Sr. Drill & Blast Engineer

WHAT WE OFFER 

Your journey with Capstone Copper starts here. At Capstone, our people are the heart of our organization. We are focused on growth and are committed to unlocking the full potential of ourselves, our teams and our resources. We invest in our people to develop a skilled and engaged workforce, not only for today, but for the future. If you are looking for a purposeful, performance-driven and dynamic work environment, join us!

Pinto Valley is an open-pit copper mine located at the west end of the historic Globe-Miami mining district of central Arizona, approximately 80 miles east of Phoenix. Pinto Valley has been in operation since 1972 and has produced more than four billion pounds of copper. Acquired by Capstone from BHP in 2013, the mine is fully permitted through 2039 and a study is underway to potentially extend the mine life through 2050.

Our proximity to the Greater Phoenix metro area provides prospective employees with the option to live in communities such as Mesa, Apache Junction, Gilbert, Chandler, San Tan Valley, or Florence. Our location offers a unique work-life balance, blending the rewarding opportunities of the mining industry with easy access to the vibrant energy of Downtown Phoenix, making it an ideal choice for both individuals and their families.

Capstone employees are eligible for an extensive total rewards package, designed to support your physical, mental, financial, and emotional well-being. This package includes, but is not limited to:

• 401(k) Savings Plan – Eligible from day one. Employees may contribute up to 90% of eligible earnings, subject to IRS limits, with a dollar-for-dollar company match up to 6%, fully vested immediately.
• Retirement Boost – The company contributes 8.5% of eligible earnings, increasing to 14.2% after the employee reaches the applicable Social Security wage base limit, with 100% immediate vesting.
• Employee Share Purchase Plan – After three months, contribute 2% to 7% of your salary (max $5,000/year) to buy company shares, with a 50% company match, fully vested upon grant.
• Annual Short Term Incentive Bonus 
• We offer a 4-10's schedule Monday - Thursday. This position is 100% ONSITE. 
• Affordable Medical, Dental, and Vision benefits (effective on start date), including Telehealth options and additional supplemental insurances
• Disability and Life Insurance (effective on start date)
• Paid time-off, including vacation, holidays, sick leave, and parental leave
• Employee Assistance Program
• Internal progression opportunities
• Tuition reimbursement
• Discounted insurance plans for pets, automobiles and homes
• Additional Potential Benefits:
  • Relocation assistance available, with additional funds provided to cover tax liabilities

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES

• Manage and ensure all employees and contractors are working in compliance with all Pinto Valley Mine and MSHA safety guidelines and procedures.
• Ensure all activities are compliant with Company policies and procedures, federal and state regulations as well as local regulatory agencies.
• Strong collaboration and communication of plans and designs with various stakeholders.
• Supervise and control the design of the drilling platforms, ensuring compliance with safety and operation standards.
• Control the Blasting Protocol, evacuation plans, schedules, generation of meetings and attendees at blasting meetings.
• Control compliance by the contractors and vendors which PV is interacting in D&B matters.
• Control the development of the drilling patterns designs according to the technical definition in each blasting unit. (diameter, depth, etc.)
• Ensure the optimal fragmentation of the different materials destined for the processes established in our operation (leach, concentrator, waste, waste for buttress purpose, etc.).
• Control and optimize the usage of drilling consumables.
• Manage teams overseeing blasting and production drilling operations.
• Ensure the execution of the blasting warning and communication system.
• Manage the annual budget process of the resources for drilling and blasting services of the mine.
• Comply and respect the operating, risk prevention, environmental management and quality standards defined in the mine department.
• Manage assigned contracts by monitoring safety activities, expenses and service delivered.
• Ensure the QAQC of drilling and blasting.
• Manage the concept of continuous improvement by measuring and controlling management indicators, such as: Drilling effectiveness (ton/feet), blasting powder factor (gr/ton), utilizations and productivity of drilling fleets, over drilling, supplies expenditures, useful life and expenses on assigned contracts.
• Perform tests that allow us to improve our processes.
• Generate and control the budget and short-term budget.
• Develop technical studies to ensure high performance of drill and blast process in a sustainable way, considering fragmentation, fines percentages, vibration analysis and damage criteria as PPV critical, pre-split filter, among others.
• Connecting with Geotechnical engineer to develop modeling blasting units in the ore deposit.
• Participate actively in the mine sequence review in different scope of mine planning process, ensuring feasibility and acceptable achievable level of this sequence, considering:
  • Different types of blast (trim, production, secondary and pre-split),
  • Typical stages of the D&B process to mine properly (Patter dimensions, timing to generate patterns, timing to drill patterns, blasting and loading interaction).

POSITION REQUIREMENTS

Required:

• 5 to 10 years of mining experience.
• Bachelors in Mine Engineering, required. 
• Masters in Mine Engineering, preferred but not required. 
• Knowledge of drill-blast-load-haul open pit mining sequence is preferred.
• Prior experience in a copper operation strongly preferred.

Key Competencies / Skills:

• Experience with MineStar or similar fleet management system.
• Experience with SAP or similar purchasing program.
• Prior exposure to mine planning software (Vulcan, Minesight) is preferred.
• Prior exposure to blast loading and timing software (ViewShot, Delta E) is preferred.
• Strong computer skills with Microsoft Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.)
• Strong attention to detail.
• Quick learner with proactive mindset.
• Proven ability to identify problems and devise solutions.
• Excellent communication, analytical, management and problem-solving skills are required.
• Ability to speak, comprehend, read, and write English fluently.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

• This role is generally 50% office environment and 50% field environment.
• Must have ability to stand and walk for short durations, including walking up and down stairs and across uneven surfaces.
• Must have ability to kneel, crawl, stoop, and squat, occasionally in confined spaces.

All candidates will be required to complete a pre-employment medical exam, drug and alcohol test, and background check. All positions require a pre-placement physical examination to ensure candidates are 'fit for duty’. Additional training and/or testing may be required. Capstone maintains a drug and alcohol-free workplace.

CAPSTONE COPPER IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.