Chief Specialist Accelerating discovery to development (Exploration & Resource Development Business Partner)

About the Role

Ma’aden is seeking a Chief Specialist, Accelerating Discovery to Development (Exploration & Resource Development Business Partner) to transform the application of technology in mineral exploration. This full-time role, based in Riyadh, focuses on accelerating the transition from exploration insights to scientifically validated, decision-ready evidence. The specialist will integrate frontier technologies to enhance exploration capabilities.

Role Purpose and Impact

As an enterprise technical authority, this role shapes the selection, validation, and application of emerging technologies across the exploration lifecycle. It connects automation, advanced sensing, Data & AI, subsurface analytics, and laboratory science to create faster, more reliable, and scalable exploration capabilities. The role aims to shorten learning cycles, improve confidence in findings, reduce rework, and strengthen the technical basis for investment decisions by integrating field acquisition, laboratory validation, and digital intelligence.

Key Responsibilities

• Shape the enterprise exploration technology roadmap to accelerate discovery and validation through automation, advanced sensing, AI-enabled targeting, and intelligent drilling.
• Translate emerging technologies into deployable exploration capabilities, selecting solutions based on scientific validity, technology readiness, field applicability, and potential business value.
• Build Ma’aden’s technical advantage by identifying and adapting relevant technologies and practices from Oil & Gas subsurface science, space exploration, OEMs, academia, and research institutions.

Required Experience and Skills

• Advance AI-enabled exploration by integrating geological, geophysical, geochemical, and remote-sensing information to strengthen subsurface interpretation, target ranking, and uncertainty management.
• Apply advanced analytics, including predictive modeling, deep learning, physics-informed AI, and probabilistic approaches, to increase the speed and confidence of exploration insights.
• Establish confidence-based decision metrics that make uncertainty, reproducibility, and learning rate visible alongside conventional exploration measures.

Qualifications

Candidates should possess a minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in a related field.

Location and Employment Type

This is a full-time position located in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.