Underground Technical Competency & Skills Verification Lead - AME

Underground Technical Competency & Skills Verification Lead - AME

Position Overview

Barrick’s Africa & Middle East Region are seeking to recruit an Underground Technical Competency & Skills Verification Lead - AME.

The Regional Underground Technical Competency & Skills Verification Lead will be responsible for designing, implementing, and governing a standardized underground technical competency verification framework across the AME underground operations.

The role will lead:

• The development of robust technical competency checklists for key roles across the UG operations;
• Assessment standards;
Accreditation processes for key underground mining roles ranging from frontline operators to supervisors and frontline leadership teams.

The role will work closely with the steering committee consisting of the operational leadership, (CTO) technical teams, safety, HR, and Learning & Development functions to ensure technical capability standards align with operational excellence, safety performance, and sustainable workforce development objectives.

A key outcome of the role will be the successful implementation of a formal skills verification programme that categorises employees against defined competency standards as:

• Proficient
• Competent
Needs Development

The role will also support the establishment and ongoing governance of a regional Steering Committee consisting of the CTO function, Vice President Underground Mining, Vice President Safety, Vice President HR, and AME L&D representatives.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Competency Framework Development

• Design and implement a standardized and comprehensive underground technical competency verification framework/checklist for key underground mining roles.
• Develop detailed technical competency checklists and assessment tools for:
  • Underground Supervisors
  • Shift Bosses
  • Foremen
  • Jumbo Operators
  • Loader Operators
  • Truck Operators
  • Charge-up Operators
  • Development Crews
  • Production Mining Crews
  • Service Crew personnel
  • Dewatering and Ventilation-related roles
  • Shaft and Decline operational teams
  • Safe work execution
  • Technical operating capability
  • Equipment proficiency
  • Risk awareness
  • Leadership capability for supervisory levels
  • Critical control verification
  • Contractor management requirements•
Develop role-specific assessment matrices aligned to operational risk profiles and mining methods.

Skills Verification Programme Implementation

• Lead implementation of the pilot skills verification programme at Kibali.
• Define competency rating criteria and calibration standards for assessors.
• Establish standardized verification methodologies including:
  • Workplace observation
  • Practical demonstration
  • Task-based assessments
  • Knowledge verification
  • Safety-critical task assessments
  • Ensure assessments are objective, auditable, and repeatable across all AME operations.
  • Develop competency gap identification and development pathways for employees requiring improvement.
  Support operations in integrating competency verification into workforce planning and succession planning processes.

Assessor Accreditation & Capability Building

• Design and implement an accreditation process for site-based assessors.
• Train and mentor operational personnel to conduct effective competency assessments.
• Ensure assessors understand:
  • Minimum Technical standards
  • Assessment consistency
  • Behavioural observation techniques
  • Safety-critical competency evaluation
  • Documentation and evidence requirements•
Conduct periodic calibration sessions across operations to maintain consistency in assessment outcomes.

Operational & Technical Engagement

• Work closely with Underground Managers, Technical Services teams, Safety teams, and frontline supervisors to define critical competencies for each role.
• Engage directly with operational crews to understand practical requirements and operational realities in:
  • Decline mining environments
  • Shaft mining environments
  • Development mining
  • Production stoping operations
  • Owner mining and contractor mining interfaces•
• Ensure competency standards reflect real operational requirements and productivity expectations.
Provide technical guidance to operations on workforce capability improvement strategies.

Safety & Risk Integration

• Ensure all competency standards are aligned with critical risk management principles and underground safety requirements.
• Integrate safety leadership and critical control verification into all supervisory competency standards.
• Work closely with Safety leadership to ensure assessments support:
  • Effective hazard identification
  • Fatality risk assessments and management thereof
  • Critical control effectiveness
  • Behaviour-based safety expectations
  • Compliance with company standards and legal requirements•
Ensure the competency framework strengthens operational discipline and safe production practices.

Governance & Stakeholder Management

• Support the establishment and operation of the Underground Technical Competency Steering Committee.
• Prepare progress updates, implementation reports, and recommendations for senior leadership.
• Collaborate with:
  • CTO teams
  • Vice President Underground Mining
  • Vice President Safety
  • Vice President HR
  • AME Learning & Development
  • Site operational leadership teams
Ensure alignment between technical competency standards and regional strategic workforce capability objectives.

Qualification Requirements

Degree or Diploma in Mining Engineering or related technical discipline.

Experience and Skills Requirements

• Minimum 15 years’ underground mining experience.
• Extensive practical experience in:
  • Underground decline mining
  • Shaft mining operations
  • Underground development
  • Underground production mining•
• Strong operational exposure to both:
  • Owner-operated mining
  • Contractor mining environments•
• Demonstrated frontline underground operational leadership experience.
• Proven experience in technical training, competency assessment, workforce capability development, or operational assurance programmes.
• Strong understanding of underground mining equipment, mining methods, operational systems, and safety-critical controls.
• Experience engaging with frontline management and operational crews in high-performance underground mining environments.
• Experience designing or implementing competency-based assessment systems.
• Assessor and/or training accreditation qualifications.
• Exposure to African underground mining operations.
• Experience in mechanized underground mining operations.
• Knowledge of adult learning principles and workforce capability development.
• Experience supporting organizational change and operational improvement programmes.
Extensive travel across AME underground operations with significant time spent on-site at Kibali during pilot implementation phases.

Why Join Barrick

• A comprehensive compensation package including bonuses and site-specific benefits
• The ability to make a difference and lasting impact
• Work in a dynamic, collaborative, progressive, and high-performing team
• Opportunities to grow and learn with industry colleagues
Access to a variety of career opportunities across the organisation

We are committed to a safe work environment sending every person home safe and healthy every day and leaving a sustainable legacy on our host communities.

Thank you for your application, however, only those selected for an interview will be contacted.