Tailings Facility Engineer

About this position

The Éléonore mine relies on modern filtered tailings management technology, with tailings deposited in the immediate vicinity of the ore processing and concentration activities. This process offers the selected engineer a stimulating technical environment and the opportunity to contribute directly to tailings management aligned with industry best practices.

Reporting to the Technical Services Manager, the Tailings Facility Engineer ensures that the facility maintains the performance expected by the Designer, in full compliance with the approved design and regulatory requirements, throughout its life cycle. He/she is responsible for the engineering, monitoring and coordination of the works, in collaboration with consultants, the Engineer of Record (EOR) and the site teams.

Key responsibilities

• Ensure the engineering and integrity monitoring of the filtered tailings facility: compliance with the approved design and rigorous application of the management-of-change process.
• Promote a strong safety culture and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and tailings management best practices (MAC Tailings Management Protocol, GISTM).
• Plan, lead and interpret the geotechnical and hydraulic instrumentation monitoring program (piezometers, cells, displacement monitoring points): data collection, management and analysis, setting of alert thresholds and production of monitoring reports.
• Oversee hydrology and water management: water balance, collection and polishing pond, contact water, drainage networks and flow management.
• Lead or support the design of expansion phases, raises and related structures: filtered tailings deposition area, dikes and berms, water management structures and access roads.
• Supervise construction works and the construction quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) program: monitoring plan, testing, conformance to design and preparation of the as-built records.
• Manage the mandates, deliverables and performance of external consultants, in particular the Engineer of Record (EOR).
• Coordinate the geotechnical investigations and laboratory testing required for design and performance monitoring.
• Monitor granular material storage areas and borrow areas for construction materials: planning, volume and inventory management, quality control and compliance.
• Keep the Operation, Maintenance and Surveillance (OMS) manual and the facility's operating procedures up to date.
• Contribute to the emergency response plan, dam-breach analyses and facility risk assessments, in collaboration with the Designer and the Independent Tailings Review Board (ITRB).
• Produce dam-safety surveillance and monitoring reports for the retaining structures and coordinate ITRB meetings (documentation, presentations and follow-up on recommendations).
• Contribute to long-term planning (life-of-mine, five-year plans) and to the preparation of operating and sustaining-capital budgets.
• Collaborate with the operations, environment, mine geotechnical and health-and-safety teams, and manage the budgets of professional services and contractors (drilling, instrumentation, construction).

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in civil, geological, geotechnical or a related engineering discipline (accredited program, including soil mechanics and foundation engineering courses); master's degree in geotechnical engineering (asset)
• Member in good standing of the Ordre des ingénieurs du Québec (OIQ), or eligible in the short term
• 5 to 7 years of relevant experience in geotechnical engineering applied to dams or tailings facilities
• Experience with filtered tailings management (strong asset)
• Experience with instrumentation and slope-stability monitoring programs (piezometry, displacements) and geotechnical data analysis
• Knowledge of geotechnical, hydrological and hydraulic engineering principles applied to retaining structures
• Knowledge of the MAC Tailings Management Protocol (TSM) and the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) (asset)
• Proficiency with relevant software (MS Office suite, AutoCAD; stability and seepage analysis software an asset)
• Proficiency in French required; English an asset

Skills

• Health and safety leadership and the ability to mobilize teams and partners
• Analytical mindset, rigour and strong organizational skills
• Autonomy and sense of responsibility in a role with high technical accountability
• Excellent communication skills and the ability to convey technical information clearly
• Aptitude for project and consultant management
• Good physical condition allowing field work in a mining environment

Working conditions

• Schedule: fourteen (14) days of work followed by fourteen (14) days off
• Éléonore mine site (Fly-in, Fly-out from Montréal, Chibougamau, Matagami, Rouyn-Noranda, Val-d'Or and Wemindji)
• Regular full-time position