Control System Engineer

AngloGold Ashanti (“AGA”), a leading global mining company, boasts a vibrant and inviting culture that beckons new individuals to join its ranks. Embracing diversity and inclusion, the company fosters an environment where every employee is valued and celebrated for their unique perspectives and contributions. Collaboration and teamwork are at the core of their culture, promoting a sense of unity and shared goals amongst employees. Additionally, AngloGold Ashanti prioritizes employee growth and development, offering ample opportunities for career advancement and professional enrichment. 

AngloGold Ashanti (Ghana) Limited, Obuasi Gold Mine is currently near completion of the redevelopment phase to become a modern, efficient and long-term profitable operation. The underground mining operation has been fully mechanized and designed to produce up to an average maximum of 5,000 t/day of ore mined.

We are seeking an experienced and self-motivated person to join our dedicated team as per the details below:

OBJECTIVE OF THE ROLE

Control System Engineer will be accountable for safely managing and delivering the design, build, execution, and commissioning of all the instrumentation, control and communications systems for the mine process control system upgrade engineering infrastructure and underground infrastructure, on budget and on schedule. The control systems engineer will report to the Engineering Manager – Operational technology & CIC.

The Control system engineer will predominately run the development, integration, and commissioning of all additional new technology and systems that will be installed, in addition will support the CIC supervisors for Mining Surface and Underground including processing plant.

The role holder will provide the leadership and communication necessary to guide his/her team in meeting set key performance indicator (KPI) targets resulting from advice on the mine with efficiency and solutions. The role will also provide informative and timely reports to management on the quality performance and status of the operational areas of mine, future projections, potential for continuous improvement and improved efficiency.

The role is supported by engineers, superintendents, supervisors, planners, and maintenance leads.

Ensure full availability of all existing process control system and networks, including field instruments to ensure full functionality of the mine central control room operations and activities.

The work planning will include the development and use of management routines to identify opportunities for improvement and methods to remove wastage in the workplace. Working closely with the team, review inefficiencies in the workplace and determining what can be improved will be key in this role.

ROLE ACCOUNTABILITIES

Safety

• Provide technical input to the Principal engineer, and engineering Manager in order to develop the safety management plan for the engineering, mining and processing, consistent with AGA’s Integrated Management System and Standards.
• Review and define the application of safety standards and work practices to enable the safety targets to be managed and achieved.
• Develop and set the control systems Safety Management Plan for the mine in consultation with the Safety Manager.
• Apply HSE regulations with zero tolerance to breaches.
• Demonstrate safety behavior consistent with AGAG’s vision and values.
• Lead by example to create a safe working environment, where risks are assessed and managed, so tasks are performed without risk of injury or harm.
• Continuously seek opportunities to improve design and field safety performance.
• Apply the ‘working elements’ (inspections, audits, JHA, etc.) of the Safety Management System and deliver compliance.
• Deliver timely investigation of all injuries, illness, and incidents with actions plans developed to prevent recurrences.
• Identify safety training needs and provide safety training to enable personnel to safely perform their designated work.

Environment

• Define and set construction, refurbishment, and maintenance activities in accordance with the Government of Ghana conditions of approvals and the site’s Environmental Management Plan.
• Issue environmental-related instruction to any employees at the workplace.
• As a minimum, achieve zero reportable environmental incidents, zero compliance breaches and no events requiring public disclosure.
• Utilize ‘Analyze and Improve’ tools to investigate process interruptions so that exposure to environmental risks is reduced.
• Reduce energy usage by running the plant energy consumption per unit produced at the optimal rate within the sphere of influence.

People

• Provide subject matter inputs and describe requirements when establishing the control systems and operational technology teams required to support the respective role holders in executing the project and operational requirements.
• Using AGA’s How we Work guidelines, clearly define the roles and accountabilities of subordinates.
• For those AGAG employees who will be part of the continuing operation prepare and execute training and developmentplans.
• Set and communicate policies and procedures in a manner to achieve full understanding and compliance.
• Create and provide guidance to subordinates in leadership techniques to achieve maximum performance.
• Set the operational technology and control systems team requirements within supervisors’ skills matrices. Where skill deficiencies are identified and escalated, initiate the provision of corrective action.
• Develop an appropriate succession plan for key positions with the correct supportive development plan.

Operations and Maintenance

• Work compliantly with the requirement of government of Ghana agencies, environmental, health and safety legislation and AGAG regulation.
• Accept personal responsibility for health and safety and that of every mine worker by his/her work. Also having a Duty of Care for themselves and others in a working environment.
• Adhere to the site’s environmental management plan.
• Report to the principal OT engineer for the purposes of all project implementation and installation works including safety.
• Design, deploy, and maintain on-premises OT/IT infrastructure components, including Wi-Fi and LAN infrastructure.
• Monitor and troubleshoot system issues, ensuring timely resolution and minimal disruption to business operations.
• Monitor and troubleshoot system issues, ensuring timely resolution and minimal disruption to business operations.
• Commission and handover automation and control systems associated instrumentation, networking, and cabling systems to also comply to the requirements of AGAG’s Quality Assurance and Quality Control.
• Assist in maintaining safety and integrity of the Process Control Network.

Cost

• Provide inputs in the departmental budget that supports the company’s objectives and strategy.
• Ensure cost impacts in the area of accountability are evaluated, approved, and budget is revised.
• Identify, compile, communicate and implement potential cost reduction initiatives.
• Communicate to subordinates the relevant financial detail to each individual’s level is ensuring their understanding and obligations to meet the budget goals.

Time

• Design strategy and processes to maintain the optimize mining operations in relation to schedule, achieving monitoring of all critical intermediate milestones.

Risk Management

• Design the reporting structure to permit comprehensive recognition in a timely manner of all current and potential risks to the engineering, mining, and processing plant infrastructure during operational and project activities, utilizing the established Risk Management System, identifying activities and setting strategies to eliminate, manage or mitigate these risks.

Maintenance System

• Ensure an asset management strategy for process control systems and operational technology aspects in accountability based on the Obuasi Operations expected life of mine.
• Utilize the SAP asset maintenance management system in providing information for decision-making processes.
• Ensure all subordinates are competent in the utilization of the SAP asset maintenance management system for extraction and analysis of data for reliability, condition monitoring and efficient process control systems operation.
• Liaise and work collaboratively with the procurement team to establish the inventory and spare parts for the processing plant and Surface/Underground mine infrastructure as appropriate within the area of accountability.

Plans, Procedures, Standards and Documentation

• Develop and maintain the control systems Plan, as a key Project Execution Plan sub-plan in the area of accountability.
• Provide input and support into establishing and maintaining Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), budget, schedule, and operational work packs for life of mine activities.
• Ensure the Requests for Information (RFI) and Technical Query (TQ) process, review and approve appropriate technical and non-technical documentation.
• Review and input into relevant plans such as Health, Safety, Quality and implementation of systems.

Compliance

The role holder must comply with the following.

• Relevant legislation.
• Applicable codes.
• Best practice, Industry and AGAG standards.
• AGAG Quality systems, policies, procedures and processes.
• Internal project requirements.

Meetings, Reviews and

• Attend key review meetings as required.
• Co-ordinate engineering and production meetings.

Communication

• Develop and set up a mine reporting system which is communicated to every level of operation depending on data validity and relevance to specific roles.
• Maintain a regular SAP asset maintenance management system operational readiness interface and hand over meeting.
• Participate in formal cost and schedule reviews to support accurate and timely reporting.

Progress and Performance Reporting

• Weekly, monthly and quarterly reporting produce accurate and timely information that can clearly convey the status of safety, cost, schedule and quality for the process control and operational technology works.
• Advise progress and KPI status in a timely manner to the management team, particularly potential cost, and schedule or quality variances.

Audit and Controls

• Participate in internal and external operational and project audits as required.
• Develop a Process control and operational technology Audit plan for the mine.
• Initiate and ensure Regulatory Audits and Inspections.

Continuous Improvement

• Continuously identify opportunities to improve cost, schedule, quality and safety outcomes to all engineering, processing and mining activities undertaken and analyzed in relation to the Process control and operational technology section on the mine.

Change Management

• Proactively identify and manage change to avoid potential cost, schedule and quality issues.
• Agree and define all the change management for the Process control and operational technology department.

Reporting

• Provide system generated data information with respect to progress against the plan (timeliness, cost and quality considerations), detailing variances with reasons for variances; activities planned to recover, and actions required to prevent recurrence of notified variances for all mine operational areas.

ROLE REQUIREMENTS

Education & Qualification

• Minimum of bachelor’s degree in electrical or instrumentation engineering, or equivalent

Experience

• An experienced Controls, Instrumentation and Communication engineer with 3-5 years’ experience in mining operations and system.
• Experience in process control systems and technology for mining and processing operations.
• Significant exposure to IT/OT fundamentals including virtual server installations, database management, active directory management, cyber-security.
• Significant exposure and understanding of industrial Ethernet networks and ICS communications protocols including Modbus TCP/IP Profibus etc.
• significant and demonstrable experience in Rockwell Control / Control Logix PLC’s/PlantPax Scada.

Legal Requirements

• Must possess at least Engineering Manager Certificate of Competency from the Minerals Commission of Ghana.

• Must be a professionally certified engineer with a recognised certification body.

Knowledge & Skills

• Proven competencies in operational technology for underground mining, process control systems and integration.
• A recognized authority on improving implementation of SCADA and PLC control systems across mine operations and integration of systems on reporting platform.
• Demonstrated capacity to make sound and timely decisions by quickly assembling the facts to develop action priorities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to take a whole of mine view to business operation and optimization.
• Demonstrate behaviours consistent with AngloGold Ashanti values.
• Ability to build relationships with key client personnel and identifying and developing business opportunities.
• Team based focus with a proactive approach to meeting customer requirements.
• Proven ability to organize and prioritize tasks and working under pressure to achieve set deadlines.
• Strong QC/QA competencies.
• Strong maintenance competencies in fixed plants.
• Sound project management skills.
• Commercially astute and able to work effectively with third parties.
• Legally astute with respect to project delivery and maintenance systems.
• Excellent skills in Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, Project and Excel.
• Must be able to communicate about technical issues both orally and writing.
• Knowledge in OEM legalities and mining regulations.
• 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.

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MODE OF APPLICATION

Interested applicants should view the full advert details on the company’s career page address below and submit applications, with a detailed CV, online via

www.anglogoldashanti.com/company/careers

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