Senior Tailings Engineer

Knight Piesold; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel opportunities

Subsidised gym memberships

Training & development

Long service leave

Employee Assistance Programme

Job summary

Knight Piésold is seeking a Senior Tailings Engineer to join the Melbourne team. You will lead project planning, deliver technical reports, and coordinate with clients on tailings and geotechnical projects across Australia and internationally.

Ideal candidates have 10+ years in tailings/mine waste, strong analytical and leadership skills, and proficiency with GeoStudio, RocScience, and other geotechnical tools. This role involves field site visits and mentoring junior staff.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years’ experience on tailings/mine waste projects, locally or internationally, in a consulting environment.
• Analytical and problem‑solving skills with ability to work with stakeholders.
• Excellent communication, reporting and leadership capabilities.
• Proficiency in MS Office and slope stability programs; familiarity with geotechnical design tools.

Responsibilities

• Lead project planning and deliver technical reports, coordinating client-contractor requests with senior support.
• Manage small to mid‑sized projects and mentor junior staff.
• Interpret lab results and prepare concise summary reports.
• Develop basis for soil strength parameters from lab and field data.
• Perform design analyses for tailings storage facilities with senior guidance.
• Conduct stability, seepage analyses, including beach modelling, and coordinate with other group members.
• Support across offices, ensure clear communication with clients and stakeholders.
• Participate in field work including remote mine site visits and QA/QC activities.
• Identify safety hazards and report OH&S and environmental incidents.
• Deliver technical reports on time and support construction oversight.

Skills

Tailings engineering

Stakeholder management

Analytical skills

Leadership

Education

Engineering degree (Geotechnical or Civil)

Tools

GeoStudio

RocScience

MUK3D

GoldSim

gINT

FLAC

PLAXIS

Civil 3D

Job description

Knight Piésold is a specialised international consulting firm offering engineering and environmental services in Mining, Environment, Hydropower, Water Resources, and Roads & Construction Services. We are proud of our long-standing relationships with our clients and of delivering exceptional services on a global scale.

We have a significant track record of projects across Australia, Asia, Africa, and South America. With 29 offices in 16 countries and over 100 years of experience, we work on projects that are geographically and technically diverse. These projects are long-term and offer stability for those wanting to establish a sustainable and rewarding career.

The Role

In order to support our continued growth, we are seeking applications from Senior Tailings Engineers to join our Melbourne team. Some of the key responsibilities may include:

• Responsible for project planning, preparation of technical deliverables (such as proposals and reports), and the coordination of client-contractor requests with some senior support.
• Project Management on small to mid-sized projects.
• Interpreting results from laboratory testing and preparing summary reports.
• Developing a basis for defensible soil strength parameters, using laboratory and field results.
• Undertaking screening level and detailed design analyses to support the design of tailings storage facilities and other earth structures, with support and guidance from our senior specialists.
• Undertaking design assessments, including tailings beach modelling, and stability and seepage analyses.
• Working with and providing support to other members of the group as well as mentoring of junior staff, as required.
• Working with other professionals in project teams and other offices.
• Ensuring effective communication between clients and internal project stakeholders;
• Conduct general field and office assignments under supervision.
• Travelling to remote mine sites to complete site inspections, supervise geotechnical investigations, complete QA/QC activities and oversee the construction of tailings storage facility designs.
• Identify safety hazards and report OH&S and environmental incidents.
• Delivering technical reports on time.
• Mentoring of junior staff.

About You

Our ideal candidate will be degree qualified in Engineering with either Geotechnical or Civil specialisations, and will possess:

• minimum 10 years’ experience working on tailings/mine waste related projects locally or internationally, ideally in a consulting environment.
• Intermediate to well established analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated ability to maintain strong relationships with stakeholders.
• Proficiency in MS Office, slope stability programs (e.g., GeoStudio and/or RocScience) required, MUK3D and GoldSim. Familiarity with gINT, FLAC or PLAXIS and other latest geotechnical design software strongly preferred. Knowledge of Civil 3D is an asset.
• Excellent communication, reporting and leadership skills.
• In-depth knowledge of ANCOLD guidelines and GISTM.

What We Can Offer

Knight Piésold offer excellent remuneration packages and a competitive range of benefits including:

• Unique opportunities to travel that take you on a career enhancing experience and adventure.
• Subsidised gym memberships / fitness classes.
• Training and development opportunities to develop and strengthen your skills.
• Early access to long service leave; and
• Access to our Employee Assistance Programme

If you believe you have most of the skills and experience outlined above, we would love to hear from you!

For further information please visit our website: www.knightpiesold.com

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, please note that only shortlisted applicants will be contacted.