Supervisor, Mining & Earth Moving

Position Summary

The Supervisor, Mining & Earth Moving leads open-pit mining operations during the Early Works phase, overseeing site personnel and contractors across daily excavation, haulage, and face preparation activities. This role is accountable for delivering production, safety, and cost targets according to plan, with a strong focus on contractor coordination and OpEx-per-tonne control.

The Shift Supervisor ensures full MSHA compliance, drives proactive hazard identification, and partners with the HSE team to maintain a safe work environment. From pre-shift meetings to shift handovers, this role sets the standard for how work gets done - with precision, urgency, and integrity.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor and manage contractor performance against production targets, excavation quality, and schedule compliance, using measurable KPIs.
• Supervise site personnel and contractors in daily excavation, haulage, and face preparation activities.
• Conduct pre-shift meetings, communicate daily priorities and hazards, and provide clear shift handovers covering progress, equipment status, and outstanding issues.
• Track daily production against the mine plan and report deviations to the Foreman.
• Track actual costs and schedule progress against budget and plan, identify variances, and implement corrective actions.
• Monitor operating cost (OpEx) per tonne and identify reduction opportunities without compromising safety or production.
• Manage field changes: report geotechnical or rock conditions that differ from the model and coordinate adjustments with engineering.
• Verify progress using weekly volumetric reports (drone and survey data) that support contractor payments.
• Ensure compliance with Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) regulations, project standards, and internal procedures, and keep documentation ready for audits.
• Coordinate with the Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) department, led by Michael Batts, to maintain a safe work environment.
• Participate in incident investigations and root cause analysis for incidents and near misses, and implement preventive actions.
• Identify and formally propose continuous improvement opportunities to increase productivity and reduce costs.
• Ensure equipment availability and proper operation, coordinating with maintenance.
• Document incidents, inspections, and production progress.
• Perform other duties as assigned or as needed to support project objectives.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in open-pit mining or large-scale earthmoving operations.
• Experience operating or supervising bulldozers, excavators, articulated trucks, and haul trucks.
• Experience supervising personnel and contractors.
• Balanced experience between civil earthmoving and mining.
• Availability to work a 24/7 rotation.
• MSHA (Mine Safety and Health Administration) certification preferred.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Outlook) for reporting and production tracking.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with root cause analysis methods (e.g.fishbone diagrams).
• Ability to perform under pressure in a project with tight deadlines.

Physical Demands

• Work is performed on an active open-pit mine site in Sierra Blanca, Texas, with regular exposure to extreme heat, cold, wind, and dust.
• Must be able to stand, walk, and move across uneven terrain for extended periods during shift operations.
• Requires the ability to wear and work in personal protective equipment (PPE) for the duration of the shift.
• Must be able to enter and exit heavy equipment and vehicles safely.

Additional information

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this job. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills required of personnel so classified. The reporting relationship may not reflect the most recent changes to the corporation.

USA Rare Earth proudly supports Equal Employment Opportunities.