UG Ventilation Specialist – RoW
Barrick Mining Corporation · Australia
UG Ventilation Specialist – RoW
Position Description
The Barrick RoW Team are seeking to recruit an UG Ventilation Specialist – RoW.
The UG Ventilation Specialist – RoW is a regional technical specialist responsible for providing expert underground ventilation support, governance and capability building across multiple mine sites in RoW. The role will work closely with site and regional teams to standardise ventilation practices, improve operational performance and ensure safe, compliant and efficient underground mining operations.
Duties & Responsibilities
- Actively encourage, motivate and demonstrate a culture of safety leadership.
- Provide assistance and expertise with the RoW UG Mining Management Operating System (MOS):
- Regional operational oversight to ensure a standardised approach to mine ventilation occurs that is considered industry best practice.
- Ensure underground mine plans capture, quantify and escalate where changes/variations are required
- Identification of any risks and opportunities that exist in the mining schedule
- Build technical capability and standards
- Develop regional ventilation standards and best practices and establish bi-weekly RoW ventilation review board.
- Provide Technical upskilling, training and guidance for team members where suitable
- Standardise software requirements through the use of the available VentSim packages.
- Align site activities to the business plan and broader business goals
- Provide governance for all UG operations that are realistic and achievable.
- Ensure execution of the agreed mining plan by operational teams in a safe, efficient and timely manner.
- Review, assess and drive operational performance improvements.
- Explore development opportunities.
- Assist in developing short-term budgets and cash flow forecasts for the region.
- Manage the operational performance of sites
- Provide technical guidance to the site and regional teams, spending time on ground and engaging regularly to track progress.
- Ensure optimal performance of underground operations whilst proactively addressing and overcoming potential obstacles.
- Provide guidance and direction to capital infrastructure projects.
- Promote safety standards across all operations, including contractors on site, in line with Barrick’s Journey to Zero Harm.
- Develop the capability of site leadership teams
- Build a relationship of trust and respect, and proactively performance manage with feedback and interventions to drive individual and team performance.
- Provide career growth opportunities for leaders and ensure adequate succession planning is in place.
- Support and mentor technical, professional and leadership development for operational based employees
- Act as a key interface between ExCo and underground sites
- Update the RoW ExCo as required, distilling important information and reporting on the sites’ UG technical performance against the business plan, including key challenges and necessary actions.
- Build and maintain Barrick’s License to Operate
- Working closely with key site personnel to drive engagements with host nation stakeholders, such as government agencies, local communities, and suppliers.
- Ensure awareness of differing requirements across all sites.
- Play a key role in the localisation of the workforce, bringing nationals through and managing their careers.
- Lead regional ventilation governance and assurance
- Conduct periodic site ventilation reviews, audits and gap assessments across RoW underground operations.
- Track ventilation compliance against internal standards, regulatory requirements, life-of-mine plans and operational risk controls.
- Develop and maintain a regional ventilation risk register, including key controls, corrective actions and follow-up plans.
- Own regional ventilation modelling standards
- Establish minimum requirements for ventilation modelling, scenario planning, data quality and model updates across sites.
- Review VentSim models and ventilation assumptions used in mine plans, production schedules, capital projects and feasibility studies.
- Support ventilation trade-off studies for mine expansions, production ramp-ups, infrastructure changes and new mining areas.
- Support short-, medium- and long-term mine planning
- Ensure ventilation designs are integrated into mine planning, sequencing, development schedules and production forecasts.
- Review ventilation capacity requirements against future production profiles and equipment fleets.
- Identify ventilation constraints that may impact production delivery, safety, heat load, airflow, diesel particulate exposure or emergency response readiness
Qualification Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Mining Engineering or a related engineering discipline.
- Postgraduate qualification, professional certification or specialised training in mine ventilation or a related field would be advantageous.
- Professional registration with a recognised engineering or mining authority would be advantageous.
Experience and Skills Requirements
- Minimum 10 years’ underground mine ventilation experience, ideally gained in mechanised hard-rock mining environments.
- Demonstrated experience providing technical ventilation support across multiple underground mine sites, preferably in a regional, group or corporate specialist capacity.
- Strong practical experience in the design, implementation, review and optimisation of primary and secondary underground ventilation systems.
- Advanced ventilation modelling capability, including experience using VentSim or similar mine ventilation software to support scenario analysis, mine planning and operational decision-making.
- Sound knowledge of underground ventilation standards, statutory requirements, occupational hygiene principles, air quality management, heat stress, dust and gas control, and emergency preparedness requirements.
- Experience developing standards, guidelines, audit frameworks, technical reports and improvement plans for underground ventilation systems.
- Proven ability to influence, coach and build capability in site-based technical and operational teams without direct line authority.
- Strong stakeholder engagement skills, with the ability to communicate technical risks, recommendations and performance insights to site leadership, regional teams and senior executives.
- Willingness and ability to travel regularly across RoW to support site reviews, audits, projects and capability-building activities.
What We Can Offer You
- A comprehensive compensation package including bonuses and site-specific benefits
- The ability to make a difference and lasting impact
- Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team
- Opportunities to grow and learn with the industry colleagues are endless
- Access to a variety of career opportunities across the organization
We are committed to a safe work environment sending every person home safe and healthy every day and leaving a sustainable legacy on our host communities.
Thank you for your application, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Our mission is to be the world’s most valued gold and copper mining business. We are committed to partnering with our host countries and communities to transform their natural resources into tangible benefits and mutual prosperity.
Barrick is a leading global mining, exploration and development company. With one of the largest portfolios of world-class and life-long gold and copper assets in the industry - including six of the world's Tier One gold mines - Barrick's operations an projects span 18 countries and five continents. Barrick is also the largest gold producer in the United States. We create real, long-term value for all stakeholders through responsible mining, strong partnerships, and a disciplined approach to growth. Barrick shares trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "B" and on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol "ABX".