Director of Mining Strategy & Growth

Applied Research Associates, Inc.; Warrendale (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 165,000 - 235,000; Full time

Job summary

Neya is seeking a Director of Mining Strategy & Growth with a strong mining engineering background and proven success in customer engagement and cross‑functional leadership. You will shape strategy, lead multi‑year growth plans, and steer mining program development across defense and commercial sectors.

The role requires leadership in technical oversight, feasibility studies, and coordination across robotics, autonomy, sensing, and safety engineering to drive enterprise growth.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering, or Engineering Management or related field.
• 10–15+ years of experience in mining engineering, mining technology development, or underground operations.
• Demonstrated experience in business development, customer engagement, or program capture.
• Familiarity with mining technologies, automation, sensing, robotics applications, and safety‑focused engineering.
• Proven ability to lead teams, drive strategy, and influence organizational growth.
• Strong communication skills, including technical writing and presenting complex engineering concepts.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute strategic direction for mining technologies, underground operations, autonomy, sensing, and advanced engineering solutions.
• Identify opportunities and market gaps within DoD, commercial mining, research institutions, and international partners.
• Develop multi‑year growth plans, investment strategies, and capability‑building initiatives.
• Represent mining capabilities at industry events and with senior customers.
• Lead business development for mining‑related defense and commercial programs, including early engagement and capture.
• Drive capture strategies, bid/no‑bid decisions, and alignment of technical solutions with customer needs.
• Oversee proposal development: technical volumes, pricing inputs, and partner coordination.
• Provide senior technical guidance to staff on mining engineering topics and evaluation of feasibility studies.

Skills

Mining Engineering

Geological Engineering

Engineering Management

Business Development

Customer Engagement

Leadership

Program Capture

Communication Skills

Safety Engineering

Technical Leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Mining Engineering

Advanced degree preferred

Job description

Description

The Director of Mining Strategy & Growth is responsible for developing, expanding, and executing Neya’s mining-sector strategy across defense and commercial markets. This role combines technical mining engineering expertise with strategic business development, portfolio growth, and program leadership. The role identifies new opportunities, shapes early concepts, steers capture activities, directs mining-related technical work, and builds a cohesive capability area aligned with Neya’s long-term growth objectives.

Job Summary

The ideal candidate brings a strong mining engineering background paired with proven experience engaging customers, leading cross-functional teams, and securing new business in both defense‑adjacent and traditional mining environments.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Portfolio Development

• Define and execute Neya’s strategic direction for mining technologies, underground operations, autonomy, sensing, and advanced engineering solutions.
• Identify emerging opportunities and market gaps within DoD, commercial mining companies, research institutions, and international partners.
• Develop multi‑year growth plans, investment strategies, and capability‑building initiatives.
• Represent Neya’s mining capabilities at industry events, conferences, and strategic discussions with senior customers.

Business Development & Capture

• Lead business development for mining‑related defense and commercial programs, including early engagement, concept shaping, and customer relationship building.
• Drive capture strategies, bid/no‑bid decisions, teaming arrangements, and alignment of technical solutions with customer needs.
• Support and oversee proposal development: technical volumes, pricing inputs, partner coordination, and solution narratives.
• Maintain awareness of competitive landscape, funding lines, acquisition pathways, and emerging technology trends impacting mining operations.

Technical Oversight & Engineering Leadership

• Serve as a senior technical expert across mining engineering topics such as underground operations, geomechanics, automation, robotics integration, sensing systems, and safety engineering.
• Provide guidance to staff supporting mining‑related R&D, experimentation, modeling, and concept development.
• Review engineering deliverables for technical accuracy, quality, and alignment to program objectives.
• Lead or support feasibility studies, site assessments, risk analyses, concept design development, and technical evaluations.

Team Coordination & Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Mentor and support engineers working on mining and autonomy‑related projects; identify training and development needs to grow the capability area.
• Coordinate staffing, resource allocation, and technical support across projects within the mining portfolio.
• Collaborate closely with robotics, autonomy, sensing, mechanical, and software teams to drive integration across technical domains.
• Support project planning and risk management and offer leadership input into division operations and planning.

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Mining Engineering, Geological Engineering, Engineering Management, or related field; advanced degree preferred.
• 10–15+ years of experience in mining engineering, mining technology development, or underground operations.
• Demonstrated experience in business development, customer engagement, or program capture.
• Familiarity with mining technologies, automation, sensing, robotics applications, and safety‑focused engineering.
• Proven ability to lead teams, drive strategy, and influence organizational growth.
• Strong communication skills, including technical writing, customer engagements, and presenting complex engineering concepts.

Competencies

• Operates with enterprise-level independence and strategic authority in shaping mining‑sector growth and investment direction. in guiding capability development.
• Leads high‑impact capture efforts, drives pursuit of major strategic contracts, and directly influences multi‑year revenue growth.
• Provides senior guidance, thought leadership, and cross‑functional integration across diverse technical and business domains.
• Directly shapes organizational strategy, investment priorities, and enterprise‑level capability development.
• Demonstrates exceptional judgment, deep customer understanding, and authoritative technical leadership across mining strategy, autonomy, and advanced engineering.

Compensation

• Salary Range: $165,000–$235,000, based on qualifications and experience.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor of Engineering or better in Mining Engineering

Experience

• 10-15 years: 10–15+ years in mining engineering or mining technology; experience in business development, customer engagement, and capture; strong background in mining automation, sensing, robotics, and safety engineering; proven leadership in cross‑functional strategy, concept development, feasibility studies, and senior customer engagement.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities

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