Supervisor - Drill and Blast Operations | West Musgrave | Perth | 5:2 Mon - Fri

About BHP and OZ Minerals

OZ Minerals is now proudly part of BHP, with the acquisition strengthening BHP’s portfolio in copper and nickel, helping to meet the worlds increasing demand for the critical minerals needed for electric vehicles, wind turbines and solar panels, to supporting the energy transition to a cleaner and more sustainable future.

In combining our two organisations we will be able to provide more options for growth, bringing new talent and innovation together to unlock these resources in a sustainable way, and deliver value to our shareholders and the communities in which we operate.

Our strategy has and will always be 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. As we work through this transitional period of bringing both organisations safely together, we know that some processes will take longer than others and for now we will be continuing to temporarily recruit roles for our West Musgrave project within the OZ Minerals recruiting platform.  

The Opportunity

Help us set up our newest, open pit mining project! West Musgrave will be one of the world’s largest, lowest cost, lowest emissions copper-nickel projects. You could be part of the team that helps to deliver this exciting mine, set within the Australian landscape. And we welcome anyone who’s seeking to make a real difference.

Our West Musgrave nickel-copper project is located on Ngaanyatjarra country, in the Musgrave Province of Central Western Australia, and includes the Nebo and Babel nickel-copper deposits and the Succoth copper deposit.

West Musgrave, which has a 26-year mine life, will be an owner-operator mining operation and in addition to being powered by ~80 per cent renewable energy, the Project scope includes a pathway to net zero Scope 1 emissions by 2038.

The Project will feature an Autonomous Haulage System and remote operations from day one and our workforce will be a flexible, technology enabled team supported by remote operations to improve safety outcomes and maximise opportunities for flexible working and diverse participation.  

About the Role

• Location: Perth, WA
• Roster: 5:2 Monday to Friday offering flexible hybrid work options 
• Reporting to: Mine Operations Superintendent
• Contract Type: Full Time Permanent 
• Pay & Benefits: We offer competitive Australian mining industry pay and benefits. We can talk about specifics later.  

The Details

Reporting to the Mine Operations Superintendent you will support the Operational Readiness activities required to ensure effective preparation and transition into drill and blast operations for the West Musgrave Mine which is apart of NiW growth strategy. 

In this role you will be responsible for leading, coach and enabling Production Technicians and Operators (Drill & Blast Crew) striving to embed best operating practices and continuous improvement. The main responsibilities will be ensuring the team is operating in a safe work environment as well as complying to relevant Drilling and Blasting Management plans.

This role will be 5:2 Perth based during the Operations Readiness phase, during this time ad hoc / interim site travel may be required. Following this, the role will transition into a site based role, FIFO 8/6 roster at the operational phase from early 2025.

You will play a key role in developing and strengthening a culture based on the How We Work Together (HWWT) principles and the West Musgrave We Care approach. We Care is a multilayered program through showing We Care at an individual (I), team (we) and community level (us), we aspire to earn a reputation as a place where people thrive. You will also communicate across the whole operations group, including Traditional Owners, and State representatives such as Mines Inspectors, supporting a transparent and proactive engagement strategy.

Leaving hierarchy at the door, you will build relationships with internal and external stakeholders and have a relentless focus on collaboration.

A champion of our How We Work Together Principles, identifying threats and opportunities is second nature. You thrive on innovation and seek out new ideas from your team and partners to create value. You will be confident to bring new thinking to old problems and challenge the status quo for a future mine site.  

Key responsibilities

This role forms an essential part of the Mining Operations Department and is responsible for the execution of the Drill and Blast activities outlined in the Mine Plan. The role will manage the day-to-day functions of all Drill and Blast Activities, this includes engagement with all the relevant mining and technical stakeholders and contractors. Initially this role also has the exciting opportunity of setting up the relevant Drill and Blast operational readiness activities and deliverables to execute an autonomous drilling greenfields mining operation.

The focus of this role is ensuring that the Drill and Blast teams safely execute the mine plan including defining opportunities to improve and risks to mitigate ensuring there is a consistent feedback look through drilling and blasting optimization.   

Core Deliverables:

• Managing the day-to-day workplace safety and supervision of the mine in accordance with the requirements of the workplace supervisor under the Mine Safety and Inspection requirements
• Lead by example and oversee the day-to-day operations of the drill and blast teams.
• By routine, personal inspection and daily interactions, monitor performance of equipment and compliance with operating procedures and operating parameters.
• Maximise compliance with the operational plan by ensuring that all activities under the supervisor’s control are carried out in accordance with the operation plan and work instructions.
• Manage workloads and allocate duties across the production team to deliver the plan and ensure all development targets are achieved.
• Supervise the implementation of blasting requirements under the blasting management plan including explosives stock takes, magazine inspections and safe explosives handling practices.
• Supervise the implementation of the drilling requirements under the drilling management plan including execution of autonomous drilling practices.
• Coach field safety leadership instilling a positive safety culture in the Drill and Blast teams.

Application Requirements

Ideally as our successful candidate you will have:

• Experience in large scale open pit operations.
• Prior experience leading, coaching and mentoring employees to deliver on plan and building a competent and engaged team.
• Have a working knowledge of Mine Safety & Inspection Act & Regulations.
• Demonstrated commitment to continuous improvement.
• Experience in open pit blasting practices with PV271 and D65 rigs preferred but not essential.
• Experience in open pit EPIROC automated drilling platforms preferred but not essential.
• Experience in procuring and managing contracts
• A communicator with solid experience in promoting and strengthening the organisation's culture.
• Ability to impact and install a genuine We Care culture in the safety space.
• Strong organisational and time management skills with ability to multi-task, prioritise responsibilities and meet deadlines.
• Ability to influence and mentor at all levels and develop partnering relationships
• A professional, capable of delivering complex information effectively and with integrity
• Can quickly identify threats and opportunities and develop strategies to mitigate or capitalize on these
• Appropriate technical skills, and proficiency with applicable software packages.

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.

If you are already employed directly by BHP, please log in using your BHP email address or apply via our internal jobs portal.    

Supporting a Diverse Workforce

The size, stability and magnitude of our business not only provides significant opportunity for professional development, but also attractive salary packages with performance-based bonuses and a best-in-class employee share program. We know there are many aspects of our employees' lives that are important, and work is only one of these, so we offer benefits to enable your work to fit with your life. These benefits include flexible working options, a generous paid parental leave policy, other extended leave entitlements and parent rooms.  

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’s 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 are an Equal Opportunity employer and recognise 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 [email protected].

We reserve the right to commence recruitment proceedings immediately.

Reference – 74823