Director of Mining Consulting & Engineering – Afghanistan

Job Summary 1. Position Overview Daira Sabz is seeking an experienced and well-connected mining professional to lead the development of its mining consulting and engineering business in Afghanistan. This is a practical leadership position combining technical oversight, project management, client engagement, stakeholder coordination, and business development. The selected candidate will identify opportunities, meet potential clients, support proposal development, organise qualified technical teams, and lead mining assignments from planning through completion. The Director is not expected to personally perform every specialised mining task. However, the person must understand the mining project lifecycle well enough to define assignments, select the right experts, review technical outputs, identify risks, and ensure that services are technically credible and useful to clients. The position will report to President & Vice President only. 2. Main Responsibilities Business Development and Client Relations Identify consulting and engineering opportunities with mining companies, licence holders, investors, contractors, government institutions, and development partners. Meet prospective clients, understand their needs, and present relevant Daira Sabz services. Review tenders, expressions of interest, requests for proposals, and direct contracting opportunities. Advise management on whether opportunities are technically and commercially realistic. Lead technical inputs for proposals, methodologies, staffing plans, work schedules, and presentations. Build partnerships with mining firms, engineering companies, laboratories, drilling contractors, universities, and specialist consultants. Maintain an updated pipeline of potential clients, projects, proposals, deadlines, and follow-up actions. Support the President in strategic meetings, negotiations, and partnership development. Technical Leadership Provide senior guidance on mineral exploration, geological investigations, mine development, feasibility studies, mining engineering, and related advisory services. Review geological information, maps, satellite imagery, sampling results, drilling information, and technical reports. Support the design and review of exploration programmes, including geological mapping, sampling, geochemistry, geophysics, drilling, laboratory testing, and data management. Contribute to studies covering mining methods, infrastructure, processing, water and energy requirements, waste rock, tailings, safety, environmental and social risks, costs, closure, and rehabilitation. Identify tasks requiring specialised professionals such as resource geologists, mining engineers, geotechnical specialists, mineral-processing engineers, mine economists, or competent persons. Review technical reports and deliverables before submission to clients. Ensure that Daira Sabz does not make unsupported claims regarding mineral resources, reserves, project profitability, or investment potential. Project Planning and Implementation Prepare and review scopes of work, methodologies, schedules, staffing plans, budgets, and risk registers. Serve as project director, team leader, or technical lead for selected assignments. Mobilise and coordinate geologists, engineers, environmental specialists, GIS professionals, laboratories, field teams, and subcontractors. Monitor project scope, schedule, cost, quality, risks, and client expectations. Lead inception meetings, progress reviews, technical discussions, and client presentations. Identify technical or operational problems and recommend corrective actions. Ensure proper documentation, data management, quality control, and timely reporting. Support project handover, client acceptance, lessons learned, and close-out. Government and Stakeholder Engagement Maintain practical knowledge of Afghanistan’s mining institutions, procedures, licensing processes, and relevant sector requirements. Coordinate professionally with the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum, environmental authorities, provincial administrations, mining companies, national and international investors, contractors, and communities. Support clients in understanding regulatory, technical, and institutional requirements. Participate in consultations related to land, water, livelihoods, employment, environmental impacts, cultural heritage, community safety, and local expectations. Communicate technical issues clearly to both technical and non-technical stakeholders. Refer specialised legal or contractual interpretation to qualified legal advisers. Team and Capacity Development Establish and maintain a roster of qualified national and international mining experts. Recommend suitable specialists for proposals and projects. Mentor junior geologists, engineers, GIS staff, and field personnel. Develop practical templates, checklists, standard operating procedures, and quality-review systems. Promote effective collaboration between mining, environmental, hydrogeological, GIS, laboratory, procurement, finance, and project-management functions. Support knowledge transfer between Afghan and international professionals. Job Requirements 1. Required Qualifications and Experience Applicants should have: A master’s degree or PhD in mining engineering, geology, geological engineering, economic geology, mineral exploration, mineral processing, or a closely related discipline. At least 10 years of relevant professional experience in mining, geology, mineral exploration, mine development, feasibility studies, or mining consultancy. Strong professional experience in Afghanistan’s mining sector. Demonstrated experience leading or coordinating mining, exploration, geological, feasibility, or engineering assignments. Practical understanding of mineral exploration, sampling, drilling, geological data, mine development, and technical reporting. Knowledge of Afghanistan’s mining institutions, regulatory environment, stakeholders, and operating conditions. Experience managing multidisciplinary technical teams. Experience preparing or contributing to technical proposals, work plans, budgets, presentations, and reports. Strong written and verbal communication skills in English and Dari or Pashto. Willingness and ability to travel to mining areas and challenging field locations. A demonstrated record of integrity, teamwork, responsible judgement, and professional conduct. 2. Desirable Experience Experience in one or more of the following areas will be an advantage: Mineral-resource modelling or estimation; CRIRSCO, JORC, or NI 43-101 concepts; Mine planning and design; Mineral processing; Geotechnical investigations; Mine-water management; Tailings and waste management; Environmental and social assessments; Mining economics and financial analysis; Mine closure and rehabilitation; GIS and remote sensing; Mining software such as Leapfrog, Surpac , Micromine , Datamine, Vulcan, ArcGIS, QGIS, or AutoCAD; Project-management or occupational-health-and-safety certification; and International mining, engineering, or consulting assignments. Candidates are not expected to be experts in every listed area . The essential requirement is the ability to lead multidisciplinary assignments and mobilise appropriately qualified specialists. 3. Expected Results During the First Year The successful candidate will be expected to: Prepare a practical one-year business and technical plan for Daira Sabz Mining Consulting & Engineering. Review and clarify the mining services that Daira Sabz can deliver directly, jointly, or through technical partners. Develop a database of priority clients, experts, laboratories, drilling firms, and engineering partners. Establish a credible pipeline of mining consulting and engineering opportunities. Lead or support the preparation of competitive proposals and expressions of interest. Establish practical partnerships with national and international technical organisations. Lead or support at least one significant mining assignment, proposal, or pilot study. Introduce appropriate technical-review and quality-control procedures. Strengthen Daira Sabz’s visibility and professional credibility in Afghanistan’s mining sector. Performance will be assessed based on the quality of technical work, proposals developed, client relationships established , projects secured or implemented, the effectiveness of team mobilisation, project delivery, and contribution to the company’s growth and reputation. 4. Authority and Accountability The Director may lead technical discussions, recommend opportunities and experts, prepare methodologies, manage approved project teams, review technical outputs, and represent Daira Sabz in authorised meetings. The Director may not independently sign contracts, approve final prices, commit company funds, recruit permanent staff, enter legal partnerships, guarantee government approvals, or certify mineral resources and reserves without the required professional credentials and formal authorisation.