Mining Engineer

Our Company

Dicalite is a company that uses naturally occurring minerals to improve products used for filtration of liquids such as wine, beer, and swimming pool water, for use in building products such as wallboard, ceiling tile, and joint compound, and for use in potting soils and substrates for plant growth. Dicalite operates at the intersection of mining, branded products, industrial manufacturing, and research & product development to provide value to over 1,000 customers across the world. Dicalite is privately owned and has been in business for 98 years.

Dicalite’s operating footprint includes 16 facilities across North America and Europe. Operating through a fully integrated network of five surface mining complexes and twelve refining, processing, and packaging facilities, the company has a unique multi-mineral platform that includes perlite, vermiculite, and diatomaceous earth (“DE”). Dicalite’s core business is selling wholesale products to blue chip customers such as US Gypsum, MP Materials, Scotts Miracle-Gro, Cargill, Nestle Purina, Sherwin Williams, numerous California wineries, and 3M, among others.

Job Summary:

This is an exciting opportunity for a mining professional who enjoys solving complex problems, influencing operational decisions, and making a lasting impact on the future of Dicalite’s mining assets. The Mining Engineer plays a critical role in driving the safe, efficient, and sustainable extraction of diatomaceous earth, vermiculite and perlite through open-pit surface mining operations. This position blends hands-on technical expertise with leadership and strategic planning, supporting mine design, permitting, overburden management, resource recovery, and quality control while ensuring full compliance with MSHA safety standards and environmental regulations.

The Mining Engineer will serve as the primary technical liaison, ensuring accurate data, timely updates, and alignment between internal teams and external consultants. Working closely with production, geology, processing, and operations teams, this role helps ensure a consistent, high-quality raw material supply and the long-term sustainability of mineral reserves.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain short-term and long-term mine plans specific to DE and perlite deposit characteristics.
• Design pits, access roads, and ripping/excavation patterns tailored to variable ore hardness, moisture, and porosity.
• Optimize loading and hauling sequences to meet production and ore quality requirements.
• Conduct cut and fill analysis, stockpile planning, and reclamation sequencing.
• Work with geology and lab teams to map ore zones and maintain selective mining practices to achieve grade targets (density, brightness, composition).
• Along with geologists, execute sampling and drill programs to support resource modeling and reserve estimation.
• Track ore reconciliation from mine to plant to improve prediction accuracy.
• Recommend equipment settings and fleet configurations (e.g., dozers, excavators, loaders, scrapers) to enhance recovery and efficiency.
• Support dust control, slope stability, and overburden removal performance.
• Review and improve strategies where required for harder ore zones.
• Ensure compliance with MSHA and environmental permits including air quality, water management, stormwater controls, and waste handling.
• Participate in safety audits, risk assessments, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Support reclamation planning and implementation to meet state land restoration standards.
• Analyze production KPIs such as ore-to-waste ratios, haul cycle times, and equipment utilization.
• Prepare engineering reports, cost estimates, and capital project proposals.
• Lead the third-party reserve report process
• Assist in budgeting for mining operations and expansion projects.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in mining engineering or related engineering field.
• 2 years of experience in surface mining, preferably in industrial minerals such as diatomaceous earth, perlite, vermiculite, pumice, or aggregates.
• Skilled in mine planning software (e.g., Surpac, Carlson, Vulcan, AutoCAD).
• Knowledge of MSHA safety standards and environmental permitting frameworks.
• Strong analytical and communication skills.
• Proficiency with MS office applications, especially MS Excel.
• Experience with ERP systems, Microsoft Dynamics 365 a plus.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience working with DE/perlite geologic formations and variable ore properties.
• Background in material handling from mine to processing plant.
• EIT certification or progress toward PE license.

Working Conditions:

• Ability to work at surface mine locations in dusty terrain and varying weather.
• Ability to wear required PPE and work around heavy equipment.
• Travel to multiple mine and processing facilities as needed.
• Lift up to 50 lbs and operate in field and office settings.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of employees so classified. Dicalite Management Group, Inc is an Equal Opportunity Employer.