Section Rock Engineer x4

Job Requisition ID

13533

Closing Date

11 November 2026 

OME

MIN: Mining 

Location

Secunda, Mpumalanga

Purpose of Job

The Section Rock Engineer fulfils duties as described in MHSA 14.1.8 legal appointment. The role of the Section Rock Engineer is to assist mine operations in applying rock engineering and strata control principles for the safe and economic design of mine workings and compliance to Sasol Mining ground management system.Furthermore, is to assist the operations in aligning with Mandatory Code of Practice to prevent falls of Ground. This will include the scheduling of assessments required to verify the effectiveness of designed support and optimised for the applicable ground conditions.

Key Accountabilities

Different aspects are stipulated in the next section in stipulating key accountabilities from which recruitment assessments will be applied.

People resource management 

1. 
   
   
   
   • Ensure legal appointment is up to date with the applicable operation and signed of by the Sect 4.1 appointee.
   
   
   • Establish work relations with operation management in effectively fulfilling the responsibility of subject matter input, planning and design.
   
   
   • Assess work groups and systems at the operation and determine where and how the RESS must contribute and align input.
   
   
   • Assist in filling the positions as per staff establishment.
   
   
   • Take all steps to ensure that all persons under your charge are fully conversant with the provisions of the MHSA, MHSA Regulations and the Minerals Act Regulations.
   
   
   • Be responsible for the proper discipline of all persons directly under your charge in the Rock Engineering Support Services
   
   
   • Provide and maintain a working environment that is safe and reduce risk to the health of employees within your area of responsibility;
   
   
   • Assist in developing training material to allow for proper and adequate health and safety training to be provided;
   
   
   • Guide and management the allocation of responsibilities within the team consisting of Senior Strata control officer, Strata control officers and employees as part of development.
   
   
   • Identify, develop and mentor succession RESS members into the team and confirm responsibilities and development plan.
   
   
   • Manage the allocation of tasks, responsibilities and day to day HR related matters including time and attendance, leave scheduling and standby as required by operations.
   
   
   
   

Macro Stability of workings

1. 
   
   
   
   • Apply Rock Engineering systems and tools for the design of macro ground management environment. This includes the implementation of a system for the legally appointed Surveyor and Integrated Planning to design pillars according to safety factor requirements. This includes independent completion of MSA (Mine Stability Assessment) to verify the design of pillar dimensions by the Survey manager.
   
   
   • Ensure to assess the actual monthly off-set plans from survey to report on possible small pillars, off-line mining, excessive mining height and road widths that could impact the pillar safety factor for the purpose of regional stability and future mine closure legal requirements.
   
   
   • Capture risk levels and guide mitigating actions where assessments indicate nonadherence to design applied. Action mitigation through panel risk assessment sessions
   
   
   
   

Controlled Impact on Surface Environment, Structures and Land Use

• As part of mine design and section deployment ensure that inputs are supplied timeously in undermining applications as regulated by Regulation 17 of the Mine Health and Safety Act.


• Flag any findings on the actual mining underneath surface structures including wetlands, road, water and electricity distribution infrastructure, buildings, land use and other to the Survey manager and Integrated Planning for further action.


• Assist in optimising reserve utilisation with the application of required safety factors as part of panel design and guided by the Mandatory Code of Practice.

4. Micro Stability in workings

1. 
   
   
   
   • Establish the ground control districts of the operation for managing various ground conditions for excavation stability, planning and annual support cost budget as prepared by integrated planning and financial.
   
   
   • Annually review the ground control districts with updated geological and empirical applied controls. Adjust the districts accordingly and track compliance through the risk actual risk assessments.
   
   
   • Ensure a system is implemented to perform ground management risk assessments in panels where operational sections including stone work deployed.
   
   
   • Draft or ensure drafting and review of excavation parameters, stabilising controls and residual risk to be applied by the operational sections. Ensure sign off by the line supervisors and mine manger appointed for the responsibility area.
   
   
   • Perform or ensure the performing of scheduled control verifications in the operational sections including production, stonework, pillar extraction and Tier1 projects.
   
   
   • Guide the assistance to the Mine manager Services in assessing back areas and recommend corrective actions to signed of by the section rock engineer as well as operations for action plan.
   
   
   • Apply, facilitate and take part in issue-based risk assessments relevant to Ground Management at your operation. This includes Tier 1 mining scenarios, safe operating practices, sealing of old areas and water storage, Outburst risks, mine specific operation and excavation projects or where required by the Section 4.1 legal appointee.
   
   
   • Review and track progress of agreed mitigation actions as determined in the issue-based risk assessments.
   
   
   • Provide appropriate participation in or assistance with the investigation of fall of ground incidents and reportable falls of ground including the completion of the rock engineering aspects of the official accident report and inputs into the SAMRASS 3 report..
   
   
   
   

Planning

1. 
   
   
   
   • Exercise a critical role as part of legal appointment as per Regulation 14.1.8 of the Mine Health and Safety Act in input into mine planning.
   
   
   • Schedule the involvement of the RESS (Rock Engineer Support Services) in the different categories of planning at the operation. This includes long-term planning, technical planning, deployment planning and ad hoc section changes.
   
   
   • Prepare for the relevant planning session in supplying subject matter inputs and alignment with various stakeholders.
   
   
   
   

Formal Education

• 3-4 year Relevant B Tech, Advanced Diploma or degree in Mining Engineering or Geology (Must)

Min Experience

• 4+ years relevant strata control and ground management experience

Certification & Professional Membership

• Rock Engineering certificate of competency in Coal or Metalliferous (Must)


• Registered with SANIRE (South African Institute of Rock Engineering) (Wish)

Competencies

Analytics: The systematic computational analysis of data or statistics

Compliance: Understanding the rules, regulations, sanctions and other statutory requirements, guidelines and instructions relating to governing bodies and organizations, both internally and externally.

Continuous Process Improvement: The methodology followed for increasing the effectiveness and/or efficiency of a business process, often through automation.

Data Management: Knowledgeable of the theory, purpose, architecture and design of the management, administration and relationships of the organization's data.

Problem Solving: Is a step-by-step process of defining a problem, searching for information, and testing a series of solutions until the problem is solved. In involves critical thinking, analysis and persistence.

Relationship Management: The conscious aim to develop and manage long-term and/or trusting relationships with internal or external customers, distributors, suppliers, or other parties in an environment which can include marketing, selling, servicing and other areas where a relationship is crucial to on-going success. 

Reporting: The ability to access information from databases, forms, and other sources, and prepare reports according to requirements.

Risk Management: The process of measuring, or assessing risk and then developing strategies to manage the risk.  Strategies employed may include transferring the risk to another party, avoiding the risk, reducing the negative effect of the risk, and accepting some or all of the consequences of a particular risk.

Key Leadership Activities

• Display and instil Safety mindset as top priority;


• Working with Colliery Leadership team through integrated planning process


• Dialogue, planning and work sessions with General manager and Mine managers of operations;


• Develop managerial and leadership skills as per Personal development Plan


• Technical Leadership expertise and experience in ground management;


• Delegate duties and oversee work executed by the RESS (Rock Engineer Support Services) employees at the operation;


• Be able to work independently within the safety framework of the mine;


• Sasol Values to be demonstrated at all times;