Senior Planning Manager

Premier Human Capital Corporation (Pty) Limited; Rustenburg; On-site; ZAR 1,800,000 - 2,400,000; Full time

Job summary

Premier Human Capital Corporation (Pty) Limited seeks a Senior Planning Manager to lead strategic mine planning for a major 3–5 year underground PGM project. The role requires hands-on site leadership, high-level scheduling, and cross-functional collaboration with geology, rock engineering, and production teams.

You will drive life-of-mine designs, manage multi-million Rand CAPEX/OPEX budgets, and ensure safety and MHSA compliance in a high-stakes environment.

Qualifications

• Academic qualification in Mining Engineering (BTech/BSc/BEng).
• Primavera P6 qualification and professional registration (MMC/ECSA) advantageous.
• Extensive senior-level mine planning leadership in underground mining.
• Experience in Platinum Group Metals (PGM) preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee LoM designs, schedules, and resource optimization for 3–5 year mine lifecycle.
• Lead on-site planning engineers; align geology, design, and operations.
• Develop and track integrated master project schedules with multi-year milestones.
• Manage CAPEX/OPEX budgets for mine planning workflows.
• Collaborate with Rock Engineering, Geology, and Production to optimize extraction.
• Uphold MHSA compliance and safety standards on site.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder mgmt

Budgeting

Risk analysis

MHSA compliance

Education

BTech/BSc/BEng in Mining Engineering

Tools

Primavera P6

Datamine

Deswik

Studio 5D Planner

Job description

Experience Level: Senior / Executive

Salary: Highly Competitive and Market-Related (Commensurate with depth of experience; negotiable for the right candidate)

Job Purpose

The Senior Planning Manager will take a highly visible, hands-on role in directing the short, medium, and long-term strategic mine planning operations for a major 3–5 year project lifecycle within an underground Platinum Group Metals (PGM) mining environment. This position requires a heavily seasoned industry expert with deep operational maturity to optimize resource extraction, manage complex long-term scheduling, and lead a dedicated on-site planning team to successfully steer the project from initiation to completion.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Mine Planning and Design: Oversee and execute comprehensive life-of-mine (LoM) designs, production scheduling, and resource optimization strategies tailored specifically to the 3–5 year project lifecycle.
• Hands-On Site Leadership: Provide direct, on-the-ground technical guidance to planning engineers, ensuring complete alignment between geological data, engineering designs, and daily operational execution.
• Project Lifecycle Scheduling: Develop, track, and maintain integrated master project schedules, implementing robust tracking mechanisms to ensure critical multi-year milestones are met without scope creep.
• Budgetary and Cost Control: Develop and manage capital and operational expenditure (CAPEX/OPEX) budgets related to mine planning workflows, tracking project expenditure tightly against approved multi-million Rand budgets.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner closely with Rock Engineering, Geology, and Production teams to mitigate risks, resolve complex technical challenges, and maximize extraction efficiency safely.
• Compliance and Safety Leadership: Foster a zero-harm culture on-site, ensuring all planning frameworks and engineering activities strictly adhere to the South African Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA) and corporate environmental standards.

Requirements and Qualifications

• Academic Qualifications: BTech, BSc, or BEng degree in Mining Engineering or a highly related technical discipline.
• Professional Certifications: Must be Primavera (P6) qualified. Valid professional registration (e.g., ECSA) or a Mine Manager’s Certificate of Competency (MMC) is highly advantageous.
• Professional Experience: Extensive, senior-level track record directing mine planning operations within large-scale underground mining operations. Specific experience within Platinum Group Metals (PGM) mining environments is highly preferred.
• Operational Maturity: A seasoned professional possessing the deep, battle-tested field experience necessary to navigate high-stakes operational challenges (ideally matching the leadership maturity of a 45+ demographic).

Key Skills and Competencies

• Advanced Technical Software: Exceptional proficiency in industry-standard mine planning and scheduling software (e.g., Datamine, Deswik, Studio 5D Planner) alongside advanced mastery of Primavera for project controls.
• Hands-on Leadership Style: A proactive, “boots-on-the-ground” approach with a proven ability to lead, mentor, and align diverse engineering and planning teams in high-pressure environments.
• Financial and Analytical Acumen: Strong commercial aptitude for budgeting, resource cost estimation, and analyzing complex technical/risk trends.
• Stakeholder Management and Negotiation: Excellent communication skills to manage external contractors, build consensus across technical departments, and present operational updates to executive committees.
• Resilience and High Integrity: Ability to work under pressure, maintain strict compliance and ethical standards, and make critical engineering decisions safely.