Manager – Open Pit Mining (FIFO to PNG)

New Porgera Limited; Brisbane; On-site; AUD 320,000 - 577,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

FIFO roster

Remuneration package

Career development opportunities

Job summary

New Porgera Limited is seeking an experienced Manager – Open Pit Mining to provide strategic and operational leadership for the open pit mining function, ensuring safe, cost-efficient delivery across drill and blast, load and haul and related activities.

You will lead the development and execution of strategies to optimise productivity, equipment utilisation and environmental performance, while building national capability and fostering a high‑performance, safe working culture across PNG

Qualifications

• Experience leading large-scale hard rock open pit mining operations.
• Proven ability to manage production, cost and safety performance.
• Strong leadership of diverse teams in demanding environments.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and operational leadership for open pit mining.
• Deliver production in line with short- and medium-term mine plans.
• Drive safety, environmental performance and cost efficiency.
• Develop and empower national workforce and leadership capability.

Skills

Open pit mining

Team leadership

Safety management

Strategic planning

Operational excellence

Education

Mining engineering degree

MBA (advantage)

Tools

CAT 777/789 haul trucks

Heavy mining equipment

300t–400t excavators

Job description

New Porgera Limited (NPL) is a company incorporated in Papua New Guinea and owns the Porgera Gold Mine in Enga Province. NPL is a joint venture between Barrick Gold Corporation, Zijin Mining, and the Papua New Guinea Government, combining global mining expertise with a shared commitment to responsible resource development and long-term value creation for Papua New Guinea.

The Porgera Gold Mine will employ nearly 3,000 Papua New Guineans at full production and, over its 30-year operating history, has contributed approximately 10% of Papua New Guinea's total annual exports, making it one of the country's most significant economic assets.

About the role

As Manager – Open Pit Mining, you will provide strategic and operational leadership for NPL's open pit mining function, with accountability for the safe, efficient and cost-effective delivery of mining activities across drill and blast, load and haul and associated operations.

You will be accountable for delivering production in line with short- and medium-term mine plans while ensuring operational performance supports NPL's broader business objectives. You will lead the development and execution of strategies that optimise productivity, equipment utilisation, costs and operational efficiency, while maintaining the highest standards of safety and environmental performance.

As a key member of the mining leadership team, you will work closely with Mine Planning, Geology, Mobile Maintenance and other key stakeholders to align operational priorities, optimise fleet performance, manage constraints and identify opportunities for continuous improvement. You will provide strategic advice to senior leadership and contribute to longer-term planning, operational strategy and business improvement initiatives.

You will have accountability for mining performance, including production, cost, productivity and operational efficiency. Using data and performance analysis, you will identify trends, manage risks and implement initiatives that deliver sustainable improvements without compromising safety or production.

A significant focus of the role will be developing organisational capability. You will lead, coach and empower your team, build leadership capability and support the development of a highly skilled and capable national workforce. You will establish clear accountabilities, promote a high-performance culture and ensure your team has the capability, systems and resources required to deliver safely and effectively.

Safety will be at the forefront of your leadership. You will set the standard for safe operating practices, ensure effective risk management and foster a culture where everyone takes personal accountability for safety. NPL operates in a complex and dynamic environment. The successful candidate will be a confident and resilient leader, capable of making sound decisions, managing competing priorities and delivering results while working effectively across operational, technical and corporate functions.

About you

You will be an experienced mining leader who combines strong technical expertise with strategic thinking, commercial awareness and a genuine commitment to people development. You will bring the confidence to lead a significant operational function, make sound decisions in a complex environment and hold yourself and others accountable for delivering safe, reliable and sustainable results.

You will be a visible and engaged leader who brings energy, initiative and ideas to the operation. You will establish clear expectations, build strong relationships across the business and create a culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.

To succeed in this role, you will bring proven management leadership experience in hard rock open pit mining, including responsibility for large-scale mechanised operations, production performance, cost management and diverse teams, ideally within a developing-country environment. 'Experience with 300t - 400t class excavators and CAT 777/789 haul trucks will be highly regarded, as will a demonstrated track record of developing local talent and building high-performing national teams.

You will demonstrate deep technical knowledge of open pit mining, together with strong understanding of safety, environmental management, operational risk and continuous improvement. Your leadership style will be collaborative, culturally aware and capable of building trust with employees, peers, senior leadership and external stakeholders.

Strong communication, influencing and stakeholder management skills are essential, together with the ability to operate effectively within Papua New Guinea's regulatory, cultural and community environment. You will embrace a ‘One Team’ approach and play an active role in developing NPL's future leadership capability. You will be committed to building a strong national workforce, transferring knowledge and establishing sustainable systems, standards and ways of working.

Why New Porgera

In return, you will be joining a world-class mining operation with the opportunity to impact the development and upskilling of our predominantly local workforce, combined with a team keen to learn and absorb knowledge. This offers a unique opportunity to further shape the department and improve NPL’s social performance and people knowledge.

You will be joining an operation that prioritises safety, leading a team toward best-in-class safety practices while contributing to the development of a highly capable national workforce - making a lasting impact on the industry.

This role is offered on a FIFO basis either from Papua New Guinea, Australia/New Zealand with a 21/14 roster on a contract basis with a highly competitive remuneration package.

This advert will close on the 23 October. To understand more about this position, please contact ***********@npltd.com

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