JOB PURPOSE:

The Senior Chemist provides analytical chemistry leadership and technical ownership of all laboratory operations supporting the gold processing plant, spanning the comminution, pre-leach, leach and resin-in-pulp (RIP), elution, precipitation, calcining and packaging, tailings and acid plant circuits. The incumbent is accountable for the integrity, accuracy, traceability and timeliness of analytical data that informs process control, metallurgical accounting, product dispatch and environmental compliance.

DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Direct the routine analytical workload (fire assay for Au, AAS/ICP-OES for solution and solids assays, screen fire assay, gravimetric finish, carbon-on-pulp assays, moisture, pH, EC, free and total cyanide, loaded and barren carbon) ensuring turnaround times meet plant operating requirements.

Design, implement and maintain the laboratory QA/QC programme aligned with ISO/IEC 17025 principles, including scheduled insertion of certified reference materials (CRMs), blanks, duplicates and repeats.

Develop, validate, document and control all analytical methods and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Own the calibration, verification and preventive maintenance schedules for all analytical instruments (AAS, ICP-OES where fitted, XRF, fire-assay furnaces, cupel furnaces, analytical balances, auto-titrators, pH/ORP meters, drying ovens, fume hoods, local exhaust ventilation).

Partner with the Metallurgy team on sampling protocols, head-grade determination, in-circuit inventory sampling and monthly mass/metal balance reconciliation.

EXPERIENCE, SKILLS and KNOWLEDGE

Minimum (Essential)

BSc (Honours) in Analytical Chemistry, Chemistry or Metallurgical Chemistry from a recognised institution.

A minimum of eight (8) years’ post-graduate experience in a commercial or mine-site analytical laboratory.

At least three (3) years in a senior chemist or laboratory supervisory role within a gold or precious-metals operation.

Demonstrated expertise in classical and instrumental fire assay (gravimetric and AAS finish) and in atomic absorption spectroscopy.

Hands-on implementation experience of an ISO/IEC 17025 quality system.

Demonstrated capability in QA/QC programme design, measurement uncertainty estimation and statistical process control.

Preferred

MSc in Analytical Chemistry, Geochemistry or Extractive Metallurgy.

Chartered Chemist or equivalent registration with a recognised professional body (e.g. RSC, SACNASP, SAIMM).

Experience commissioning or re-commissioning a greenfield or brownfield mine-site laboratory.

Familiarity with the International Cyanide Management Code auditing protocol.

LIMS super-user experience (e.g. LabWare, LIMS-Plus, LabVantage).

Prior experience working in Southern or Sub-Saharan Africa in a mentoring or knowledge-transfer capacity.

Technical Competencies

Fire assay theory and practice lead-oxide collection, flux chemistry, cupellation, parting and gravimetric or AAS finish.

Gold solution chemistry: cyanide leaching, carbon adsorption (CIP/CIL/RIP), elution, electrowinning and smelting.

Atomic and molecular spectroscopy: AAS (flame, graphite furnace, hydride), ICP-OES, XRF and UV-Vis.

Classical techniques: gravimetry, potentiometric and colorimetric titration, ionselective electrodes.

Sampling theory: Pierre Gy’s theory of sampling and sub-sampling error minimisation.

Statistics: statistical process control, measurement-uncertainty budgets, proficiencytesting interpretation (z-scores).

Data systems: LIMS configuration, validation and data-integrity principles (ALCOA+).

Chemical safety: hazardous-reagent handling, chemical incompatibility, emergency response, spill containment.

• Direct the routine analytical workload (fire assay for Au, AAS/ICP-OES for solution and solids assays, screen fire assay, gravimetric finish, carbon-on-pulp assays, moisture, pH, EC, free and total cyanide, loaded and barren carbon) ensuring turnaround times meet plant operating requirements.
• Design, implement and maintain the laboratory QA/QC programme aligned with ISO/IEC 17025 principles, including scheduled insertion of certified reference materials (CRMs), blanks, duplicates and repeats.
• Develop, validate, document and control all analytical methods and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).
• Own the calibration, verification and preventive maintenance schedules for all analytical instruments (AAS, ICP-OES where fitted, XRF, fire-assay furnaces, cupel furnaces, analytical balances, auto-titrators, pH/ORP meters, drying ovens, fume hoods, local exhaust ventilation).
• Partner with the Metallurgy team on sampling protocols, head-grade determination, in-circuit inventory sampling and monthly mass/metal balance reconciliation.

• Demonstrated expertise in classical and instrumental fire assay (gravimetric and AAS finish) and in atomic absorption spectroscopy.
• Hands-on implementation experience of an ISO/IEC 17025 quality system.
• Demonstrated capability in QA/QC programme design, measurement uncertainty estimation and statistical process control.
• Fire assay theory and practice lead-oxide collection, flux chemistry, cupellation, parting and gravimetric or AAS finish.
• Gold solution chemistry: cyanide leaching, carbon adsorption (CIP/CIL/RIP), elution, electrowinning and smelting.
• Atomic and molecular spectroscopy: AAS (flame, graphite furnace, hydride), ICP-OES, XRF and UV-Vis.
• Classical techniques: gravimetry, potentiometric and colorimetric titration, ionselective electrodes.
• Sampling theory: Pierre Gy’s theory of sampling and sub-sampling error minimisation.
• Statistics: statistical process control, measurement-uncertainty budgets, proficiencytesting interpretation (z-scores).
• Data systems: LIMS configuration, validation and data-integrity principles (ALCOA+).
• Chemical safety: hazardous-reagent handling, chemical incompatibility, emergency response, spill containment.

• BSc (Honours) in Analytical Chemistry, Chemistry or Metallurgical Chemistry from a recognised institution.
• MSc in Analytical Chemistry, Geochemistry or Extractive Metallurgy.
• Chartered Chemist or equivalent registration with a recognised professional body (e.g. RSC, SACNASP, SAIMM).