Descripción del puesto

Lead environmental and permitting management for Vicuña Corporation, which is developing a large-scale, multi-phased, bi-national copper project bordering Argentina and Chile. The incumbent is responsible for leading environmental studies, monitoring, impact assessments and permitting, in alignment with international standards and Argentine and Chilean regulations; developing a high-performing team and an environment-conscious culture within the organization; and building management systems, plans and strategies that support project execution, risk, impact and incident management, environmental compliance, and a sustainable development approach that provides opportunities and benefits the region.

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction for environmental and permitting management for Vicuña, including key topics, such as: climate action, water stewardship, biodiversity conservation, pollution prevention and waste and tailings management, closure planning and cumulative and cross-border effects
• Lead efforts to implement Vicuña’s Environmental Policy
• Lead the development and implementation of annual and multi-year plans for environmental studies, environmental impact assessments (EIAs) and permitting, to support the project schedule, and ensure all permit applications and renewals are completed on time
• Lead efforts to ensure Vicuña complies with relevant Argentine, Chilean and international environmental laws, regulations, permits and industry-specific codes of practice, in collaboration with the Legal Department
• Oversee and coordinate the work of specialized consultants to support environmental characterization and baseline studies, the preparation of EIAs and planning considerations
• Lead Vicuña’s environmental stewardship efforts that involve taking a risk-based approach to study, assess and address actual or potential impacts on the environment, in alignment with the Mitigation Hierarchy
• Develop and implement the environmental management system and plans, within Vicuña’s integrated sustainability management system, in alignment with the ICMM Principles, ISO 14001, the IFC Performance Standards, and other international standards and regulatory requirements of Chile and Argentina
• Oversee environmental risk identification, incident management and audit programming
• Coordinate regulatory and company reporting on environmental performance and permitting, and contribute to the development of the company’s annual sustainability report, aligned with the Global Reporting Initiatives Standards
• Development partnerships with credible third parties to collaborate on impact mitigation and strategic sustainability initiatives, such as biodiversity conservation and water stewardship
• Regularly advise and present to senior management and the Board of Directors on environmental and permitting issues
• Engage with external stakeholders – government officials, regulators, non-governmental organization, academic and scientific institutions and community and civil society groups – on environmental and permitting issues and opportunities, in collaboration with the Corporate Affairs Group
• Develop, lead and align a team of environmental and permitting professionals in Argentina and Chile
• Foster cross-functional collaboration on environmental and permitting planning, and build a strong environmental culture within Vicuña – including its works, contractors, partners and stakeholders
• Drive continuous improvement in environmental performance across the organization
• Collaborate with Sustainability Department colleagues in Social Performance and Sustainability Systems key initiatives (such as water stewardship, consultations, audits, systems, and EIA planning) to foster an integrated approach to sustainability management
• Support crisis management and incident/emergency response, where situations dictate strategic environmental involvement
• Monitor good-practice and regulatory environmental trends in the global mining industry

Requisitos

• +20 years’ experience in environmental and permitting management in mining, including prior to and during construction
• Expertise in developing and implementing environmental management systems aligned with international mining standards, namely: ISO, ICMM and IFC Performance Standards
• Significant experience developing and carrying out environmental baseline studies, and bankable and regulatory environmental and social impact assessments
• Hands-on experience with the management of environmental programs and plans relating to water, biodiversity, waste, tailings, climate change, pollution, air quality and other areas
• Understanding of environmental and permitting regulations in Chile and Argentina
• Experience in leading complex permitting processes
• Fluent in Spanish and English – writing, reporting and presenting to senior executives and government officials
• Strong leadership and project management skills
• Self-starter, proactive, flexible, accountable
• Experience forming and leading multi-disciplinary teams
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• University degree in environmental science, engineering, law or a mining-related field

Location: Based in San Juan, Argentina (Administrative Office), regular travel to the mine site and other project areas area in Argentina and Chile required; occasional travel to HQ in Vancouver.