{"id":3605863,"url":"https://alion.io/job/valterra-platinum-chief-rock-engineer","title":"Chief Rock Engineer","company":{"id":2493294,"name":"Valterra Platinum","domain":"valterraplatinum.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/valterraplatinum","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"SmartRecruiters","truth_index":null},"role":"Industrial Engineering","role_family":"Industrial Engineering","seniority":"head","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"explicit","locations":["Thabazimbi, South Africa"],"countries":["ZA"],"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":[{"name":"SAP BusinessObjects","optional":true}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-02T09:01:55Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-02","last_verified_at":"2026-11-11T14:48:32Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":9,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":9},"description":"Valterra Platinum, formerly Anglo American Platinum, is a leading primary producer of platinum group metals (PGMs), with integrated mining, smelting, and refining operations in South Africa and Zimbabwe, marketing the metal we produce globally. Following our demerger from Anglo American plc, Valterra Platinum is now an independent, publicly listed company with a primary and secondary listing on the Johannesburg and London stock exchanges respectively.\nAs we embark on this exciting new chapter, Valterra Platinum is positioned to define and pursue its own strategy, anchored in operational excellence, sustainability, and value creation for the long-term. With full accountability for our performance and growth, we are focused on strengthening our capabilities across the entire PGM value chain, from mine to market.\nOur independence empowers us to deepen our commitment to stakeholders and lead with purpose - to Unearth Value to Better Our World. We remain steadfast in our ambition to be the world’s foremost producer of platinum group metals, while embedding safety and sustainability in everything we do.\nIf you're driven by purpose and the opportunity to make a lasting impact, we invite you to join us. Apply today and be part of something bigger.\nAdd Location: Thabazimbi, South Africa\n The purpose of this role is to provide advanced Rock Engineering expertise, implement effective ground management strategies, and develop plans for complex mining operations. It involves creating and enforcing standards, participating in industry forums, optimizing efficiency, conducting geotechnical modelling, contributing to feasibility studies, ensuring governance, managing rock engineering services, performing risk analysis, supporting operational management, and overseeing quality assurance of support systems.\n1. Safety:\nCreate a safety culture through productive and authorized operational systems/processes that allow all employees (including contracting partners) to provide their outputs in a risk-controlled environment. Oversee consistent application of Safety & Health principles in all discipline interactions and take personal responsibility for safety of self and others to ensure zero harm and elimination of fatalities.\n2. Performance and Delivery:\nProviding the Mine with high level and specialist Rock Engineering services and expertise\nImplement Fall of Ground Management Strategies\nDevelop/contribute to tactics and plans for mining at increasing depth and complexity\nDevelop and Implement Rock Engineering systems, policies, protocols and standards to satisfy\nRegulatory requirements, Valterra Group Geotechnical Standard and mandatory Fall of Ground Critical Control requirements\nParticipate in industry technical forums and liaison with external parties (e.g. local government, other mining companies)\nBenchmarking the state of rock engineering practice in relation to established best practice (technology)\nReview and sign off mandatory codes of practice and rock engineering related systems\nInvestigate opportunities to optimize efficiency and cost, driven by rock engineering input\nConduct and sign-off geotechnical modelling for mine design and sequence purposes\nConduct/contribute to feasibility studies for new on-mine projects\nLiaison with Manager Geotechnical to facilitate Governance\nResponsible for the rock engineering service at the Mine including Human Resources optimization and talent management\nBusiness and technical risk analysis.\nCross discipline (Mining, Planning, Safety, Geology, Hydrogeology and UG Geotechnical) input in mine planning\nSupport the overall operational management of the Mine.\nManage QA/QC of support and rockfall systems in conjunction with Manager Rock Engineering.\nCollection, analysis and database management of geotechnical rock mass data.\n3. People & Teams:\nImplement a purpose-driven, high-performing culture that is aligned with the company values, is inclusive and promotes diversity, supports engagement and fosters continuous improvement to work processes\nDevelop a high performing team through upskilling them in numerical modelling and best practice geotechnical design principles\nCoach, conduct Visible Felt Engagement and conduct training as required\n4. Compliance:\nEnsure compliance with internal and external regulatory, legislative and permitting requirements\n Grade 12 (Mathematics & Physical Science); or Technical Trade Specific N2\nLegal requirement: Chamber of Mines Rock Mechanics Certificate\nAdvanced Rock Engineering Certificate or MSc for the discipline would be desirable\nRegistration with a professionally recognised body (SANIRE, SAIMM, ECSA, SACNASP) would be desirable\nExperience:\nAt least 8 years’ experience in rock engineering/strata control\nSound knowledge to integrate with mining, Safety & Health, Legislation, ventilation, geology and planning disciplines\nExperience in managing a team of qualified rock engineering/strata control staff\nAbility to conduct geotechnical risk assessments, including evaluating rock bursts and groundwater-related risks.\nExpertise in using software tools to simulate and predict ground behavior in complex mining environments.\nProficient skill to translate complex geotechnical data into actionable insights and present findings in technical reports that guide mine design and operations.\nTechnical Skills:\nWorking knowledge of specialist rock engineering computer programs and models\nThe understanding of and experience in asset management principles around mining, equipment and associated operational / maintenance standards /philosophies will be required.\nSound knowledge pertaining to people management\nProject evaluation skills\nBusiness objects reporting skills\nSocial Process Skills:\nSelf-awareness, and of behaviours that successfully drive team performance and collaboration\nDemonstrate drive, determination, persistence, and commitment to apply other elements of capability work\n What We Offer\nAt Valterra Platinum, you will join a team committed to excellence and impact.\nWe offer:\nMeaningful work in a high-performance, values-led environment\nMarket-aligned reward and recognition\nOpportunities for learning, development and progression\nA culture that respects diversity and encourages innovation\nA clear commitment to safe Operations\nInclusion and Diversity\nValterra Platinum is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace where we value and respect every colleague for who they are and provide equality of opportunity so that everyone can fulfill their potential.\nValterra Platinum has a zero tolerance to dignity harm, these include all acts of gender-based violence, bullying, harassment and victimisation. Ensuring the safety of our employees extends beyond physical safety and includes the eradication of harmful behaviours from our workplace. This responsibility extends to everyone at Valterra Platinum both during work hours and outside of work. We are unconditional in creating a respectful, inclusive, and safe working environment to ensure that no colleague will be violated or harassed under our watch.\nHow to Apply\nTo apply for this role, please complete our online application form via this job advert.\nClosing Date\n16 November 2026","description_format":"text","description_chars":7249,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":8,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[{"language":"English","level":"All levels","optional":false}]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"South Africa","iso":"ZA","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Cybersecurity","Financial Services","Natural Resources"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-02T11:54:27Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":50,"band":"ok","label":"Likely open","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":0.578,"age_days":8,"expected_fill_days":8,"reasons":["conf:0","win:tail"],"computed_at":"2026-11-11T05:49:22Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/valterra-platinum-chief-rock-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/valterra-platinum-chief-rock-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-11T19:29:37Z","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":37778,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-12T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"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":2493294},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=2493294"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Fvalterra-platinum-chief-rock-engineer"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":2,"usd":0.2},"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%2Fvalterra-platinum-chief-rock-engineer"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"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%2Fvalterra-platinum-chief-rock-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/valterra-platinum-chief-rock-engineer\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Fvalterra-platinum-chief-rock-engineer"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3605863}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"valterraplatinum.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3605863},"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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