Mining Superintendent – Underground Narrow Vein Gold Mine

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced and hands-on Mining Superintendent to lead the safe and efficient restart of an underground narrow vein gold operation in Papua New Guinea. The operation is transitioning from care and maintenance into active production, with immediate focus on dewatering, rehabilitation of existing drives, ground support upgrades, and staged ramp-up of development and production activities.

This is a leadership role requiring strong underground technical capability, operational discipline, and the ability to build and mentor a high-performing team in a challenging and remote environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Operational Leadership

• Lead all underground mining operations during restart and ramp-up phases.

• Develop and execute detailed dewatering, rehabilitation, and development plans.

• Ensure safe re-entry and rehabilitation of historical workings.

• Establish production schedules aligned with business targets.

• Monitor performance against KPIs (development metres, availability, costs, safety metrics).

• Assist in shaping a high-performance and safety-focused culture across the business.

Dewatering & Mine Re-Entry

• Oversee staged dewatering strategy, pump installation, and water management systems.

• Ensure safe access to flooded levels and previously inactive workings.

• Identify and manage geotechnical and ventilation risks associated with re-entry.

Rehabilitation & Ground Support

• Direct scaling, re-support, and rehabilitation of drives and declines.

• Ensure ground support standards are appropriate for narrow vein, potentially high-stress environments.

• Work closely with geotechnical and geology teams to manage ground conditions and ore control.

Development Ramp-Up

• Establish efficient jumbo, airleg, and/or narrow vein development cycles.

• Optimise drill and blast practices for minimal dilution.

• Coordinate ventilation extensions, services installation, and infrastructure upgrades.

• Transition from rehabilitation phase into steady-state ore development and production.

Safety & Compliance

• Promote a strong safety culture aligned with PNG regulatory requirements.

• Ensure compliance with PNG mining regulations and company standards.

• Lead hazard identification, risk assessments, incident investigations, and safety improvement initiatives.

• Ensure underground emergency response systems and procedures are maintained, tested and effective.

Team Leadership & Workforce Development

• Build and lead a competent underground operations team.

• Mentor local supervisors and workforce.

• Support training and upskilling of national employees.

• Coordinate with maintenance, geology, planning, and processing departments.

• Step in as Second-in-Command (2IC) to the Mining Manager when required

• Cost & Contractor Management

• Manage underground operational budgets.

• Oversee contractors involved in dewatering, rehabilitation, or development, ensuring compliance with contractual scope, KPIs, and commercial terms

• Ensure cost-effective use of labour, equipment, and consumables.

Key Duties

• Prepare and implement short-, medium-, and long-term mine plans in association with the Mine Technical Services Team.

• Conduct regular underground inspections.

• Lead daily and weekly underground production meetings.

• Review daily shift reports and production data.

• Manage equipment deployment and availability.

• Coordinate ventilation, pumping, and services infrastructure.

• Participate in senior leadership meetings and strategic planning.

• Develop contingency plans for water inflows, ground instability, and equipment limitations. Manage the identification and procurement of underground mining consumables.

Required Experience & Qualifications

Essential

• Minimum 10–15 years underground mining experience.

• At least 5 years in a senior supervisory or superintendent-level role.

• Proven experience in underground mine restart, dewatering, or rehabilitation projects.

• Strong background in narrow vein gold mining.

• Experience in remote or developing country operations (preferably PNG or similar environments).

• Demonstrated leadership and workforce development capability.

• Strong safety and risk management track record.|

Highly Desirable

• Experience in mechanised narrow vein mining.

• Exposure and experience of hand-held mining.

• Familiarity with high rainfall, high groundwater environments.

• Previous experience managing contractor mining teams.

• Exposure to tropical climate operational challenges.

• First-hand knowledge of PNG regulatory framework.

Personal Attributes

• Hands-on, practical leader who leads from the front.

• Strong communicator across multicultural teams.

• Decisive and calm under pressure.

• Adaptable to remote living conditions.

• Results-driven with a strong operational focus.

Who Should Apply?

This role is ideal for:

• Experienced underground mining professionals who have led restart projects.

• Superintendents or Senior Mining Engineers ready to step into broader operational leadership.

• Individuals motivated by building a mine back into production from care and maintenance.

• Leaders committed to developing national workforce capability in Papua New Guinea.

• Candidates comfortable working in remote, challenging, and high-responsibility environments.

What We Offer

• Competitive remuneration package.

• FIFO roster of 19 days on, 9 days off.

• Opportunity to play a key role in reopening and shaping a long-life gold operation.

• Career-defining leadership opportunity in a technically challenging narrow vein environment.

If you are an experienced underground mining leader ready to drive the safe and successful restart of a narrow vein gold operation in Papua New Guinea, we encourage you to apply. Please send your CV to: akman.atilgan@conexusrecruitment.com. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.