Assay Lab Superintendent

Summary:

The Assay Laboratory Superintendent is responsible for the establishment, operation and ongoing supervision of the Mount Morgan Project assay laboratory. The role ensures the timely, accurate, and compliant delivery of analytical results to support exploration, mining and processing activities. This position has accountability for laboratory quality systems, quality assurance, safety, staffing, contractor oversight and alignment with Heritage Minerals’ technical, safety and environmental standards.

Key Accountabilities

Laboratory Operations

• Establish, supervise and continuously improve assay laboratory operations to support exploration, grade control, metallurgical test work and production requirements.
• Ensure efficient sample preparation, analysis and reporting workflows that meet operational timelines.
• Oversee laboratory infrastructure, equipment selection, commissioning, maintenance and calibration.
• Be accountable for laboratory consumables, reagents and inventory control.

Quality Assurance/Quality Control

• Develop, implement and maintain robust Quality Assurance/Quality Control systems consistent with industry best practice and relevant Australian standards
• Monitor analytical accuracy, precision and repeatability through the use of standards, blanks, duplicates and umpire laboratory checks.
• Investigate and resolve non-conformances, assay discrepancies and quality issues in a timely manner.
• Maintain full traceability and defensibility of assay data for technical, regulatory and audit purposes.

Health, Safety and Environment

• Ensure laboratory operations comply with WHS legislation, site safety management systems and Heritage Minerals’ HSE policies.
• Identify laboratory hazards (chemical, physical and biological) and implement effective risk controls.
• Ensure safe handling, storage and disposal of chemicals and hazardous materials in accordance with regulatory requirements.
• Promote a strong safety culture through leadership, training and continuous improvement.

Contractor and External Laboratory Management

• Ensure accurate entry, validation and management of assay data within laboratory information management systems and company databases.
• Provide timely reporting of assay results to geology, mining, metallurgy and management teams.
• Prepare technical summaries, QA/QC reports, and performance metrics as required.

Compliance and Continuous Improvement

• Ensure compliance with relevant legislation, codes of practice and industry guidelines.
• Support internal and external audits, inspections and regulatory reporting requirements.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across laboratory safety, quality, cost and efficiency.

Key Relationships

• Mining and Grade Control Teams
• Geology and Exploration Teams (as applied from time to time)
• Processing and Metallurgy Teams
• Health, Safety and Environment
• External Laboratories and Suppliers.

Qualifications and Experience

Essential

• Tertiary qualification in Chemistry, Analytical Science, Metallurgy or a related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience supervising an assay laboratory within a mining or mineral processing environment. (or similar)
• Strong working knowledge of fire assay, wet chemistry and instrumental analysis techniques relevant to gold and base metals.
• Proven experience in QA/QC systems and assay data validation.
• Sound knowledge of WHS legislation and laboratory safety requirements.

Desirable

• Experience in start-up or project-phase laboratory environments.
• Familiarity with LIMS and geological database systems.
• Experience working on historical or complex ore (geological/earth science) bodies.