Field Operations Supervisor I, DRC

About the role

The mining industry has steadily become worse at finding new ore deposits, requiring >10X more capital to make discoveries compared to 30 years ago. The easy-to-find, near-surface deposits have largely been found, and the industry has chronically under-invested in new exploration technology, relying on the manual techniques of yesteryear - even as demand accelerates for copper, lithium, and other metals to build electric vehicles, renewable energy, and data centers. KoBold builds AI models for mineral exploration and deploys those models-alongside our novel sensors-to guide decisions on KoBold-owned-and-operated exploration programs. In the six years since founding, KoBold has become by far both the largest independent mineral exploration company and the largest exploration technology developer. Our data scientists and software engineers, who come from leading technology companies, jointly lead exploration programs with our renowned exploration geologists. KoBold has proven its first discovery with materially less capital than the industry average and found one of the best copper deposits ever discovered: the copper is far more concentrated than the global average of copper mines, and this asset alone is expected to generate meaningful revenue for decades. KoBold has a portfolio of more than 60 other projects, each of which has the potential for another high-quality discovery. KoBold is privately held; investors include institutional asset managers T. Rowe Price and Canada Pension Plan Investments; technology venture capitalists Andreessen Horowitz, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, BOND Capital, Durable Capital, StepStone, and Standard Investments; and natural resources companies Equinor, BHP, and Mitsubishi. In the role of Field Operations Supervisor I, you will support the planning and execution of our field activities in the DRC to meet our business objectives without causing harm to our people, our contractors and partners, or the communities and environments where we operate. You will report to the Field Operations Lead or Manager, DRC and also work closely with other members of the operations and exploration team. Your primary responsibility will be to provide on-the-ground operational support for exploration programs in the Manono region and potentially other DRC project sites. This is a foundational role within KoBold's Field Operations team, designed for professionals who are early in their careers and eager to develop the specialized skills required to plan and execute complex exploration programs. You will gain exposure to a diverse range of field operations-from drilling campaigns and geophysical surveys to camp management and civil works-while building the judgment, technical knowledge, and collaborative instincts that define a successful Field Operations professional at KoBold.

Responsibilities

• Plan
• Support planning of lower-complexity projects (all-weather access, lower risk, lower spend profile) under the direction of senior Field Operations staff
• Assist in the development of project scopes, cost estimates, risk assessments, and procurement activities
• Participate in project kick-offs with integrated teams and contractors, contributing to scope definition, execution strategy, and risk management discussions
• Assist in AFE drafting in collaboration with KoBold's science teams
• Support
• Participate in contractor inductions, ensuring alignment with KoBold's safety and operational standards
• Support day-to-day operations: assist with daily safety meetings, risk assessments, incident management, and contractor performance monitoring
• Follow established safe work practices and ensure adherence by contractors and field personnel
• Provide daily reports including safety, cost, and production updates to the Field Operations Lead or Manager
• Understand and participate in Emergency Response Plan activities including mock exercises and reporting
• Close
• Assist in project close-out activities, including site remediation and rehabilitation per applicable DRC regulatory standards
• Contribute to lessons learned reviews covering safety, quality, cost, and schedule performance
• Develop
• Build foundational understanding of exploration operations, logistics, and safety
• Think critically about day-to-day field activities and ask questions to deepen understanding of how individual tasks support broader project objectives
• Seek out opportunities to learn from science team members, including Geologists and Data Scientists
• Compliance and Stakeholder Engagement
• Support execution within regulatory compliance, monitoring, and reporting in accordance with applicable DRC mining, environmental, and land use legislation (including the Mining Code and Mining Regulations), and the practices of our joint venture partners
• Ensure execution is done within applicable permitting processes, land access agreements, community relations, and third-party agreemen

Additional Information

Field Operations Supervisor I

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