Shaft Ventilation Engineer

Valterra Platinum, formerly Anglo American Platinum, is a leading primary producer of platinum group metals (PGMs), with integrated mining, smelting, and refining operations in South Africa and Zimbabwe, marketing the metal we produce globally. Following our demerger from Anglo American plc, Valterra Platinum is now an independent, publicly listed company with a primary and secondary listing on the Johannesburg and London stock exchanges respectively.

As we embark on this exciting new chapter, Valterra Platinum is positioned to define and pursue its own strategy, anchored in operational excellence, sustainability, and value creation for the long-term. With full accountability for our performance and growth, we are focused on strengthening our capabilities across the entire PGM value chain, from mine to market.

Our independence empowers us to deepen our commitment to stakeholders and lead with purpose – to Unearth Value to Better Our World. We remain steadfast in our ambition to be the world’s foremost producer of platinum group metals, while embedding safety and sustainability in everything we do.

If you're driven by purpose and the opportunity to make a lasting impact, we invite you to join us. Apply today and be part of something bigger.

This role is based in Mokopane, Limpopo.

Job responsibilities include (but are not limited to): 

• Ensure that all occupational hygiene monitoring functions and audits stipulated by the Mine Health and Safety Act and regulations are performed within prescribed time parameters
• Establish systems and processes to ensure systematic and disciplined approach to legal compliance and routine measurement and inspection of ventilation and occupational hygiene systems.
• Develop ventilation technical and operational capability within the ventilation department to ensure ventilation knowledge and understanding is transferred to lamp room, control room and mining teams
• Support the development and implementation of ventilation and occupational hygiene-related training
• Support the development and maintenance shaft-level Ventilation and Occupational Hygiene standards, procedures and best practices in line with legal, Group and site requirements.
• Ensure that legal requirements, group standards and policies are adhered to, achieve legal compliance Ventilation/Occupational hygiene including risk assessment and auditing processes.
• Implement and coordinate effective shaft-level Ventilation and Occupational Hygiene systems, programmes and services in line with the direction set by the Chief Ventilation Engineer.
• Set daily, weekly and monthly Ventilation and Occupational Hygiene standards and targets.
• Responsible for short term Ventilation and Occupational Hygiene planning.
• Interpret and act on Ventilation and Occupational Hygiene-related legislation.
• Provide Ventilation and Occupational Hygiene expertise when challenges occur and advise on changes to plans, schedules, procedures and standards to minimize the effect of unexpected or unsafe work practices.
• Report to the employer as the competent person per the requirements of the MHSA and regulations, ventilation and occupational hygiene findings and trends.
• Define Ventilation and Occupational Hygiene training needs, discipline and guidance of employees within agreed parameters and procedures.
• Ensure development, implementation, and review of emergency response plans and fire risk mitigation strategies.
• Represent the mine at internal and external forums, audits, and inspections, including DMPR engagements.
• Identify and coordinate shaft-level resource requirements to support regulatory compliance and effective service delivery.
• Support the development, implementation and review of, and drive compliance with mandatory Codes of Practice for thermal stress, noise, airborne pollutants, prevention of mine fires, emergency preparedness, confined spaces, prevention of flammable gas explosions, QAQC, fatigue management and self-contained self-rescuers. This includes new MCOPs that are published from time to time.
• Ensure implementation of occupational hygiene systems to identify, assess, respond to and control health risks that cause illness or adverse effects to people.
• Ensure occupational hygiene surveys, assessments, legal reporting, and system linkage to medical surveillance is done.
• Ensure shaft ventilation designs and reviews are completed and aligned with short-term plans, production targets and sustainability requirements, and provide specialist input into medium- and long-term ventilation and occupational hygiene plans.
• Oversee advanced ventilation and heat modelling using VUMA, VentSim, and similar software.
• Conduct airflow and thermal requirement calculations for short-term planning and drive airflow optimization.
• Ensure system monitoring and continuous performance analysis, including lamp room management, early warning systems, auxiliary fan control, and gas detection infrastructure.
• Ensure investigations of ventilation and occupational hygiene-related incidents and ensure implementation of remedial controls.
• Provide specialist technical input into mining layouts, ventilation construction planning and critical infrastructure optimization.
• Lead or participate in shaft-level Ventilation and Occupational Hygiene projects and improvement initiatives, and monitor the implementation of agreed actions.
• Benchmark ventilation and occupational hygiene practices, evaluate appropriate innovations and recommend practical improvements to systems, controls and work processes.
• Exercise the required authority to stop work or operations where ventilation, occupational hygiene or related workplace conditions present an unacceptable safety or health risk.

This role is at a band 6 Level and reporting to the Chief Ventilation Engineer.

• Grade 12
• Elementary certificate in Mine Environmental Control.
• Chamber of Mines (COM) Certificate in Mine Environmental Control.

Experience, technical Knowledge and skills

• At least five years’ relevant post-qualification experience in mine ventilation within a mining environment. Occupational hygiene experience will be advantageous where applicable to the operation.
• Experience acting or appointed as an MHSA Section 12.1 appointee.
• Experience in a massive mechanised mining environment at sectional or senior ventilation officer level.
• Mine Health and Safety Act (MHSA), ventilation, occupational hygiene and environmental control regulations.
• Ventilation and occupational hygiene principles, monitoring, risk assessment and control measures.
• Mandatory Codes of Practice, statutory reporting requirements and audit processes.
• Ventilation planning, airflow management, heat control and ventilation modelling principles.
• Management systems, operational standards and industry best practices related to mine ventilation and occupational hygiene.
• Computer literacy in MS Office and SAP.
• Specialised ventilation and design software, including VUMA, VentSim, Deswik and MicroStation.

What We Offer

At Valterra Platinum, you will join a team committed to excellence and impact.

We offer:

• Meaningful work in a high-performance, values-led environment.
• Market-aligned reward and recognition.
• Opportunities for learning, development and progression.
• A culture that respects diversity and encourages innovation.
• A clear commitment to safe Operations.

Inclusion and Diversity

Valterra Platinum is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to promoting an inclusive and diverse workplace where we value and respect every colleague for who they are and provide equality of opportunity so that everyone can fulfill their potential.

Valterra Platinum has a zero tolerance to dignity harms, these include all acts of gender based violence, bullying, harassment and victimisation. Ensuring the safety of our employees extends beyond physical safety and includes the eradication of harmful behaviours from our workplace. This responsibility extends to everyone at Valterra Platinum both during work hours and outside of work. We are unconditional in creating a respectful, inclusive, and safe working environment to ensure that no colleague will be violated or harassed under our watch.

How to Apply

To apply for this role, please complete our online application form via this job advert.

Closing Date:16 October 2026 

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