Specialist Hydro-Geologist

Job Description:

As the Specialist Hydrogeology your responsibilities will include but not limited to:

• Manage a safe and healthy work environment where workers and contractors can deliver their outputs within a controlled risk environment.
• Keep potential environmental impacts within statutory requirements to ensure compliance.
• Active participation in VFLs, Risk Assessments and close-out of safety actions

Hydrogeology:

• Ensure dry and safe mining conditions by dewatering the pit.
• Keep the groundwater level below the mining level to maintain safe mining operations.
• Develop accurate and up-to-date hydrogeological models, including conceptual, numerical, and analytical models.
• Monitor and report hydrogeological parameters such as water levels, abstraction rates, water quality, well yields, rainfall, and more to manage the dewatering process effectively.

Water Management:

• Define the roles and responsibilities of professionals in a multidisciplinary team involved in water management and establish related KPIs.
• Incorporate common water sourcing/resources, essential drainage, shared aquifers, and multisource water consumers into local and basin-wide aspects of water management.
• Ensure surface and sub-surface water and wastewater discharge is consistent with basin-wide and community requirements.
• Update an operating site-wide water balance, including tailings and a mine water balance reflecting all sources and losses, monthly.
• Develop a water balance that supports long-term strategy and action plans for critical Life of Mine (LOM) water management risks and opportunities, including a plan to obtain related permits promptly, appropriately dealing with permit non-compliances, water security (for the catchment), water quality, and closure planning.
• Evaluate water demand over LOM, considering ramp-up and mine closure.
• Develop water infrastructure to support mine dewatering and water supply.
• Create a water use efficiency plan for managing water demand and conservation, minimising water use, abstraction, intensity and discharge, and increasing recycling and reuse.
• Manage water infrastructure maintenance (river diversion channels, stormwater runoff channels, and other infrastructure, de-silting, etc.).
• Develop a contaminant and plume/seepage monitoring and management plan, including promptly mitigating any water pollution event.
• Establish a documentation and data management system.
• Initiate proactive communication with all relevant external stakeholders to ensure effective monitoring and consistent performance evaluation against water quality goals and regulatory requirements for water use and quality.
• Develop proactive rain readiness plans to minimize operational delays.

People Management

• Optimize human resources in a way that the section delivers maximum output.
• Ensure work ethics is of such a nature that workers continuously strive towards improving their performance

Outputs:

• Effective mine dewatering/slope depressurisation strategy and implementation plan.
• Well yield capacity exceeds required abstraction rates.
• Annual updates of hydrogeological models.
• Groundwater monitoring network, Water Information Management System, and monthly reports.
• Interaction with Mine Planning.
• Adequate coverage of measured and potential dewatering impact zone.
• Technical input in external stakeholder engagement sessions/forums.
• Coordinate multi-disciplinary water team and deliver Water Management Plan.
• Water balances (groundwater, grey water, and process water).
• Water-related capital projects to support water management requirements.
• Develop water KPIs for operation.
• Maintain license to operate.
• Infrastructure Plan.
• Engineering Maintenance Plan.
• Environmental Management Plan.
• Surface Water Management Plan.
• WIMS.

This role is in Discovery & Geosciences (GEO) NC department on a Band 6 (D-Upper) level reporting to the Manager Geology.

Qualifications:

• BSc degree or equivalent in a relevant technical discipline (NQF7)
• BSc Honours degree or equivalent in a relevant technical discipline (NQF8) is preferred
• Registered member (full) of SACNASP/ ECSA
• SA Drivers Licence

Technical Knowledge

• 6 - 8 years of experience in hydrogeology and water management in large open-pit mining operations.
• Experience in large-scale mine dewatering systems.
• Experience in slope depressurisation systems.
• Experience in external stakeholder relationships such as DWS, regional water authorities, local municipalities, and surrounding landowners.
• Experience with site-wide water balances.

Closing Date:

• 14 November, 2026