Study Manager (Minerals & Metals)

If you’re like us, you don’t have much time for the way things are.

Ausenco is a global company redefining what’s possible. Our team is based across 22 offices in 9 countries, with projects in over 80 locations worldwide. Combining our deep technical expertise with a 30-year track record, we deliver innovative, value-add consulting studies, project delivery, asset operations and maintenance solutions to the mining & metals, oil & gas, and industrial sectors.

Join our team and be part of an exciting execution-phase project in the North American mining industry. You'll play a key role in critical project phases, from Basic Engineering and Detailed Engineering to Construction, gaining hands‑on experience across a variety of commodities. This is your opportunity to make a real impact in a dynamic and fast‑paced environment.

The Study Manager will be responsible for leading and managing multidisciplinary studies for mining and minerals projects from early‑stage concept development through Scoping Studies, Preliminary Economic Assessments (PEA), Pre‑Feasibility Studies (PFS), Definitive/Bankable Feasibility Studies (DFS/BFS), and project execution readiness.

The Study Manager will provide overall leadership, coordination, technical integration, schedule and cost control, risk management, and quality assurance across all study disciplines. The role will coordinate internal technical teams, external engineering consultants, specialist advisors, Qualified Persons (QPs), contractors, and other stakeholders to ensure that studies are delivered safely, efficiently, and to the required technical and commercial standards.

A key responsibility will be ensuring that study deliverables contain the appropriate level of technical information, supporting documentation, assumptions, data quality, cost estimates, production forecasts, economic evaluations, and risk assessments required to support investment decisions and, where applicable, NI 43‑101 Technical reports.

About The Role

• Lead the planning, execution, and completion of multidisciplinary mining and minerals studies.
• Manage studies through various project development stages, including:
• Conceptual Studies
• Scoping Studies
• Preliminary Economic Assessments (PEA)
• Pre-Feasibility Studies (PFS)
• Feasibility Studies (FS)
• Bankable Feasibility Studies (BFS)
• Project execution and development readiness studies.
• Establish study objectives, scope, deliverables, execution strategies, schedules, budgets, and resource requirements.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive Study Execution Plans.
• Establish study governance, reporting structures, review processes, and decision‑making protocols.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary teams across mining, geology, metallurgy, process engineering, infrastructure, environmental, permitting, tailings, water, geotechnical, electrical, mechanical, civil, and other disciplines.
• Ensure interfaces between disciplines are clearly defined and effectively managed.
• Drive timely resolution of technical, commercial, and project issues.
• Ensure study assumptions and design criteria are documented, reviewed, and controlled.
• Coordinate the integration of geological, mining, metallurgical, engineering, infrastructure, environmental, and economic inputs into a coherent project development strategy.
• Ensure that technical assumptions are consistent across all study disciplines.
• Challenge study assumptions and identify gaps, inconsistencies, opportunities, and potential project risks.
• Facilitate technical workshops, design reviews, value engineering sessions, risk workshops, and study review meetings.
• Ensure that the selected development options are technically viable and aligned with project objectives.
• Coordinate trade‑off studies and option evaluations to identify the preferred project development solution.
• Review key technical deliverables and ensure that appropriate quality assurance and quality control processes are applied.
• Work closely with engineering and technical leads to establish appropriate design criteria and levels of study accuracy.
• Coordinate closely with geology, resource modelling, mine planning, and mineral reserve teams.
• Ensure that Mineral Resource and Mineral Reserve information used within studies is appropriately documented and traceable.
• Understand the relationship between geological models, resource estimates, mine plans, production schedules, processing assumptions, and economic outcomes.
• Ensure that mining methods, production rates, cut‑off assumptions, recovery factors, dilution, mining losses, and other relevant parameters are appropriately incorporated into the study.
• Coordinate with Qualified Persons responsible for Mineral Resources and Mineral Reserves.
• Identify material changes in resource, reserve, mine planning, or metallurgical assumptions that could affect the project economics.
• Manage and coordinate study inputs required to support the preparation of NI 43‑101 Technical Reports.
• Maintain a strong working knowledge of the requirements and structure of NI 43‑101 reporting.
• Coordinate with Qualified Persons to ensure that technical information is properly documented, supported, reviewed, and traceable.
• Ensure that study data and assumptions are consistent with the information presented in the applicable NI 43‑101 Technical Report.
• Support QPs during technical reviews, site visits, data verification, and report preparation.
• Ensure appropriate supporting documentation is maintained for material technical assumptions and conclusions.
• Coordinate responses to technical review comments and ensure that outstanding issues are closed before final study approval.
• Understand the distinction between the responsibilities of the Study Manager and the professional responsibilities of the QPs signing the NI 43‑101 report.
• Develop and manage study budgets and schedules.
• Establish appropriate cost‑estimate methodologies and estimate maturity levels for each stage of the study.
• Monitor engineering progress, study expenditure, commitments, and resource utilization.
• Identify schedule delays, cost overruns, resource constraints, and technical bottlenecks.
• Implement recovery plans where required.
• Provide regular study progress reports to senior management and project leadership.
• Track key milestones, deliverables, decisions, action items, and critical path activities.
• Ensure that study deliverables are completed in accordance with approved schedules and budgets.
• Coordinate the development and review of project CAPEX and OPEX estimates.
• Ensure cost estimates are consistent with the selected project configuration, mine plan, production schedule, process design, infrastructure requirements, and execution strategy.
• Work with financial and technical teams to develop project economic models and assumptions.
• Review project sensitivities and scenario analyses.
• Ensure that key economic assumptions are clearly documented and supported.
• Lead or support value engineering initiatives aimed at improving project economics.
• Establish and maintain the Study Risk Register.
• Lead multidisciplinary risk identification and assessment workshops.
• Identify technical, commercial, environmental, permitting, execution, operational, schedule, cost, and market risks.
• Quantify major risks and opportunities where appropriate.
• Develop mitigation and contingency strategies.
• Ensure significant risks are clearly communicated to project leadership and decision‑makers.
• Ensure study conclusions appropriately reflect the level of uncertainty associated with the stage of project development.
• Act as the central point of coordination between technical teams, project management, corporate leadership, consultants, QPs, regulators, investors, and other stakeholders as required.
• Present study findings, recommendations, risks, and economic outcomes to senior management and project governance committees.
• Translate complex technical information into clear business recommendations.
• Facilitate decision‑making by providing objective comparisons of project alternatives.
• Maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Identify key outcomes and requirements that must be carried forward from the study into project execution.
• Ensure study designs consider constructability, operability, maintainability, commissioning, and project execution requirements.
• Coordinate development of execution strategies, contracting strategies, procurement strategies, and construction methodologies.
• Identify long‑lead equipment and critical infrastructure requirements.
• Support transition from feasibility study into EPC/EPCM execution.
• Ensure that study deliverables provide an appropriate basis for subsequent engineering and project execution.

About You

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Geology, Mining Engineering, Metallurgy, or another relevant technical discipline.
• Advanced degree or professional designation is considered an asset.
• Professional engineering designation such as P.Eng., or equivalent is preferred.
• 10–15+ years of experience in the mining and minerals industry.
• Significant experience managing multidisciplinary mining studies.
• Demonstrated experience delivering PEA, PFS, FS, or BFS-level studies.
• Strong understanding of mining project development from exploration/resource definition through feasibility and execution.
• Practical knowledge of NI 43-101 and its application to mining technical reports.
• Experience working with or coordinating Qualified Persons is highly desirable.
• Strong understanding of mining economics, CAPEX/OPEX development, project evaluation, and risk analysis.
• Experience working with EPCM, engineering consultants, specialist advisors, and other project delivery organizations.
• Strong multidisciplinary project management skills.
• Excellent understanding of the mining project lifecycle.
• Strong technical and commercial judgment.
• Ability to integrate complex technical information into a clear project strategy.
• Strong understanding of mine planning and mineral processing principles.
• Knowledge of mineral resource and reserve estimation processes.
• Working knowledge of NI 43-101 requirements and technical reporting.
• Strong CAPEX and OPEX understanding.
• Strong financial and economic evaluation skills.
• Excellent risk management capabilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong presentation and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to challenge assumptions constructively and drive technical decisions.
• Strong negotiation and problem‑solving capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
• Proficiency with project management, scheduling, cost management, and engineering software.
• Establish clear objectives and accountabilities.
• Build high‑performing technical teams.
• Promote collaboration between engineering and technical disciplines.
• Establish a culture of accountability and technical excellence.
• Mentor study leads and technical specialists.
• Encourage proactive identification of risks and opportunities.
• Maintain a strong focus on safety, quality, schedule, cost, and technical integrity.
• Drive timely decision‑making and resolution of technical issues.
• Promote a strong safety culture throughout study activities and project development.
• Ensure safety considerations are incorporated into project design and development decisions.
• Consider environmental and social impacts throughout the study process.
• Ensure study assumptions appropriately address permitting, environmental, water, tailings, closure, and reclamation requirements.
• Support the development of sustainable and economically viable mining projects.
• Ensure compliance with applicable legislation, regulations, company standards, and project requirements.

We’re committed to a fair and human hiring process. All applications are reviewed by a member of our team and are not automatically screened or rejected by AI.

Why Ausenco?

We Support Individual Growth And Aim To Allow You To Work In a Way That Plays To Your Strengths. Beyond a Competitive Remuneration Package We Offer

Career advancement - Embark on a journey of continuous growth through technical training, mentorship initiatives, and networking opportunities.

Work Life Balance – Experience the best of both worlds with our hybrid work model, allowing you to balance office days with working from home; and progressive parental leave benefits to foster family needs and professional life.

Holistic approach to wellness – Take a proactive approach to your overall wellbeing. Access to confidential counselling, information services and a benefits program that supports your health & wellness.

Accessible leadership team – Work with highly reputable industry leaders who value your contribution.

Our people don’t settle for the status quo. If you have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to help set a new standard in sustainability, we’ll help you find your place. This means working with you to develop a unique career path and skillset to match your ambition.

We’re proud of the work we do, and we do it within a culture that is open, honest, and cooperative. We have a history of attracting visionary people who embrace challenges and deliver creative solutions for every project, and your voice is an important part of the conversation.

As a global company we embrace and encourage diversity in its fullest sense – gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, experience, nationality, colour, language, religion, location, disability, education, skills, working styles and time availability. Our work environments are based on mutual trust and respect for the rights and opportunities of every individual.

Salary range: $135,000 - $175,000 annually

Expected Salary: Variation in salary is determined by factors such as qualifications, relevant years of experience, and prevailing market conditions for the specific role.

Join us and work a better way.

LI-Hybrid