About us

K92 Mining Limited are the owners the high-grade Kainantu Gold Mine in Eastern Highlands Province. Since commencing operations in 2016, we have delivered consistent production growth. More importantly, we have contributed significantly to the economy of Papua New Guinea, more than 90% of our employees and contractors are from PNG and our local education and skills development initiatives which include scholarships, traineeships and adult literacy programs continue to bring significant benefit the communities in which we operate. 

We are now transforming the operation with a new 1.2 mtpa process plant as well as extensive construction and expansion across site that will see us triple the output from our mine by 2027. In addition to our ongoing production success, we have an extensive exploration programme across our highly prospective tenement, making K92 a great place to build a long-term career.

About the role

Joining our growing exploration department, you will act as the operational bridge between the geologists who plan and direct exploration programmes and the field and drilling personnel who implement them. Reporting to Superintendent Exploration, the role receives day-to-day technical instruction from programme geologists, coordinates ground-level execution with drilling supervisors and field crews, and supervises sampling, logistics and safety compliance.

Key Accountabilities

Key accountabilities of this position include.

• Receive priorities, locations, methods, sequence and quality requirements from the responsible geologist and translate them into clear daily field tasks.
• Coordinate daily interfaces among geologists, drilling supervisors, survey, contractors, Senior Field Assistants and field crews.
• Monitor work against approved plans, report progress and variances, and obtain geological direction before changing scope, location or technical method.
• Prepare crew allocations, rosters, access, communications, equipment, consumables and daily field reports.
• Coordinate drill-site readiness, including access, collar pegging, pad and sump preparation, drainage, water, lighting, sample areas, environmental controls and rehabilitation.
• Liaise with geology, survey and the drilling supervisor during rig moves and set-up to confirm planned collar, dip, azimuth and site requirements.
• Observe drilling progress, core or sample recovery, water management, housekeeping and field safety; communicate issues to the drilling supervisor and geologist for action.
• Coordinate core and drill-sample movement, metre marking, orientation support, photography, registration and secure delivery without loss, contamination or mix-up.
• Check shift records, metres, downtime, consumable usage and contractor dockets for completeness before submission.
• Supervise soil, stream-sediment, rock-chip, channel, trench and other sampling to the geologist's approved locations, spacing, depth and methods.
• Ensure correct sample IDs, coordinates, descriptions, weights, bags, tags and seals, and maintain Chain-of-Custody through dispatch.
• Verify standards, blanks, duplicates and other QA/QC samples at the required frequency; report errors and coordinate corrective or repeat work as directed by geology.
• Reconcile physical samples with paper and digital registers, review dispatch documents and confirm laboratory receipt.
• Coordinate mapping and survey support, including traverses, outcrop or trench preparation, photographs, measurements and accurate location records.
• Lead pre-starts, toolbox meetings, Take 5/JSA activities and field inspections; reinforce required procedures and exercise stop-work authority where conditions are unsafe.
• Report hazards, incidents, environmental issues and community or access concerns promptly and support corrective actions.
• Maintain emergency communications, first-aid and evacuation readiness, and coordinate drills and field response arrangements.
• Coordinate mobilisation, camps, vehicle or helicopter loads, fuel, water, tools, sampling supplies, communications and inventory.
• Ensure equipment pre-starts, basic maintenance, defect reporting, waste control, spill prevention and progressive rehabilitation are completed.
• Supervise and coach the Senior Field Assistant, Field Assistants and local labour in safe field practices, sampling quality, equipment care, reporting and work discipline.
• Maintain regular communication with programme geologists and the Superintendent Exploration on progress, field conditions, risks, delays and resource needs.
• Respect the separate accountabilities of geology, drilling contractors and support functions; facilitate coordination rather than assume technical control of their work.
• Recommend practical improvements to field safety, logistics, sample quality, productivity and procedures.

About You

To be considered for this role, it is essential that you

• Grade 12 education or equivalent experience; a certificate in exploration, mining, geology, safety or frontline supervision is desirable.
• Current first-aid certificate and valid field-appropriate driver licence are desirable
• At least 8 years of mineral exploration field experience, including experience leading field crews.
• Practical experience with drilling support, drill-site logistics, core or sample handling, geochemical sampling, QA/QC and Chain-of-Custody.
• Sound understanding of the separate roles of programme geologists, drilling supervisors/contractors and field support personnel.
• Competence with GPS units, field records, sample registers, basic survey support, daily reporting and field equipment.
• Strong field HSE, environmental and emergency-response awareness and ability to work in remote conditions.
• Ability to plan and coordinate work, coach diverse crews, communicate clearly and escalate issues appropriately.
• Physically and mentally fit for remote fieldwork; able to speak, read and write English. Tok Pisin or local language capability is advantageous.

Life at K92 

K92 is an Equal Opportunity Employer, our commitment is to respect the rights of every individual to work to their highest potential, free from discrimination.  Our values of Collaboration, Accountability, Respect for others, Excellence and Safety are at the core of everything we do, and they are the foundation upon which our success has been built.

Our camp is well managed and provides residents with good, healthy meals made from locally sourced fresh produce as well as internet, cable tv and a gymnasium.

At K92, we want all employees to share in our success, so as well as a competitive salary, employees also participate in our long- and short-term incentive plans, we also provide employees with access to savings incentive programs, medical assistance and the option to salary sacrifice for certain expenses.

In addition to all of this, employees can also access our Wellbeing and employee assistance programs whilst working a friendly roster. 

THIS POSITION IS OPEN ONLY TO CANDIDATES WHO HAVE THE RIGHT TO LIVE & WORK IN PNG WITHOUT SPONSORSHIP