Senior Geologist

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Job Description

Are you inspired by "what's next"? So are we.

When you join the Albemarle team, you contribute to a better tomorrow. You will play a role in powering many of the world's largest and most critical industries, from energy and communications to transportation and electronics. We are putting innovation to work to improve people's lives and we want YOU to be a part of it.

Job Description

Company and Job Overview

Albemarle is the industry leader in lithium and lithium derivatives. We maintain the strongest vertically integrated position in the industry, from our unique natural resource position to specialty product manufacturing. As stewards of the planet, we at Albemarle are committed to meeting the needs of our customers for high quality products in a sustainable, safe, and environmentally responsible manner.

Albemarle is hiring for a Senior Geologist role at the Kings Mountain Mine (KMM) project, located in Kings Mountain, NC. This is a permanent on-site role based at Kings Mountain and will report to Lead Geologist - Kings Mountain.

The Kings Mountain Mine project is one of the largest and highest-quality hard rock lithium deposits in the world. The deposit consists of spodumene-bearing pegmatite set in metamorphic rocks and is part of the Carolina tin-spodumene belt. Mining has occurred historically at the project site, and modern exploration and development activities have been ongoing since 2017.

The Geology Team is responsible for the geological model and the resource block model at the KMM project. As the project progresses from feasibility studies to production, the geology team will also be responsible for managing operational geology including a best-practice grade control program.

The Senior Geologist is an essential part of the KMM Lithium Resources Team. Responsibilities include management and coordination of all drilling and field mapping activities, design and implementation of operational grade control, data management, oversight of data collection activities, and support for other project stakeholders (including but not limited to community affairs, environmental permitting, and mine engineering) at the KMM project. Well-suited candidates should be capable of strategic and critical thinking, collaboration with a multi-disciplinary team, and will possess exceptional geologic observation skills.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Operational management of on-site and near-site geological investigations, including but not limited to resource core drilling, reverse-circulation (RC) grade control drilling, and field mapping.

• Continuous evaluation of drilling (and other) contractor performance and timely remediation of deficiencies.

• Safety leader for all drilling/geology activities. Ability to guide and refine inputs to HSE guidelines to fit with overall corporate policies.

• Timely communication of geological drilling plans/schedules to relevant stakeholders, ensuring smooth execution of projects.

• Diamond and RC drill hole planning to support future geological investigations and mine operations with quality data while optimizing program cost.

• Continuous analysis of drilling data/results to identify new locations for potential resource conversion/expansion.

• Supervise high-quality data collection and ensure that relevant information is captured reliably and accurately.

• Maintain a strong line of communication with the project team to ensure geological inputs/requests are understood and implemented.

• Management of core storage facility and core processing activities.

• Preparation of drill core/chip sample shipments and coordination with analytical laboratories for timely turnaround of results. Perform QA/QC checks on returned assay data.

• Coordination of on-site drilling and sampling logistics.

• Manage field mapping efforts, including data collection, validation, and integration into geological modeling software.

• Develop and implement bulk/core sampling to support metallurgical testing, business development and environmental permitting.

• Assist in annual budget planning and project reviews.

• Assist in establishing a detailed grade control drilling program to support short-range mine planning.

• Support mine reconciliation efforts to enhance optimization of mining/processing and ensure consistent product specifications.

Educational Background

• Required: Bachelor's degree in geology, geological engineering, or a related field.

• Preferred: Graduate degree in geology, geological engineering, or a related field is a plus

Experience

• A minimum of 6 years' experience in metal/non-metal mining, with at least 3 years in an operational mining environment.

• Involvement with multiple diamond core and/or RC drilling projects and prior experience in contract and logistical management of drilling projects

• Familiarity with the identification and description of various applicable rocks and minerals and with relevant structural, alteration, and mineralization concepts/models

• Exceptional geological observation and data collection skills.

• Knowledge of/experience with drill core and RC chip logging for lithology, texture, structures, mineralization, rock quality, and alteration.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office products, including PowerPoint, Word, Excel, Access, and Outlook.

• Proficiency with Leapfrog Geo, Maptek Vulcan, Datamine or other mining software packages in common industry use.

• Proficiency with GIS software such as ESRI ArcGIS Pro.

Requirement

• Strong oral and written communication skills and ability to collaborate effectively with other teams.

• Ability and willingness to work in the field in a variety of conditions for extended periods of time is required.

• Ability and willingness to travel occasionally to support regional exploration

• Ability and willingness to cross-train in the geology team as well as other mining teams is preferred.

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Benefits of Joining Albemarle

• Competitive compensation

• Comprehensive benefits package

• A diverse array of resources to support you professionally and personally.

We are partners to one another in pioneering new ways to be better for ourselves, our teams, and our communities. When you join Albemarle, you become our most essential element and you can anticipate competitive compensation, a comprehensive benefits package, and resources that foster your well-being and fuel your personal growth. Help us shape the future, build with purpose and grow together.