SUMMARY:
Purpose of the role:
The Senior Mining Surveyor is responsible for managing and executing all mine surveying functions to support safe and efficient mining operations. This includes GPS-based field surveys, Drone based field surveys, volumetric stockpile reporting, reconciliations, photogrammetry, mine planning support, civil construction surveys, and rehabilitation planning. The role ensures accurate spatial data, compliance with legal survey requirements, and timely delivery of high-quality survey outputs to operational and management teams.
POSITION INFO:
Key Responsibilities:
1. Surveying & Data Acquisition
Conduct high-precision GPS, Drone and total station surveys for mining, engineering, and surface infrastructure.
Perform daily, weekly, and monthly production surveys to support mining operations.
Maintain and update mine survey control networks and benchmark systems.
2. Stockpile Surveys, Volumes & Reconciliation
Perform stockpile surveys using GPS, drone photogrammetry, and total station.
Generate volumetric calculations and produce accurate daily, weekly and monthly mining and stock reports.
Conduct inventory reconciliations between survey volumes, plant figures, and dispatch data.
Ensure compliance with audit requirements for stock reporting.
3. Photogrammetry & Remote Sensing
Plan and execute drone flights for photogrammetry and mapping.
Process imagery into orthomosaics, DTM/DSM, and point clouds.
Integrate drone data into mine planning and geotechnical analysis.
Ensure drone operations comply with regulatory procedures (CAA/SACAA, etc.).
4. Mine Planning & Design Support
Provide survey inputs for short-, medium-, and long-term mine planning.
Assist planning engineers with pit designs, dump designs, haul roads, and excavation limits.
Set out and verify blast patterns, ore boundaries, cut lines, and excavation limits.
Monitor pit walls, slopes, and stability using survey data.
5. Civil Engineering Survey Work
Conduct surveys for civil construction, such as haul roads, stormwater structures, foundations, platforms, pipelines, and plant expansions.
Provide setting-out for contractors and verify as-built data.
Maintain accurate as-built documentation for project completion.
6. Environmental & Rehabilitation Planning
Produce rehabilitation survey plans and track progress of rehab areas.
Support environmental compliance by providing accurate survey data for land disturbance, topsoil management, and closure planning.
Monitor and report on rehabilitated landform stability and drainage compliance.
7. Reporting & Compliance
Prepare survey reports, maps, plans, section drawings, and 3D models.
Ensure compliance with mine standards, legal survey specifications, and health & safety rules.
Maintain digital and hard-copy survey records in accordance with regulatory requirements.
Supervise and mentor junior surveyors and survey assistants.
Minimum Requirements:
- National Diploma or Degree in Mine Surveying, Geomatics, or related field.
- Government Mine Surveyor Certificate (advantage or required, depending on operation).
- Minimum 5–8 years’ mining surveying experience, ideally in open pit or underground mines.
- Experience with drones/UAVs for mining applications.
- Valid SACNASP, IMSSA, or PLATO registration (advantage).
- Valid driver’s licence.
Skills and Competencies:- Advanced GPS, GNSS, and total station proficiency.
- Strong knowledge of photogrammetry and drone survey processing (Pix4D, Agisoft, etc.).
- Proficient in mining software: Surpac, Vulcan, MinePlan, Datamine, or similar.
- High competence in AutoCAD/Civil 3D or equivalent.
- Excellent analytical, reporting, and problem-solving skills.
- Strong communication and ability to work cross-functionally with mining, geology, engineering, and environmental teams.
- Ability to lead and mentor survey teams.
Key Deliverables/ KPIs:- Accurate and timely weekly & monthly survey volumes and stock reports.
- Zero survey-related errors affecting production or compliance.
- Updated survey control networks and mine plans.
- Quality drone maps and photogrammetry outputs delivered on schedule.
- Effective support for mine planning and engineering.
- Compliance with legal survey requirements and safety standards.
- On-time rehabilitation survey updates and environmental reporting.
