Principal Mining Engineer

Mackinnon Bruce International; Leeds; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering consultancy in the UK is seeking a Principal Mining Engineer to lead mine planning and design efforts. The successful candidate will have a degree in Mining Engineering and at least 15 years of engineering and operational experience. Responsibilities include leading pit design, coordinating multidisciplinary teams, and mentoring junior engineers. Candidates should possess strong communication and leadership skills, and knowledge of underground mining will be an asset.

Qualifications

• 15 years of engineering and operational experience.
• Understanding of geotechnical, hydrogeological, and environmental constraints.
• Underground mining knowledge is an asset.

Responsibilities

• Lead pit design, optimization, and long-term scheduling.
• Coordinate inputs from geology, metallurgy, environmental and financial teams.
• Develop pit layouts, waste dumps, haulage profiles, and equipment selection.
• Build operating and capital cost models and assess operational risks.
• Support reviews of mining projects.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to technical reporting.

Skills

Deswik

Datamine

MineSight

Pit optimization tools (e.g., Whittle)

Leadership

Project management

Communication

Education

Degree in Mining Engineering or equivalent

Job description

We’re looking for a Principal Mining Engineer to join our clients team.

This senior role focuses on leading mine planning, design work, and contributing to technical studies and due diligence projects.

Key Responsibilities :

• Lead pit design, optimization, and long-term scheduling for scoping to feasibility-level studies.
• Coordinate inputs from geology, metallurgy, environmental and financial teams.
• Develop pit layouts, waste dumps, haulage profiles, and equipment selection.
• Build operating and capital cost models and assess operational risks.
• Support reviews of producing and development-stage mining projects.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to high-quality technical reporting (NI 43-101, JORC, PERC, SK-1300).
• Assist with proposals and client engagement.

Technical Skills :

• Strong experience with Deswik, Datamine, MineSight, and pit optimisation tools (e.g., Whittle).
• Ability to develop LOM schedules, productivity models, and fleet requirements.
• Understanding of geotechnical, hydrogeological, and environmental constraints.
• Underground mining knowledge is an asset.

What We’re Looking For :

• Degree in Mining Engineering (or equivalent).
• 15 years of engineering and operational experience.
• Strong communication, leadership, and project management skills.
• Ideally able to work from our UK office.