Principal, Geoscience Data Management
About The Position
The Principal, Geoscience Data Management is a senior technical subject matter expert providing global governance, operational support, and technical assurance across AngloGold Ashanti’s projects, mining operations, and joint ventures. Reporting directly to the Director Geoscience Data and Quality Management, this is an active technical specialist role bridging high-level data governance with hands-on database interrogation and problem-solving. The role involves working directly in geoscience data systems, including designing schemas, developing complex SQL queries, auditing ETL processes, and troubleshooting raw data. The Principal collaborates with site geology teams, technical services, and Digital Technology to safeguard data integrity supporting Mineral Resources and Reserves, lead independent site data audits, and coordinate implementation of data science and automation initiatives.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree or higher in Geoscience or Computer Science/Data Science, paired with mining industry experience.
- At least 8 years of direct experience administering industry-standard geological database systems, such as acQuire, Fusion, or Datashed.
- Proven personal proficiency in relational database architecture, schema design, and advanced SQL querying, including firsthand database configuration and data manipulation.
- Proven track record of personally designing, programming, and delivering technical improvement projects involving database structures, ETL workflows, data migration, or system integrations.
- Direct exposure to auditing sample flow routes, assay quality control routines, laboratory performance, and chain-of-custody protocols, with ability to identify substandard data and resolve discrepancies at the source.
- Ability to apply computer science, statistics, and data modeling or analytics to large geological datasets to diagnose issues, detect trends, and solve complex data problems.
- Solid understanding of international public reporting codes, including SEC S-K 1300 and NI 43-101, as they relate to data verification, QA/QC, and database integrity for Mineral Resource estimation.
- Demonstrated ability to coach and train site database administrators.
- Communication skills to influence multidisciplinary, cross-cultural technical teams across international operations.
- Ability to take a well-reasoned stand on data governance, security, and integrity under operational pressure.
Nice To Haves
- Post-graduate qualification in Geoscience or Data Science.
- Direct experience using programming or scripting languages such as Python or R for geological data processing, workflow automation, or analytical modeling.
- Familiarity with or practical exposure to testing machine learning and AI applications on geoscience datasets, such as QA/QC automation, lithological classification, or exploratory data analysis.
- Practical operational experience across open-pit or underground mining environments and exploration projects.
- Prior involvement supporting capital project development studies or technical due diligence for M&A transactions.
Responsibilities
- Assist in establishing, updating, and monitoring compliance with global Geoscience Data Management policies, data architectures, sampling protocols, and QA/QC procedures across operations, projects, and joint ventures.
- Provide technical input into geological database systems, relational database schema design, and data modeling; write and optimize complex SQL queries; evaluate ETL routines; and optimize interfaces for digital field logging and laboratory assay workflows.
- Lead or perform independent technical audits of site-level geoscience databases, data collection routines, and QA/QC protocols.
- Interrogate underlying data tables to verify data reliability, assess data storage and capture effectiveness, identify process bottlenecks, and recommend corrective modifications.
- Support the Mineral Resource and Reserve process by reviewing and analyzing geoscience data reports for Mineral Resource Technical Reports.
- Provide technical input and data assurance for capital project stage-gate reviews and M&A due diligence activities.
- Monitor emerging geoscience data tools, data science techniques, and AI/ML applications.
- Partner with Digital Technology and operations to scope, evaluate, and test automation and analytics tools, and ensure effective change management and end-user uptake.
- Mentor and build capability among site-level database administrators and geologists through the global Geoscience Data Community of Practice.
Stand Out From the Crowd
Upload your resume and get instant feedback on how well it matches this job.
What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Principal
