Manager Discovery North America

About BHP

At BHP we support our people to grow, learn, develop their skills and reach their potential. With a global portfolio of operations, we offer a diverse and inclusive environment with extraordinary career opportunities. Our strategy is to focus on creating a safe work environment where our employees feel strongly connected to our values and objectives, and where the capability of our people is key to our success. 

 
Come and be a part of this success!

Work Location

The work location of this role is flexible to be based out of our Corporate North America offices.

BHP offers relocation assistance to support the successful incumbent in transitioning, if required. Benefits offered as part of the relocation program include (but are not limited to) new home purchase assistance, temporary accommodations, home finding trip and a relocation allowance.

Purpose

The Manager Discovery is responsible for leading copper exploration programs to identify and advance high-quality opportunities that align with BHP’s global growth strategy. This role combines technical excellence, strategic thinking, and leadership to deliver discovery outcomes that create long-term value for BHP. 

The Discovery team works closely with the global Generative, Geoscience and Commercial teams to build a robust, quality portfolio of opportunities with the potential to significantly grow our copper resources.

The Discovery teams’ mandate is to assess and accelerate defined Camps to Discovery through disciplined, seamless collaboration with our Enabling teams (Operations, Health-Safety-Security-Environment, and Portfolio & Performance).

Come join a global team with a clear, focused, unified and visionary goal to make world class discoveries, aligned with our Purpose to “Bring People and Resources together to Build a Better World”.

About the Role

Exploration Strategy & Planning

• Develop and implement copper exploration strategies in priority districts.
• Identify and prioritize targets based on geological potential, risk, and value creation.

Technical Leadership

• Oversee geological interpretation, geochemical and geophysical data integration, and target generation reinforced by value potential.
• Ensure application of best-practice exploration techniques and innovative technologies.

Project Management

• Manage exploration programs from camp scale targeting through to drill testing and resource definition.
• Monitor budgets, timelines, and performance metrics to deliver projects safely and efficiently.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead multidisciplinary teams, fostering a culture of collaboration, best practices, and continuous improvement.
• Mentor and develop geoscientists and technical staff to build future capability grounded by geocentric, discovery driven mindsets.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Strong collaboration with internal exploration stakeholders (Generative, Operations, Health-Safety-Security-Environment, Excellence & Innovation including Subject Matter Experts and Data science)
• Cross functional collaboration with Business Development, Resource Centre of Excellence and External Affairs.

About You

Qualifications & Experience:

• Degree in Geology, Geoscience, or related discipline (postgraduate preferred).
• 15+ years’ experience in mineral exploration, with a strong track record in (porphyry) copper.
• Proven ability to lead discovery teams and driving programs to deliver high-quality opportunities.
• Strong understanding of mineral systems thinking.
• Demonstrable experience in project economics, from early to advanced stage exploration opportunities.
• Experience managing teams and complex projects across multiple jurisdictions.

Capabilities & Attributes:

• Strategic thinker with strong business acumen.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills.
• Ability to drive innovation and adopt new technologies in exploration.
• Commitment to safety, sustainability, and ethical practices.

Application Deadline

This posting will be active until 11:59pm CST on February 6, 2026.

About Our Process

At BHP, we are committed to employing individuals who align with the BHP Charter Values and meet the requirements of the role. As part of the recruitment process, there are a number of checks which may be conducted to demonstrate applicants’ suitability for a role including police/criminal background checks, medical, drug and alcohol testing, due diligence checks, right to work checks, and/or reference checks.  The outcome of these checks is not determinative of whether or not BHP decides to make an offer of employment.

Supporting a Diverse Workplace

At BHP, we know that we are strengthened by diversity. We are an Equal Opportunity employer that is committed to making BHP a safe and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and be at their best every day. We are focused on creating a workforce that is more diverse and represents the communities where we work and live. providing a work environment in which everyone is included, treated fairly and with respect. We recognize that true diversity includes gender, age, race, disability status, sexual orientation, religion, neurodiversity, education levels, and many more aspects of your identity. BHP is committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible for all. If you have a disability, we know that it may be helpful for us to adjust our process to make it equitable for your individual situation. If you would like to reach out to someone about your situation and our recruitment process, please email us at inclusion@bhp.com.

At BHP, we aim to unlock the enormous potential that diverse and inclusive teams bring to the workplace, to leave a strong legacy within and beyond our operations for the generations to come.