{"id":3837544,"url":"https://alion.io/job/vale-principal-engineer","title":"Principal Engineer","company":{"id":1779800,"name":"Vale","domain":"vale.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/vale-com","size_band":"501-1000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Eightfold","truth_index":{"grade":"B","score":71,"open_postings":41,"ghost_share":0.488,"stale_share":0,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":35,"computed_at":"2026-11-06T05:58:05Z"}},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"lead","employment_type":null,"work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Canada"],"countries":["CA"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":8,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-07-13T14:28:01Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-04","last_verified_at":"2026-11-07T00:53:20Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":116,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":115},"description":"Who We Are\nWe are Vale Base Metals - a global supplier of the critical minerals transforming the future.\nWith industry-leading reserves of copper and nickel in Canada, Brazil, and Indonesia, and state-of-the-art infrastructure in the U.K., Canada, and Japan, VBM delivers a secure and responsible supply of high-quality products to customers across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.\nGlobal demand for critical minerals is growing exponentially. From energy to aerospace, batteries to magnets, robotics to artificial intelligence, a secure and responsible supply of critical minerals is fundamental to power modern technologies. And at Vale Base Metals, we are transforming our business to provide a secure and responsible supply of these minerals.\nJoin our diverse team of 13,000 talented individuals committed to providing mineral security to a world in transition. We invite you to put your skills to work, driving meaningful and enduring change while enjoying a rewarding career.\nThe Opportunity\nWe are currently seeking a Principal Engineer to join the Vale Base Metals Geotechnical Team based in Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. \nThis is a permanent, onsite position and requires travel as required. \nAs the Principal Engineer, you will play a critical technical leadership role in the design, implementation, and optimization of underground backfill systems that support safe, reliable, and efficient ore extraction. This role requires deep knowledge of mine design, geotechnical constraints, underground mining practices, and backfill technologies, including paste fill, hydraulic fill, and rock or aggregate fill. \nYou will collaborate closely with mine technical services, operations, safety, procurement, suppliers, and other stakeholders to coordinate backfill schedules, optimize system performance, support quality assurance and quality control practices, and ensure backfill systems are aligned with safety, production, quality, and regulatory requirements. \nThis is an exciting opportunity for an experienced underground mining and backfill professional to influence mine stability, production performance, operational reliability, cost effectiveness, and continuous improvement across critical underground operations.\nBackfill Strategy, Design & Technical Leadership:\nLead the technical direction and continuous improvement of underground backfill systems to support safe, efficient, and productive mining operations.\nDevelop, implement, and optimize underground backfill systems, including paste fill, hydraulic fill, and rock or aggregate fill.\nEvaluate and approve engineering designs related to backfill systems.\nPartner with mine technical services and operations teams to coordinate backfill activities and integrate them into mine planning.\nLead backfill-related projects and continuous improvement initiatives.\nProvide expert technical advice, consultation, and troubleshooting support.\nEstablish and maintain specifications for backfill products, elements, and systems.\nEvaluate and approve new backfill products, designs, and technologies.\nReview, maintain, and update Backfill Management Plans.\nSupport knowledge sharing, training, and development in backfill technologies and practices.\nOperational Excellence, Risk Management & Quality Assurance\nEnsure backfill systems operate safely, reliably, and in compliance with operational, quality, and regulatory requirements.\nEnsure all backfill practices comply with safety regulations, quality standards, and operational requirements.\nConduct regular underground inspections to monitor system performance and address issues proactively.\nImplement and oversee Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) programs for backfill operations.\nConduct investigations and peer reviews of major incidents, including backfill failures and plant system incidents.\nMaintain comprehensive technical documentation related to inspections, designs, QA/QC activities, and operational performance.\nMonitor system effectiveness and support corrective actions to improve reliability, safety, and production outcomes.\nAbout You\nEducation:\nUndergraduate degree in Engineering, Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, Earth Sciences, or a related discipline. \nP.Eng. designation, or equivalent professional certification from Canada, Brazil, or another relevant jurisdiction, is preferred. \nExperience:\n8 to 10 years of relevant experience in underground mining, mine engineering, geotechnical engineering, backfill systems, or a related technical discipline. \nDemonstrated experience with underground backfill design, implementation, system performance, QA/QC practices, operational execution, and continuous improvement. \nExperience working collaboratively with mine operations, technical services, safety teams, suppliers, procurement, and other cross-functional stakeholders. \nExperience leading technical projects, inspections, investigations, engineering reviews, or improvement initiatives within an underground mining environment. \nWhat We Offer You\nCompetitive compensation including a variable annual incentive plan\nParticipation in a competitive Defined Contribution Pension package\nComprehensive benefits package (company paid core coverage, health and dental coverage, flex accounts, disability plans and optional insurances)\nLeave for all of life’s reasons (vacation, personal, sick, parental) \nWork culture dedicated to safety, diversity & inclusion, and career growth\nEmployee Family Assistance Program\nVirtual Healthcare online\nOnline training and career development opportunities\nWhy Sudbury\nGreater Sudbury is a vibrant city in northeastern Ontario, renowned for its rich mining history and significant role in Canada's mineral production. The city sits atop one of the world's largest and oldest meteorite impact sites, the Sudbury Basin, which is exceptionally rich in nickel, copper, and other critical minerals that are needed for the green economy. The mining sector is a cornerstone of Sudbury's economy, driving both employment and economic growth, and Vale Base Metals plays a pivotal role in this regard. Our commitment to the community is as deep as our mines.\nInclude to Transform\nAt Vale Base Metals, we are committed to ensuring an inclusive work environment where people can act like owners, being their authentic selves and empowering them to deliver results. Vale Base Metals encourages everyone to express their ideas and opinions and values the plurality of individual profiles. We want our people to feel that all voices are heard, all cultures respected and that a variety of perspectives are not only welcome - they are critical to our success. We treat each other fairly and with dignity regardless of race, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual orientation, or any other personal consideration that makes us different.\nVale is an equal opportunity employer seeking to increase diversity across our operations and improve equal opportunity at Vale and in the mining industry.\nIn accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, accommodation is available throughout our recruitment process for applicants with disabilities.\nAccommodation is available throughout our recruitment process for applicants with disabilities.\nVale uses artificial intelligence to screen, assess, and/or select applicants for this position.","description_format":"text","description_chars":7374,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"Canada","iso":"CA","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Mining","Non-ferrous Metals"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-05T21:30:38Z"}],"visa":[{"country":"CA","licensed_sponsor":true,"adverts_offering_sponsorship_24m":0,"sanctioned_now":false,"evidence":"Positions approved through LMIA in 12 months: 3","filings_12m":3,"filings_prev_12m":0,"green_card_filings_12m":null,"median_offered_wage_usd":null,"route":"Global Talent Stream; High Wage","cap_exempt":false,"checked_at":"2026-11-06T22:34:35+00:00","sources":["ESDC: employers issued a positive LMIA"],"filings_for_role_12m":0}],"liveness":{"score":15,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.544,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":115,"expected_fill_days":35,"reasons":["conf:3","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-11-06T05:58:05Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/vale-principal-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/vale-principal-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-07T04:55:09Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":11990,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-08T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":1779800},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=1779800"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fvale-principal-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Fvale-principal-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Fvale-principal-engineer"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/vale-principal-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvale-principal-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3837544}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"vale.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3837544},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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