Drilling Superintendent, DRC
About the Company
In the coming decades, demand for critical minerals such as copper, lithium, and cobalt will continue to grow. These minerals are needed to build electric infrastructure, vehicles, data centers, and electronics. However, the mining industry is making 10x fewer discoveries per dollar spent on exploration compared to 30 years ago because the easy-to-find, near surface deposits have largely been discovered.
KoBold was founded to be the first AI native mineral exploration, mine development, and technology development company. Our goal is to turn mineral exploration into a repeatable science to discover the minerals the world needs—by integrating artificial intelligence, human intelligence, and new technology. Our multidisciplinary teams of data scientists, engineers, and geologists work together to build data systems, design new sensors, and establish industry-leading workflows to develop and test subsurface predictions on our exploration projects.
Our first discovery, Mingomba, is a high-grade copper deposit in Zambia, found after spending materially less than industry average. We are developing Mingomba with the same technical rigor that we apply to exploration. The Mingomba team brings together mine and processing engineers, geologists, data scientists, software engineers, and community, health & safety, construction, and operations specialists. By combining industry knowledge and cutting edge technology, we are developing Mingomba into a world class project that has safer and more predictable outcomes for ourselves, partners, and communities. It is expected to create thousands of good jobs for generations.
KoBold runs exploration programs in eight countries, all with the potential for another discovery.
KoBold is privately held; investors include institutional asset managers T. Rowe Price and Canada Pension Plan Investments; technology venture capitalists Andreessen Horowitz, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, BOND Capital, Durable Capital, StepStone, and Standard Investments; and strategic natural resources companies BHP and Mitsubishi.
About the Position
In the role of Drilling Superintendent, you will lead the planning and end-to-end execution of concurrent complex exploration drilling programs in the DRC. You will fully embody KoBold's model of science-Field Operations collaboration: working closely with geological and data science teams to translate exploration hypotheses into safe, well-executed drill programs. You will conduct exploration drilling without causing harm to our people, our contractors and partners, or the communities and environments where we operate. The role carries significant responsibility for financial, commercial, and technical operations, and for mentoring Field Operations Supervisors.
Responsibilities
For 1–3 concurrent drilling programs, the Drilling Superintendent will be responsible for:
Drill Contract Management: Lead procurement strategy from RFP through evaluation, including contractor selection, bid evaluation, safety plan assessment, and cost benchmarking. Manage contract terms, renewals, and contractor performance reviews; validate and approve drilling invoices before submission to finance
Operations Oversight: Provide daily oversight of active drill sites; direct field activities and contractor performance; maintain close communication with the Project Geologist, Project Data Scientist, and Senior Project Planner to translate exploration hypotheses into safe, well-executed drill programs
Health, Safety & Compliance: Lead hazard identification, risk assessment, and critical control verification on drill operations; ensure contractor compliance with KoBold’s Group Safety Policies; lead incident management, root cause analysis, and corrective actions; understand applicable DRC laws, regulations, and the practices of our joint venture partners and ensure that we follow them in all operations
Reporting & Data: Generate daily, weekly, and monthly…