General Manager - Mining Operations

General Manager – Operations | Yilgarn Iron

Site Based | Residential or FIFO | Western Australia | Relocation Assistance Available

Lead Yilgarn Iron’s operations through its next phase of growth.

TS Staffing has been engaged by Yilgarn Iron to recruit a General Manager – Operations, reporting directly to the Chief Operating Officer.

As the most senior operational leader on site, you will have overall responsibility for Yilgarn’s entire operation, spanning the pit-to-port value chain and all supporting site functions.

You will join the business at an important point in its growth. Over the next eight years, Yilgarn plans to expand its operations, bring additional pits and ore sources online and increase production from 4.4 Mt in 2027 to 6.6 Mt by 2030. Your role is to turn that plan into operational performance.

The Role

Reporting to the COO, you will lead the site leadership team and translate Yilgarn’s longer-term plan into operational delivery.

You will:

• Take overall responsibility for safety, production, cost and operational performance across the site.
• Lead an integrated operation across mining, technical services, processing, maintenance, logistics and the broader pit-to-port supply chain.
• Oversee the broader site operation, including NPI, infrastructure, village, catering and site services.
• Drive mining, processing and rail contractor performance across safety, productivity, availability, reliability, cost and delivery.
• Move seamlessly from the eight-year plan to the annual plan, monthly and weekly performance and yesterday’s tonnes — maintaining clear visibility of what is happening across the operation and why.
• Build the team and structure required to deliver the plan and support future growth — right people, right roles, capability, leadership, succession and accountability.
• Set the standard for the operation, creating a culture of ownership, urgency, discipline, accountability and performance.
• Drive asset performance, fleet reliability and capital planning as the operation grows.
• Lead the operational transition as additional pits, equipment, infrastructure and ore sources are brought online.

The role calls for someone who can move comfortably between the macro and the granular — setting direction while remaining close enough to the operation to understand what happened yesterday and what needs to happen tomorrow.

What You Will Bring

Extensive operational experience within open-pit mining is essential.

You will bring:

• Proven senior operational leadership experience within large-scale open-pit mining.
• Experience leading large, multidisciplinary workforces across employees, contractors and operational service providers.
• Strong pit-to-port experience and an understanding of how mining, processing, product, rail and shipping interact.
• Strong technical understanding of drill and blast, load and haul, material movement, grade control, ore recovery, dilution, stockpiling and ROM management.
• Experience increasing production, expanding pits and bringing new mining areas online.
• A strong track record managing major mining contractors and holding them accountable for safety, performance, cost and delivery.
• Strong commercial capability, including operational budgets, cost-per-tonne performance, forecasting, business planning and capital allocation.
• Experience building high-performing leadership teams and developing organisational capability.
• A visible, accountable leadership style, with the ability to remain calm, decisive and pragmatic under pressure.

Is This for You?

This is a role for someone who genuinely enjoys running an operation and being accountable for the outcome.

You’ll likely enjoy this role if:

• You want to be close to the operation and understand what is happening on the ground.
• You get satisfaction from driving performance, solving problems and seeing the numbers move.
• You enjoy building teams, setting standards and holding people accountable.
• You are comfortable challenging contractors and your own team when performance is not where it needs to be.
• You want ownership — not simply oversight.
• You are motivated by growth, change and the challenge of turning a long-term plan into operational results.

What’s on Offer

• Very competitive base salary + superannuation.
• STI and LTI on top of base salary.
• Additional benefits
• Residential is the preferred arrangement, with relocation assistance provided. However, Yilgarn’s priority is securing the right person, so FIFO arrangements will also be considered where residential does not suit.
• Work alongside an experienced and well-respected executive leadership team.
• A long-term opportunity to play a significant role in the growth of Yilgarn Iron.