Manager Exploration & Mining Artificial Intelligence

About the Role

Maaden is seeking a Manager, Exploration & Mining Artificial Intelligence to lead the identification, development, deployment, and adoption of AI solutions across its mining operations. This full-time position is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and requires 5-10 years of relevant experience. The role focuses on leveraging AI to enhance resource discovery, orebody understanding, safety, planning, productivity, efficiency, and sustainability.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain a prioritized portfolio of Exploration & Mining AI use cases aligned with business strategy and operational targets.
• Lead the design, development, testing, deployment, and continuous improvement of AI, machine learning, optimization, computer vision, and geospatial analytics solutions for exploration and mining.
• Partner with exploration, geology, mine planning, technical services, mining operations, maintenance, and safety teams to identify and resolve high-value operational challenges.
• Coordinate the integration of AI solutions with geoscience platforms, mine planning systems, fleet management systems, operational technology, and enterprise applications.
• Embed AI outputs into exploration workflows, technical services processes, operational practices, planning cycles, and management decision-making.
• Lead and develop a multidisciplinary team combining AI, data science, geoscience, mining engineering, and operational expertise.
• Ensure solutions comply with safety, cybersecurity, data governance, model governance, responsible AI, quality, and operational risk requirements.

Solution Development and Deployment

The Manager will enable applications such as exploration targeting, geological interpretation, resource estimation support, mine planning optimization, drilling and blasting optimization, fleet productivity, ore tracking, and real-time decision support. This includes ensuring solutions are production-ready, scalable, maintainable, explainable, and aligned with operational and technical requirements. The role also involves working with Enterprise AI and AI & ML Ops teams to utilize approved platforms and deployment pipelines.

Performance Improvement and Integration

This position applies predictive and prescriptive analytics to improve discovery targeting, orebody understanding, plan compliance, equipment utilization, cycle times, material movement, productivity, and cost performance. It also supports hazard detection, fatigue and proximity analytics, equipment health insights, and risk-informed decision-making for safer and more reliable mining operations. Integration efforts will involve geoscience platforms, mine planning systems, fleet management systems, and digital twins.

Adoption and Value Realization

The role involves leading user engagement, change management, training, and knowledge transfer to support effective adoption and sustainable operational ownership of AI solutions. The Manager will track realized benefits and report performance against safety, discovery, planning, production, productivity, reliability, cost, and sustainability measures.

Desired Outcomes

• A focused Exploration & Mining AI portfolio aligned with site priorities and measurable business value.
• Improved exploration targeting, orebody understanding, safety, plan quality, production, equipment utilization, and mining productivity.
• Reduced operational variability, cycle time losses, unplanned downtime, safety exposure, and manual decision-making.
• Production-grade AI solutions adopted and sustained within exploration and mining operations.
• Reliable model performance supported by effective monitoring, governance, and operational ownership.
• Strong collaboration across exploration, geology, technical services, mining operations, maintenance, safety, OT, IT, Digital, and Enterprise AI teams.
• A capable and engaged team with strong AI, geoscience, and mining expertise.