Underground Construction/Project Manager

General Accountability and Summary

The Construction Manager is responsible for the oversight and coordination of all construction activities within the project scope, ensuring execution is aligned with design specifications, project timelines, and quality standards. This senior leadership role provides direction to contractors and interfaces with engineering, procurement, and project management teams to drive safe, efficient, and cost-effective delivery. The Construction Manager plays a key role in resolving field-level challenges, optimizing resource utilization, and maintaining strong communication across all construction disciplines to support overall project success.

Key Responsibilities

1. Leadership and Contractor Oversight
2. Provide leadership and direction to underground construction contractors, ensuring alignment with project goals and standards.
3. Serve as the primary liaison between the owner’s team and underground contractors to coordinate schedules, logistics, and resource deployment.
4. Promote a high-performance work environment grounded in safety, accountability, and team collaboration.
5. Underground Construction Management
6. Oversee all phases of underground construction including portal development, drift excavation, ground support installation, and utility infrastructure.
7. Review engineering designs and mine plans to validate constructability and ensure contractor compliance with technical specifications.
8. Anticipate and resolve technical challenges in underground environments, coordinating with mine engineering and geology teams as needed.
9. Track and evaluate construction progress against key milestones and identify opportunities for schedule optimization.
10. Quality Assurance and Control
    1. Monitor underground construction work to ensure quality control measures are applied and standards are consistently met.
    2. Collaborate with field engineers and QA/QC teams to inspect support systems, liner installations, and utility installations.
    3. Maintain a proactive approach to identifying and correcting quality issues, documenting all inspections and corrective actions.
11. Coordination and Communication
    1. Facilitate cross-disciplinary coordination between underground development, surface infrastructure, ventilation, and dewatering systems.
    2. Lead and participate in daily coordination meetings and construction reviews to ensure alignment across all work fronts.
    3. Provide consistent updates and risk assessments to the Construction Management and Project Controls teams.
12. Resource and Schedule Management
    1. Evaluate and optimize contractor deployment of personnel, equipment, and materials to support efficient underground development.
    2. Monitor daily performance and productivity metrics to ensure critical path activities are maintained.
    3. Work with contractors and schedulers to adjust work plans based on changing priorities, ground conditions, or equipment availability.
13. Documentation and Reporting
    1. Maintain accurate and detailed documentation of underground construction activities, including daily logs, manpower, equipment, and deviations.
    2. Submit daily and weekly construction progress reports with detailed commentary on key issues and resolutions.
    3. Ensure that all permits, inspection records, and construction drawings are current and properly archived.
14. Risk and Change Management
    1. Identify, assess, and communicate risks related to underground construction including ground conditions, ventilation constraints, and access limitations.
    2. Support the development of contingency plans and schedule impact mitigation strategies.
    3. Contribute to change management processes, evaluating the impact of proposed changes on scope, schedule, and budget.

Skills & Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree or diploma in mining engineering, construction management, or related field. Equivalent experience in underground mine construction will be considered.
• Minimum of 10+ years of experience in managing underground construction projects, preferably within active mining operations in North America.
• Extensive experience overseeing underground contractors, including those performing drill-and-blast, ground support, shaft sinking, or raise boring.
• Deep understanding of underground construction methods, ventilation systems, utilities, and equipment used in hard rock mining.
• Proven ability to interpret and execute mine development plans, construction drawings, and technical specifications.
• Strong working knowledge of MSHA regulations and underground mine safety protocols.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and decision-making skills in high-pressure, remote work environments.
• Proficiency with construction management systems, scheduling software (Primavera P6 or MS Project), and underground productivity tracking tools.
• Ability to work on-site at remote mine locations for extended rotations and coordinate across multiple work fronts simultaneously.

Health, Safety, and Environmental Requirements

• Adheres to all safety and environmental considerations.
• Adheres to all safety and environmental considerations.
• Demonstrates a proactive approach to identifying potential hazards/risks and implementing preventive measures to mitigate.
• Maintains high standards of operational efficiency while ensuring compliance with all health, safety, and environmental regulations.
• Sets an example by consistently wearing appropriate PPE and adhering to safety protocols.
• Complies with all regulatory and Company requirements.

Leadership Practices

• Create an environment where nothing is more important than every employee returning home safe and healthy every day.
• Creates an environment in which people are unfailingly treated with respect
• Fosters the talent and potential of all employees by enabling them to grow, develop, and make a difference in the organization.
• Demonstrates that leadership in the areas of environmental performance and community and stakeholder relations is fundamental to the way we plan and manage our business.
• Holds self and others accountable for the decisions, commitments, and behaviors required to deliver outstanding results.
• Uses judgment to manage business complexities, prioritize and balance conflicting demands to make timely decisions that best advance TMG strategy.
• Builds and brings teams and people together to achieve organizational goals. Models’ humility by going beyond self-interest for the good of the group.
• Understands the economic implications of decisions and consistently uses all resources effectively and efficiently to maximize shareholder value.
• Relentlessly champions, develops and embeds best practices.