Principal Engineer, Geotechnical

Ready to build a rewarding career in an industry that is growing?

We are Vale Base Metals – a global supplier of the critical minerals transforming the future. With industry-leading reserves of copper and nickel in Canada, Brazil, and Indonesia, and state-of-the-art infrastructure in the U.K., Canada, and Japan, VBM delivers a secure and responsible supply of high-quality products to customers across Europe, the Americas, and Asia.

Global demand for critical minerals is growing exponentially. From energy to aerospace, batteries to magnets, robotics to artificial intelligence, a secure and responsible supply of critical minerals is fundamental to power modern technologies. And at Vale Base Metals, we are transforming our business to provide a secure and responsible supply of these minerals.

Join our diverse team of 13,000 talented individuals committed to providing mineral security to a world in transition. We invite you to put your skills to work, driving meaningful and enduring change while enjoying a rewarding career.

We are currently seeking a Principal Engineer, Geotechnical to join our technical leadership team (CTO Mining and Geotech) in Sudbury, Ontario. This is a permanent position reporting to the Head of Mining Geotechnical, Vale Base Metals.

As a Principal Engineer, Geotechnical you will act as a second line of defence (2LD) subject matter expert (SME), working closely with the operations in establishing, maintaining, communicating, and continuously improving geotechnical governance frameworks, assurance programs, and technical standards that support safe and efficient operations of our underground and open pit mines. In addition, you will act as an independent SME in reviewing annual Life of Asset Plans (LoAP) and technical studies across VBM, ensuring that deliverables meet Vale’s specifications.

• Ensure that the VBM’s Critical Risk Management system remains effective, including:
  • Master critical controls (CC) and bowties for geotechnical Material Unwanted Events (MUE) and their applications in the field.
  • Participate in Hazard Identification and Risk Assessments (HIRA).
  • Work with mine operations, 1LD personnel and CC owners to ensure that CCs remain functional.
  • Communicate risk management expectations to mine operations.
• Assist with reviews of existing and development of new standards and procedures.
• Review assets’ Ground Control Management Plans (GCMP) and Mine Design Packages (MDP), ensuring implementation of the industry’s best practices and standards.
• Review Management of Change (MOC) activities/processes as technical SME.
• Participate in Geotechnical Review Boards (GRB), ensuring that geotechnical work conducted by operations is adequate and resulting actions are specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and timebound.
• Participate in Integrated Operational Assessments (IOA), ensuring that current practices comply with VBM’s standards and that resulting actions are specific, measurable, actionable, realistic and timebound.
• Assist the operations in completing the actions from GRBs and IOAs.
• Carry out mine Operation Checks, engaging with the site’s ground control department with the focus on ground conditions, design, planning, monitoring, performance, safety, hazard management and opportunities.
• Participate in significant incident investigations related to geotechnical MUEs, ensuring that the resulting action plans are implemented properly and on-time.
• Review LoAPs, assessing mining methods, underground openings, pillars, and slope designs, ensuring that technical assumptions, implementation and achievability are sound and documented.
• Review the results of FEL studies, acting as an independent SME.
• Assist with the development, mentorship and training of ground control technical personnel at VBM.
• Develop and implement technology / continuous improvement projects with mine operations.

• Competitive compensation including a variable annual incentive plan
• Participation in a competitive Defined Contribution Pension package
• Comprehensive benefits package (company paid core coverage, health and dental coverage, flex accounts, disability plans and…