Regional Manager – Control Systems and Instrumentation at Newmont Mining Corporation

About This Role:

• Within Technical Services, the Fixed Plant Control Systems (FPC) team is responsible for maximizing the availability, operability, and effectiveness of all fixed plant process automation systems across Newmont’s mining and processing facilities globally.
• The Regional Control Systems and Instrumentation function within the FPC team, is responsible for maintaining and improving the availability, health, and integrity of the Fixed Plant Control System infrastructure across multiple sites in the African region, to drive exceptional performance across Newmont’s portfolio. It aims to ensure that Newmont’s fixed plant control systems capabilities are a source of sustainable and considerable competitive advantage for Newmont.
• This is a leadership role that draws on expertise as a people manager, strategic thinker, project manager, communicator, technical subject matter expert, and data driven problem solver.

In This Role You Will:

Safety and Health

• Demonstrate proactive leadership in achieving a global Newmont culture of safety and health.
• Always actively promote Newmont’s safety standards and improvement initiatives.

Operational Support

• Establish and lead a regional team of experienced professionals providing real time support, routine maintenance, and continual improvements to maximize the availability, integrity and effectiveness of all fixed plant control systems within the region, ensuring operational teams can effectively deliver against forecasted production plans.
• Co-develop and apply appropriate control system KPIs and templated operational intelligence dashboards to measure control system health and performance, and apply standardised continuous improvement practices for daily, weekly, and monthly reviews.
• Support site and corporate Full Potential leads to identify operational performance improvement opportunities, ensure they are incorporated into annual business plans, and partner with the central process control team to ensure they are delivered in accordance with these plans.
• Develop zero based operational and capital expenditure budgets to ensure operational support, technical refreshes and deployment of new technologies are appropriately planned and funded.
• Align priorities with global FPC projects and process control optimisation functions and engage with site and regional leadership and professionals to ensure continued delivery of value relating to technology investments.

Standardisation and Rapid Replication

• Develop, document, and enforce a standardised enterprise-level FPC Management Operating System (MOS) to align processes, procedures, and routine tasks across all sites / regions.
• Implement and enforce a standardised enterprise-level change management procedure, ensuring that all control system changes are appropriately risk assessed, reviewed, approved, and recorded in the company’s central electronic Change Management System (CMS).
• Ensure all control system hardware and software modifications are undertaken in accordance with the company’s global standards and specifications, and local statutory regulations / codes.
• Interpret legislation, government standards and agreements. Provide input / informed commentary, improvement opportunities and identify areas of risk to management.
• Apply and enforce standards for data hierarchy and equipment templates to all fixed plant data historian systems within the region.
• Develop, document, and communicate appropriate business cases for site management teams to increase the adoption of proven process control strategies, control system and operational intelligence platform standards, and advanced instrumentation technologies.
• Provide collaboration and appropriate support to other site and regional Control Systems teams, and central FPC teams, to execute, document and communicate trials of emerging technology, and assist them to replicate success across the broader business.
• Actively participate in targeted Communities of Practice within Newmont to share best practice.

Contract Management

• Engage with control system vendors, contractors, and consultants to ensure a high level of commitment and support to maintaining and improving their product offerings.
• Assist site management in holding technology and application business partners accountable to their commitments.
• Represent the Fixed Plant Control Systems Team in managing global umbrella agreements with key vendors as required. This activity includes regular monitoring of contract performance, liaising with regions and sites to ensure they understand and capitalize on contract provisions, providing a dispute escalation and resolution process, and supporting Supply Chain in contract negotiation processes.

Mentoring, Development and Talent Management

• Implement global talent management strategy and formal IDP’s for all team members.
• Facilitate high performing work environment across multiple site locations.
• Provide training, coaching and support to site leads and/or individuals team members as required.
• Develop and nurture control systems and instrumentation talent pipeline within the region through the establishment and support of formal mentoring programs.

Your Training, Skills & Experience Checklist:

Formal Qualification (including Professional Registrations):

• Tertiary Qualification in control systems engineering, or related discipline.
• Knowledge of industry best practices for industrial control systems.
• Process Superintendent / Engineering Superintendent Certification of competency from the inspectorate division of Minerals Commission, Ghana.

Experience:

• Minimum 10 years’ experience working with control systems in any related industry.
• Minimum 5 years’ experience managing teams of engineers and / or delivering projects.
• Significant and demonstrable experience in at least two of the following systems:
  • Yokogawa Centum VP DCS
  • Rockwell Control / Compact Logix PLC’s
  • Schneider Modicon PLC’s
  • Citect SCADA HMI systems
• Significant exposure and understanding of industrial Ethernet networks and ICS communications protocols including Modbus TCP/IP, OPC, Profibus etc.
• Significant exposure to IT/OT fundamentals including virtual server installations, database management, active directory management, cyber-security.
• Experience developing and delivering analytical tools and processes that improve Control System performance, reliability, and safety, reducing operating costs and maximizing return on assets.
• Experience in utilizing data insights and analysis to drive key business and improvement decisions.
• Experience with change, communication, and knowledge management methodologies.
• Experience in gold processing preferred but not essential.
• ERP system experience desirable.

Skills and Abilities:

• Strong understanding of control system design, installation, maintenance, and lifecycle management practices.
• Solid understanding of control theory, process optimisation, and control strategy design.
• Strong communication and facilitation skills across all organizational levels.
• Working knowledge of key control systems highly regarded: Yokogawa Centum VP DCS; Allen-Bradley Rockwell PLCs; Schneider Modicon PLCs; Citect SCADA; Rockwell Factory Talk View SCADA.
• Able to rapidly understand and communicate complex control system performance challenges and solutions.
• Capable of adapting to and effectively implementing change.
• Demonstrated initiative with a focus towards identifying and solving advanced problems and the ability to make appropriate decisions.
• Assertive, self-motivated, and able to build collaborative and productive professional relationships across sites and regions.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills.
• Effective people management, training, and mentoring skills.
• Advanced computer competency and experienced in the use of applications including Microsoft Project and Microsoft Office.