The challenge that awaits you

As a Principal Operational Readiness, you will provide Operational Readiness leadership across a sub-portfolio of investments or a single critical investment. You will support the Operational Readiness Manager and Area Lead Manager in the execution of Operational Readiness activities within a broader project portfolio, ensuring a safe, efficient, and seamless transition from project delivery into operations. As an individual contributor, you will leverage your technical expertise, stakeholder engagement capability, and project leadership skills to embed operational requirements throughout the project lifecycle and maximize long-term value outcomes.

You will play a key role in ensuring operational considerations are incorporated into project design, execution, commissioning, handover, ramp-up, and stabilization activities, while promoting safe performance, risk-informed decision-making, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, optimize, and govern asset and maintenance strategies to drive continuous improvement, replicate best practices, and optimize long-term value across assets and equipment.
• Apply a strong understanding of operational systems, activities, workflows, key processes, terminology, and handover risks to support successful project outcomes.
• Develop Operational Readiness plans, schedules, and deliverables, evaluating systems and procedures for compliance and defining training and handover requirements required to prepare assets for operation.
• Verify construction methodologies and provide advice on engineering decisions in alignment with project, construction, commissioning, and engineering standards.
• Provide discipline-specific technical expertise and leadership to meet technical expectations and operational objectives.
• Build, engage, and manage effective relationships with a diverse range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Identify and assess risks, support risk-informed decision-making, and contribute to a strong risk-aware culture that enables safe and productive performance.
• Plan, monitor, and manage project activities to deliver value and achieve project outcomes.
• Conduct analyses and provide evidence-based recommendations to support effective business and project decisions.
• Design and implement governance, assurance, and Management of Change practices to protect value and manage project outcomes.
• Embed key operational requirements, operational value drivers, and operational inputs into project scope, design, execution, and handover planning.
• Ensure ramp-up planning and stabilization support requirements are incorporated into project plans.
• Ensure Operational Readiness costs and schedules are integrated into project master plans and budgets.
• Maintain up-to-date and representative operational inputs to support project scope definition and decision-making processes.
• Ensure operational impacts are considered during value optimization and alternative evaluation processes across projects and portfolios.
• Manage the availability and allocation of Operational Readiness resources required to deliver project objectives successfully.

What you will bring

• Relevant experience in Project Management and/or operational site environments.
• A diverse professional background demonstrating strong critical thinking, problem-solving capability, and the ability to proactively identify and resolve issues.
• Strong understanding of safe operations and safe work practices, with the ability to perform effectively in dynamic and uncertain environments.
• Proven ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining a high level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Excellent communication, engagement, and influencing skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships across a broad stakeholder network.
• Experience in tailings thickening and transport processes, ideally gained through growth projects related to tailings management.
• Solid understanding of unit processes, operational environments, electromechanical equipment, operating costs, and operational philosophy.
• Degree qualification in Metallurgical Engineering or Chemical Engineering.
• Trade Certificate and Project Management Certification.
• Tertiary qualification in Engineering, STEM, or Business disciplines will be advantageous.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management, relationship-building, strategic thinking, planning, and time management capabilities.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across multiple teams, stakeholders, and business functions with diverse priorities and requirements.

What makes this opportunity unique

This role offers the opportunity to influence complex projects from concept through operational handover, ensuring operational excellence, safety, and value creation are embedded at every stage. You will contribute your technical expertise to critical tailings-related growth projects while collaborating with a broad network of technical and project professionals to drive successful operational outcomes.