Ventilation Engineer (Mining)

Requisition ID: 100374

Job Category: Engineering; Mining

Location: Johannesburg, Gauteng, South Africa

Join a company that is passionately committed to the pursuit of a better world through positive change. With more than 70 years of business and technical expertise in mining, energy, and infrastructure, our 10,000 colleagues in 150 countries tirelessly work toward bettering the industries in which we operate. With practical solutions that are safe, innovative and sustainable, we think globally while acting locally. Are you looking for an opportunity to join a diverse group of professionals who are committed to remaining exceptional? We look forward to hearing from you.

If it isn't grown, it's mined. Our mining and metals teams help our clients to safely and sustainably mine the minerals and metals used in our everyday lives. Want to play a part of innovating and optimizing the mining life cycle on greenfield and brownfield facilities? Apply today!

Ventilation Engineer

This position sits in our Mining Division and reports into our Director, Mining for AIM.

Position Summary

Hatch is seeking a highly motivated and experienced Ventilation Engineer to join our global Mining team. The successful candidate will be responsible for the design, analysis, optimization, and management of mine ventilation systems for underground mining projects across various commodities and geographies. This role involves working within multidisciplinary project teams to deliver innovative, sustainable, and safe ventilation solutions throughout all project phases, from concept studies through to detailed engineering and operational support.

The Ventilation Engineer will play a key role in ensuring compliance with applicable safety regulations, operational requirements, and industry best practices while supporting Hatch's commitment to positive change through technical excellence and innovation.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop mine ventilation designs for underground mining operations.
• Conduct ventilation network modelling and simulation studies using industry-standard software.
• Design primary and secondary ventilation systems, including fans, vent raises, regulators, doors, stoppings, and auxiliary ventilation infrastructure.
• Perform heat load assessments, refrigeration studies, cooling requirements analyses, and contaminant control evaluations.
• Complete ventilation and cooling studies for feasibility studies, pre-feasibility studies, feasibility studies, and detailed engineering projects.
• Prepare technical reports, design criteria, specifications, calculations, and ventilation management plans.
• Assess underground environmental conditions, including airflow distribution, gas concentrations, dust control, and thermal comfort.
• Support mine planning teams by integrating ventilation requirements into mine layouts and production schedules.
• Participate in site visits, audits, ventilation surveys, and data collection activities.
• Provide technical support during project execution, commissioning, and operational phases.
• Ensure designs comply with relevant mining regulations, client standards, and international best practices.
• Collaborate effectively with mining, mechanical, electrical, process, civil, and environmental disciplines.
• Contribute to proposal development, business development activities, and technical presentations.
• Identify opportunities to improve system efficiency, energy consumption, safety, and sustainability outcomes.
• Mentor junior engineers and graduates where required.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential

• Bachelor's Degree in Mining Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Process Engineering or related Engineering discipline.
• Minimum 10 years of mine ventilation engineering experience within underground mining operations or consulting environments.
• Proven experience in ventilation network analysis and mine ventilation system design.
• Experience delivering engineering projects across study and execution phases.
• Strong understanding of underground mining methods and ventilation requirements.
• Excellent technical report writing and communication skills.
• Ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary engineering teams.
• Solid understanding of first principal thermodynamic calculations for
• • Heat sources
    • Heat skinks
    • Energy balances

Preferred

• Professional registration or eligibility for registration with ECSA.
• Postgraduate qualification in Mine Ventilation Engineering or related discipline.
• Experience working on international mining projects.
• Experience in deep-level hard rock mining environments.
• Knowledge of refrigeration and cooling systems for underground mines.

Technical Skills

• VentSim™
• Ventsim CONTROL™
• VUMA
• Mine Planning Software (Deswik, Vulcan, MineSched or similar)
• Microsoft Office Suite
• Mine refrigeration and cooling system analysis
• Ventilation network modelling and optimisation
• Mine environmental monitoring systems
• Engineering design and calculation tools

Competencies

• Safety-first mindset
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Effective stakeholder engagement
• Project delivery focus
• Attention to detail
• Innovation and continuous improvement orientation
• Strong planning and organizational skills
• Leadership and mentoring capability
• Ability to manage competing priorities
• Adaptability within dynamic project environments

Why join us?

• Work with great people to make a difference
• Collaborate on exciting projects to develop innovative solutions
• Top employer

What we offer you?

• Flexible work environment
• Long term career development
• Think globally, work locally

Don't meet every single requirement? You don't need to. At Hatch, we are building a diverse, inclusive workplace that fosters innovation. If you're interested in this role, we encourage you to apply even if your past experiences don't perfectly align with the skills we've listed.

We're committed to fostering a workforce that reflects the diversity of the communities in which we operate and serve. Hatch is an Equal Opportunity Employer that considers applicants without regard to age, race, color, national origin, citizenship, religion, creed, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, or any other protected status. If you have any accommodation requirements, please let us know. We'll do our best to meet your needs in accordance with applicable local legislation.

In order to consider any application for employment, we will have to process your personal information.

A law, known as the Protection of Personal Information Act, 4 of 2013 (POPIA) provides that when one processes another's personal information, such collection, retention, dissemination and use of that person's personal information must be done in a lawful and transparent manner.

In order to give effect to this right, we are under a duty to provide you with a number of details pertaining to the processing of your personal information. These details are housed under the Hatch HR Processing Notice which can be accessed and viewed on the Hatch website: https://www.hatch.com/About-Us/Privacy-Statement-South-Africa, which HR Processing Notice we request you kindly download and read.

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