Operational Readiness Engineer - Mining & Underground

Location: Centurion, Gauteng
Employment Type: Full-time
Work Arrangement: Office-based for the first 6 months, followed by a hybrid working model

About the Role

A leading engineering and technical consulting organisation is seeking an experienced Operational Readiness Engineer with strong mining and underground experience to support major mining and infrastructure projects through the transition from project delivery, construction and commissioning into safe, reliable and sustainable operations.

The successful candidate will work across engineering, project, construction, commissioning and operations teams to ensure that people, processes, systems, equipment, procedures and supporting infrastructure are operationally ready for handover and start-up.

This is a hands-on role suited to an engineer who understands mining operations and can effectively bridge the gap between project execution and operational requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain Operational Readiness Plans throughout project development, construction, commissioning and handover.
• Coordinate operational readiness workstreams covering people, processes, systems, equipment, documentation and organisational capability.
• Develop readiness schedules, action registers, dashboards and progress reports to monitor key deliverables, risks and critical-path activities.
• Work closely with engineering, construction, commissioning, project and mining operations teams to ensure operational requirements are incorporated into project delivery.
• Develop and review Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), work instructions, operational philosophies, readiness checklists and handover documentation.
• Support workforce readiness through training plans, competency requirements, role clarification and operational familiarisation.
• Identify operational readiness gaps and risks and develop appropriate mitigation and contingency actions.
• Coordinate and monitor readiness activities leading up to commissioning, start-up, ramp-up and operational handover.
• Support the close-out of commissioning and handover requirements, including punch lists, outstanding actions and documentation.
• Contribute to the implementation of operational excellence, management operating systems and performance management routines.
• Facilitate meetings and workshops with technical, operational, contractor and client stakeholders.
• Prepare professional readiness reports, presentations and progress updates for project and operational management.
• Capture lessons learnt and contribute to the development of operational readiness methodologies, tools and best practices.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (NQF Level 8) – Mining, Mechanical, Industrial, Process Engineering or a related discipline.
• Minimum 7 years' relevant engineering or operational experience within mining, heavy industry or major infrastructure projects.
• Strong mining experience, with underground mining experience being essential.
• Practical exposure to mine operations, commissioning, start-up, ramp-up, handover or transition-to-operations activities.
• Experience developing and managing Operational Readiness Plans, readiness trackers, procedures, checklists and handover documentation.
• Experience working across engineering, project delivery, construction, commissioning and operations.
• Understanding of operational requirements within a mining environment, including the interface between project teams and operational teams.
• Knowledge of the Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) and applicable mining safety requirements.
• Strong planning, coordination, documentation and stakeholder management skills.
• Willingness to work in both office and project/site environments when required.

Advantageous Experience

• Postgraduate qualification in Engineering Management, Operations Management, Business Improvement or a related discipline.
• Experience in operational excellence, continuous improvement or management operating systems.
• Experience coordinating workforce readiness, training and competency programmes.
• Exposure to commissioning and ramp-up of new or expanded mining operations.
• Experience working on multidisciplinary mining projects or EPC/EPCM environments.
• Experience across different commodities, mining methods or international projects.

R80 000 - R120 000 per month, plus annual performance based bonus