques, equipment selection, workforce requirements, production rates, and timelines.

• Performs economic assessments of solid mineral projects utilizing methodologies such as discounted cash flow rate of return, along with estimating capital and operating costs for proposed mining activities.

• Serves as a key technical representative in mining, aiding in interactions with mining firms, contractors, and various government bodies.

• Supports Indian mineral owners in negotiating mineral lease contracts and evaluates proposed agreements, focusing on royalty conditions and environmental protection provisions.

• Assesses grant proposals from Tribal organizations related to mineral assessment and development projects, evaluating their technical validity, feasibility, and alignment with program objectives.

• Oversees assigned grants throughout their entire lifecycle, ensuring adherence to compliance, monitoring project advancement, and providing technical support to grantees.

• Delivers presentations on mining principles, regulations, mineral agreement frameworks, and NEPA requirements.

• May be required to undertake supervisory duties, reporting to the On-Site Lead and Project Manager.

⛳️ Requirements

• A Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Mining Engineering or a closely related discipline (e.g., Geological Engineering).

• A Master’s degree is preferred (specializations in mining, geotechnical, or mineral economics).

• FE certification is required; PE is strongly preferred (or the ability to obtain within 12 months).

• 6-8 years of progressively responsible experience in mine planning, reserve estimation, and economic analysis across surface and/or underground operations.

• Proven success in resource and reserve estimation (familiarity with JORC/NI 43-101/SK-1300) across various commodities (metals, coal, industrial minerals, aggregates).

• Extensive experience in leading mine design and engineering, including pit/UG configurations, phase designs, haul road geometry, ventilation strategies, dewatering methods, slope stability/ground control, drill-and-blast techniques, materials handling, and backfill systems.

• Ability to create LoM plans, short-/mid-/long-range schedules, and production forecasts.

• Expertise in reclamation and closure planning, incorporating geochemical considerations, water management, and post-mining land use into designs and life-cycle cost analyses.

• Experience in economic evaluations and project finance support, including cut-off grade analysis, pit optimization, sensitivities, NPV/IRR, cash-flow modeling, and contributions to prefeasibility/feasibility studies with defendable assumptions.

• Background in representing mineral owners/operators in lease and royalty negotiations, surface use agreements, right-of-way, and regulatory processes (including permit packages and NEPA/NHPA considerations).

• Proven track record of delivering executive-level presentations and clear decision memos for senior stakeholders (such as boards, Tribal leadership, investors, and agencies), translating technical trade-offs and risk mitigations into actionable recommendations.

• Experience in supervising and mentoring junior engineers/consultants and multi-disciplinary teams; establishing work plans, QA/QC of designs and calculations, and promoting a safety-first culture.

• Proficiency with tools such as Deswik, Vulcan, MineSight/Hexagon, Surpac (or equivalent); Whittle/NPV optimizers; GIS knowledge; advanced Excel/Power BI; and exposure to geotechnical software (e.g., Slide, FLAC3D).

• Strong commitment to safety and field readiness: thorough MSHA knowledge, field auditing capabilities, contractor/OEM coordination, commissioning/start-up support, and a willingness to travel to operational sites and community locations.

🏝️ Benefits

• A comprehensive federal benefits package is available to full-time employees.

• Health insurance.

• Paid time off.

• Participation in retirement plans.