Mine manager to mine planning engineer
A mine manager already meets 59% of what the mine planning engineer role asks for. The move turns on 5 required skills not yet in the profile.
41.2/ 100
1 How much of what a mine planning engineer is expected to do is already part of a mine manager’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the mine planning engineer role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A mine planning engineer role treats 8 of its required skills as things a mine manager already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- address problems critically
- geology
- impact of geological factors on mining operations
- interface with anti-mining lobbyists
- mining engineering
- monitor mine production
What stands in the way is 5 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 12 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A mine planning engineer role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a mine manager background worth leading with.
- already held interface with anti-mining lobbyists communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held evaluate mine development projects information skills
- already held monitor mine production information skills
- already held mining engineering engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held mine safety legislation engineering, manufacturing and construction
- already held assess operating cost information skills
All 12 carried skills, including the 8 the mine planning engineer role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 9 missing skills fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn generate reconciliation reports required
- still to learn maintain plans of a mining site required
- optional, not held monitor mine costs optional
- still to learn schedule mine production required
- optional, not held mine dump design optional
- still to learn use mine planning software required
- optional, not held use technical drawing software optional
- still to learn advise on mine equipment required
- optional, not held minerals laws optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a mine planning engineer role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 generate reconciliation reports practise this
- 02 advise on mine equipment practise this
- 03 maintain plans of a mining site practise this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 12 skills that carry over
- already held address problems critically skill
- already held geology knowledge
- already held impact of geological factors on mining operations knowledge
- already held interface with anti-mining lobbyists skill
- already held mining engineering knowledge
- already held monitor mine production skill
- already held prepare scientific reports skill
- already held supervise staff skill
- already held assess operating cost skill
- already held ensure compliance with safety legislation skill
- already held evaluate mine development projects skill
- already held mine safety legislation knowledge
4 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held minerals laws optional
- optional, not held monitor mine costs optional
- optional, not held mine dump design optional
- optional, not held use technical drawing software optional
26 held skills the mine planning engineer role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role apply transportation management concepts skill
- not needed by the target role chemistry knowledge
- not needed by the target role communicate on minerals issues skill
- not needed by the target role communicate on the environmental impact of mining skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with customers skill
- not needed by the target role deal with pressure from unexpected circumstances skill
- not needed by the target role develop health and safety strategies in mining skill
- not needed by the target role economics knowledge
- not needed by the target role electrical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role electricity knowledge
- not needed by the target role ensure mining records are maintained skill
- not needed by the target role forecast organisational risks skill
- not needed by the target role health and safety hazards underground knowledge
- not needed by the target role identify process improvements skill
- not needed by the target role investigate mine accidents skill
- not needed by the target role manage commercial risks skill
- not needed by the target role manage emergency procedures skill
- not needed by the target role manage mining plant equipment skill
- not needed by the target role manage staff skill
- not needed by the target role mechanical engineering knowledge
- not needed by the target role optimise financial performance skill
- not needed by the target role oversee mine planning activities skill
- not needed by the target role present reports skill
- not needed by the target role think proactively skill
- not needed by the target role train mine engineers skill
- not needed by the target role troubleshoot skill
1 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- optional, not held minerals laws optional
Common questions about this move
Can a mine manager become a mine planning engineer?
Yes, and it is a moderate move. A mine manager already covers 59% of what a mine planning engineer is expected to do: 12 skills carry over, 8 of which the mine planning engineer role treats as required.
What skills does a mine manager need to become a mine planning engineer?
5 required skills are missing, plus 4 optional ones. They fall into 5 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by information skills. The single most important is generate reconciliation reports.
How hard is the move from mine manager to mine planning engineer?
Its learning distance is 41.2 out of 100, which is the moderate band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.