Underground & Surface Mining Operations Performance Improvement

Underground and Surface Mining Operations Performance Improvement

Multiple Opportunities | Regional NSW & Central North QLD

Mobilise from Sydney or Brisbane

About Secora

Secora is a leading asset management improvement and implementation company, specialising in productivity enhancement and change across complex, asset-intensive industries including mining, resources, energy generation, and defence. We work shoulder-to-shoulder with operational teams to translate reliability, standardised work, and continuous improvement principles into practical, measurable outcomes that improve safety, availability, and productivity.

The Opportunity

Secora has been engaged to deliver a high-intensity underground and surface mining performance improvement programme focused on stabilising development execution, reducing variability, and establishing the systems and disciplines required to sustain high performance. The programme combines tactical, in-field execution improvement with targeted systemic remediation across planning, sequencing, maintenance integration, and organisational effectiveness.

We are seeking up to four experienced practitioners to join our deployed team across two locations: Regional NSW (mobilise from Sydney) and Central North QLD (mobilise from Brisbane). Both engagements commence in mid-2026.

Roles We Are Seeking

We are recruiting for a team of specialists who may hold one or more of the following capabilities. You do not need to cover every role — what matters is that you bring genuine depth in your area, a track record of delivery in mining environments, and the ability to work as part of a high-performing, collaborative team.

Domain Specialist – Mining & Resources

•       Provides deep operational credibility in underground and surface mining and resources environments.

•       Translates site-level operational reality into practical requirements and ensures solutions are grounded, trusted, and adopted by asset owners and frontline teams.

•       Acts as the credibility bridge between improvement methodology and operational realities on site.

Domain Specialist – Production Systems

•       Designs and optimises end-to-end production systems during development and transition phases.

•       Covers planning and execution integration, value flow analysis, and greenfield or ramp-up environments.

•       Experienced in sequencing, constraint management, and building production systems that sustain performance as operations scale.

Lean Six Sigma Practitioner

•       Leads structured improvement initiatives using Lean and Six Sigma methods to remove waste, reduce variation, and deliver measurable performance outcomes.

•       Comfortable applying tools such as RCA, Pareto analysis, value stream mapping, and failure mode analysis in complex, asset-intensive environments.

•       Translates rigorous analysis into executable, field-ready improvement actions with measurable commercial outcomes.

Lean Construction Practitioner

•       Applies Lean Construction principles to improve planning reliability, workflow predictability, and throughput across development and construction phases of mining operations.

•       Experienced with pull planning, and lookahead scheduling to reduce constraint-driven delays and improve crew utilisation.

•       Capable of embedding collaborative planning disciplines with site teams including supervisors, trades, and logistics to drive predictable advance rates and reduce rework.

•       Comfortable working across the interface of construction and operations in greenfield, ramp-up, and active development environments.

Change Manager

•       Plans and executes change programmes that ensure new ways of working are adopted and sustained at site level.

•       Covers stakeholder analysis, communications planning, leader support, and benefits protection across complex, multi-stakeholder environments.

•       Experienced in driving organisational change in operational settings where workforce trust and engagement are critical to outcomes.

Continuous Improvement Lead

•       Sets strategic direction for CI programmes, prioritises improvement portfolios, and tracks benefits realisation against agreed baselines.

•       Coaches senior stakeholders and aligns CI activity to business objectives, schedule milestones, and organisational capability maturity.

•       Able to govern a multi-stream improvement programme from diagnosis through to sustained performance uplift.

What We're Looking For

Essential

•       Underground & surface mining experience — this is non-negotiable. You must have credibility on site.

•       Demonstrated experience in operational improvement, CI, or analytical roles within mining, resources, or heavy industry.

•       Ability to engage credibly from frontline crews and supervisors through to senior site leadership.

•       Strong analytical capability — able to derive clear, evidence-based conclusions from complex operational data.

•       Ability to translate frameworks and analysis into practical, site-ready solutions with measurable outcomes.

•       High-quality written and verbal communication, including the ability to report clearly to executive stakeholders.

•       Willingness and ability to mobilise to site from Sydney (NSW) or Brisbane (QLD) on a fly-in/fly-out or drive-in/drive-out basis.

Desirable

•       Formal Lean, Six Sigma, or equivalent continuous improvement qualification (Green Belt or above).

•       Experience in underground coal development — place-change sequencing, cycle optimisation, or longwall readiness programmes.

•       Lean Construction training or experience, including Last Planner System or pull planning methodologies.

•       Experience in management consulting, operational improvement, or performance turnaround environments.

•       Exposure to maintenance value chain concepts including work order quality, backlog management, shutdown scope control, or MOS effectiveness.

•       Experience with SAP or equivalent ERP systems for data extraction and analysis.

•       Background in organisational design, change management, or capability transfer in operational settings.

Key Attributes for Success

•       Pace and urgency. This is a high-intensity engagement. The business needs results quickly and the team is structured to move.

•       Analytical rigour with a practical, delivery-focused mindset — comfortable moving from raw data to boardroom-ready recommendations.

•       Strong site presence and the credibility to work meaningfully with crews and supervisors in the field.

•       Ability to build trust quickly in remote, high-pressure operating environments.

•       Comfortable constructively challenging existing practices and backing conclusions with evidence.

•       Focused on achieving measurable, sustainable performance improvements — not just generating reports.

Location & Logistics

We have two opportunities available, both commencing May 2026:

•       Regional NSW — Mobilise from Sydney (FIFO/DIDO)

•       Central North QLD — Mobilise from Brisbane (FIFO/DIDO)

Candidates must hold a current mine worker competency or equivalent or be able to obtain one prior to mobilisation. All necessary site inductions, medicals, and PPE will be coordinated by Secora.

Why Secora?

At Secora, you will not be sitting in an office producing slide decks. You will be deployed into live operations, working alongside the people and teams who own the problem, helping them solve it — and leaving behind a system that sustains performance after we are gone.

•       Work on complex, high-stakes operational improvement programmes with real commercial impact.

•       Join a team of specialists who bring diverse capability and collaborate genuinely.

•       Grow your capability through exposure to Secora's broader reachback network of over 50 practitioners across operations, analytics, psychology, and digital enablement.

•       Be part of an organisation that values delivery, integrity, and making a genuine difference in the industries we serve.

How to Apply

If you have the experience and drive to contribute to this programme, we would like to hear from you. Please apply with your CV and a brief covering note that outlines:

•       The role(s) above that best reflect your capability

•       Your mining experience and the types of operations you have worked in

•       A specific example of a performance improvement outcome you have delivered

•       Your preferred location (NSW or QLD)

Apply via: www.secora.com.au or email your application directly to recruit@secora.com.au