What are the responsibilities and job description for the Technical Services Manager position at Asarco LLC?
As the Technical Services Manager, you will play a critical leadership role in ASARCO's success at a large-scale open-pit copper operation, overseeing the extraction of oxide ore, leach pad placement, and metal recovery through solvent extraction and electrowinning (SX-EW). You will oversee all mine planning and design activities, from short-range scheduling to life-of-mine strategies, ensuring alignment with production targets and adherence to established plans. Your expertise will be key in managing geotechnical and hydrological risks, safeguarding both the safety and economic viability of the operation. You will also provide essential leadership across mine geology, ore control, reconciliation, and reporting, driving operational excellence. You will ensure technical excellence, data-driven decision-making, and alignment between planning and operational execution. You must be a leader, a mentor, willing to work in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, apply sound engineering knowledge and skills to create solutions to operational challenges and while maximizing profit.
Key Responsibilities:
- Provide leadership and strategic direction to the technical services department, ensuring alignment with operational, financial, and safety goals.
- Directly supervise and support mine engineering, geology, and other technical leads responsible for mine planning, reconciliation, ore control, mine geology, and oversee consultants for geotechnical design, and hydrological modeling.
- Ensure timely delivery of integrated short-, mid-, and long-range mine plans that meet production targets, support economic optimization, and align with business strategy.
- Guide decision-making on phase sequencing, pushback design, drill and blast strategies, leach scheduling, and Life-of-Mine development.
- Oversee performance management of engineering functions, including reconciliation reviews, plan compliance, KPI tracking, and continuous improvement.
- Collaborate closely with Mine Operations, Maintenance, and LSXEW departments to ensure technical solutions are practical, executable, and aligned with downstream processes.
- Provide expert review and validation of pit design, haulage strategy, dump placement, and slope stability inputs.
- Ensure plans are achievable and refined to respond to changing conditions and business demands.
- Provide expert guidance on mining processes, equipment selection, and extraction methods to resolve operational challenges and improve efficiency.
- Generate regular, detailed reports on production, costs, safety metrics, and other relevant KPIs, and present findings and recommendations to senior management and stakeholders
- Mentor and develop the skills of Technical Services staff by identifying training needs, recommending and scheduling relevant and regular technical courses, and encouraging participation in industry conferences, workshops, and professional development opportunities.
- Lead the integration and advancement of technical systems and tools, including Hexagon MinePlan 3D, fleet management systems, and business intelligence platforms (e.g., Pi, Power BI).
- Champion cross-departmental collaboration, knowledge sharing, and mentoring across technical functions.
- Ensure compliance with environmental, regulatory, and permitting requirements from a technical standpoint.
- Drive the production forecast and production budget cycle, including ownership of mining cost models and improvement initiatives.
- Represent technical services in operational reviews, executive planning, audits, and board-level reporting as needed.
- Knowledge of industry standards in mineral resource and mineral reserve estimation reporting, and knowledge of US SEC S-K 1300
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in Mining Engineering or related field.
- Minimum 10 years of experience in open pit mining, with progressive responsibility across technical and leadership roles
- Proven track record of managing large-scale mine planning and technical teams
- Advanced knowledge of Hexagon MinePlan 3D and mine planning best practices across all planning horizons
- Advanced Mining software competency with a quick aptitude for new software technologies
- Deep understanding of leach operations, hydrometallurgy, geotechnical principles, and mine-to-mill integration
- Strong business acumen with experience in cost analysis, trade-off studies, and operational strategy
- Demonstrated leadership, mentorship, and cross-functional collaboration skills
- Ability to prioritize multiple tasks and demonstratable project management skills.
- English language fluency.
- At least CEFR B2 - Upper Intermediate: Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in their field of specialization.
- All employees are subject to annual physical examinations as a condition of employment.
A core value of ASARCO LLC is “Safety First.” The Company is committed to helping employees continuously improve their efforts to work in the most safe, inclusive, socially, and environmentally responsible manner practicable. Employee safety and health, both on and off the job, are critically important to the Company. Therefore, ASARCO LLC requires employees to have and effectively demonstrate a good working knowledge of modern safety systems. Each employee will take prime responsibility for ensuring that they work within all required safety procedures and processes.
ASARCO LLC is an equal opportunity employer. Candidates must possess a current and valid driver's license. Offers of employment are contingent upon a successful criminal background check and pre-employment physical including a drug screen.
ASARCO LLC offers an excellent low-cost benefits package for medical/prescription/ dental/vision, disability coverage, life insurance and other optional coverage, and 401(k) plan with company match.