Expatriate - Senior Underground Geotechnical Engineer (Mali)

The Company

B2Gold is a low-cost international senior gold producer headquartered in Vancouver, Canada. Founded in 2007, today, B2Gold has operating gold mines in Mali, Namibia and the Philippines, a mine under construction in northern Canada and numerous development and exploration projects in various countries including Mali, Colombia and Finland. B2Gold forecasts total consolidated gold production of between 860,000 and 940,000 ounces in 2024.

Position

Senior Underground Geotechnical Engineer, Mali

Introduction

The Senior Underground Geotechnical Engineer will provide geotechnical and rock mechanics engineering support to ensure safe, productive, and cost-effective development of the Fekola Underground Mine project, and for successful long-term production.  This position is responsible for the design and operational management of stable excavations, ensuring appropriate ground support systems, practices and monitoring systems are in place to mitigate falls of ground and/or failure of excavations.

Location and Reporting Structure

Reporting to the Fekola Underground Project Manager, this position will be an 8/4 fly in-fly out rotation, based at the B2Gold Mali Fekola mine.

Responsibilities

• Geotechnical review of stope and development designs including mining sequence, backfill designs and auditing.
• Design and manage stability monitoring and implement ground control strategies to mitigate instability.
• Oversee geotechnical data gathering, geotechnical core logging, underground mapping and rock mass classification.
• Compile a geotechnical database with accurate and real-time data and conduct 2D and 3D geotechnical modelling and analyses and provide input into the structural model of the underground mine.
• Provide regular updates of geotechnical data and CAD entities for presentation on the development and stoping plans.
• Provide site-wide information and education on basic rock mechanics to improve the general knowledge of the team.
• Calibrate general empirical techniques to site-specific information.
• Design and recommend ground support systems, practices, auditing and appropriate mitigation factors.
• Collaborate with the Engineers and Geologists, providing input into excavation designs and scheduling to achieve stable excavations and safe ore reserve extraction.
• Work cohesively with, and support the underground geology team with geotechnical mapping, logging, interpretation and modelling.
• Demonstrate strong safety culture and visible felt leadership with the team whilst ensuring compliance with all B2Gold Safety, Health and Environmental policies and procedures.
• Maintain constructive and effective working relationships with B2Gold employees, contractors, and consultants.
• Other duties as required in support of Company objectives.

Competencies and Requirements

• A degree (bachelor or higher) in Mining, Civil or Geotechnical Engineering. Applicants with a degree in Geology plus relevant training and industry experience will also be considered
• Minimum 10 years of combined experience as an engineer and/or in operations in underground mining or tunneling projects with at least 7 years of rock mechanics / geotechnical experience in an underground setting
• Experience in a wide range of metalliferous geological, geotechnical and hydrogeological settings
• Hands on experience in developing Geotechnical Risk Analysis and Management to support short and long term mine plans
• Strong knowledge, expertise and understanding of underground mine stability especially in open and backfilled stopes, large underground tunnels and massive underground mining operations
• Significant experience and expertise in developing geotechnical models, structural models, numerical models; and associated processes, evaluations and outputs
• Highly developed interpersonal, presentation and communication skills with an ability to build excellent internal and external relationships
• Possess a strong knowledge in geotechnical and numerical modelling software, such as: DIPS, UNWEDGE, RS2, RS3 of Rocscience® and/or Map3D
• Proficient in mine design software: Deswik Suite
• Proficient in using drafting software: Autocad
• Previous experience with using photogrammetry equipment and software, e.g. Adamtech or Sirovision
• Valid driver’s license

Compensation

B2Gold offers a competitive compensation package, including salary to commensurate with experience, knowledge and skills, plus a comprehensive group benefits package for employee and their dependents.

Other

B2Gold requires employees to be fully vaccinated (and maintain fully vaccinated status), subject to applicable human-rights related exemptions and availability in candidate's home country.

B2Gold prioritizes local employment, supports empowerment initiatives and continuously works towards a people profile that matches the demographics of the respective national settings in which we operate, while appreciating our inclusive culture that attracts talent from around the world. As an equal opportunity employer, B2Gold values diversity and we encourage all qualified candidates to apply.

We thank all applicants for their interest in B2Gold Corp.; however, only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted. Interested candidates are kindly requested not to contact the hiring manager directly. Please follow the application process and apply directly on B2Gold's Careers site, which helps streamline the application process and ensures designated channels for communication. We appreciate your cooperation.