The Mining Potash Lead provides strategic, technical, and commercial leadership for the firm's potash services. The role is accountable for building and sustaining a market-leading potash capability by combining deep technical expertise with strong client relationships, talent development, and business growth.
Acting as HDR's recognized potash authority, the Potash Lead shapes technical direction, ensures consistency and quality of delivery, and drives strategic engagement with owner-operators, as well as mines in development Saskatchewan, the United States and globally.
Key AccountabilitiesPractice Leadership & Strategy
- Set the technical and strategic direction for the potash commodity practice, aligned with firm-wide growth objectives.
- Define and maintain potash-specific standards, methodologies, design guides, and best practices across studies, projects, and operational support.
- Monitor industry trends, emerging technologies, and client investment cycles to inform practice positioning and offerings.
- Serve as SME for complex technical, execution, and commercial challenges.
Market & Client Leadership
- Act as the firm's primary external contact for potash with key clients, joint venture partners, and industry stakeholders.
- Build and maintain long-term relationships with potash owner-operators and developers.
- Provide executive-level advisory support, including independent technical opinion, peer review, and strategic guidance.
- Support major pursuits by shaping technical strategy, value propositions, and differentiation.
Technical Authority & Assurance
- Retain accountability for technical excellence and consistency across all potash engagements.
- Review and approve critical process deliverables at key project milestones.
- Provide independent oversight for high-risk or high-value projects, expansions, and debottlenecking programs.
- Ensure lessons learned are captured and embedded across the practice.
Capability & Talent Development
- Lead, mentor, and develop senior and emerging potash specialists across disciplines.
- Define competency frameworks and succession pathways for potash process and materials handling expertise.
- Foster collaboration between regional and global teams to leverage experience and capacity.
- Support recruiting, onboarding, and knowledge transfer for potash specialists.
Business Growth & Financial Stewardship
- Contribute to practice revenue forecasting, resource planning, and margin performance.
- Support proposal development, project execution strategies, and risk management.
- Identify opportunities to expand services across the asset life cycle including studies, projects, operations support, and optimization.
Core Technical Domain ExpertisePotash Processing & Technologie
- Conventional underground and solution-mined potash processing
- Crushing, screening, and ore preparation circuits
- Froth flotation (KCl/NaCl separation) and reagent chemistry
- Brine management, thickening, clarification, and tailings handling
- Drying, cooling, compaction, granulation, and product finishing
- Process control strategies and performance optimization
Materials Handling System
- High-tonnage underground and surface conveying
- Hoisting, skipping, and ore handling systems
- Transfer chute design and bulk solids flow behavior
- Dust control, degradation mitigation, and segregation management
- Storage, reclaim, and load-out systems (rail and truck
Process Equipment & Materials Selection
- Crushers, screens, flotation cells, thickeners, cyclones, pumps
- Dryers, coolers, compactors, and granulators
- Equipment selection for corrosive chloride environments
- Wear protection systems, linings, and specialty materials
- Vendor evaluation, shop inspections, and performance benchmarking
Preferred Qualifications- A minimum of 15 years of progressive experience in potash processing, predominantly in Saskatchewan.
- Demonstrated experience spanning project development, operations, optimization, and expansions.
- Proven leadership in consulting, owner advisory, or technical governance roles.
- Eligible for Professional Engineer (P.Eng.) registration in Canada.
- Leadership Profile
- Recognized industry expert with executive-level credibility.
- Strong commercial acumen with the ability to link technical decisions to business outcomes.
- Collaborative leader with a mentoring mindset.
- Highly effective communicator with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
QualificationsRequired Qualifications - Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Planning, Sciences, Business Administration, or a closely related field
- Program management experience consistent with one of the following requirements:
- A minimum of three (3) years of program management experience in a deputy role to the Program Manager for the delivery of one or more programs, with a cumulative capital value of $200 million or more, or;
- A minimum of five (5) years of program management experience as a Project Manager or Project Controls Manager for the delivery of one or more programs, each with a capital value of $200 million or more, or;
- A minimum of ten (10) years of project management experience as a Project Manager directing a multi-disciplinary team for the delivery of at least two (2) projects, each with a capital value of $50 million or more
- Strong leadership skills with experience building a cohesive team culture and managing team members in various locations.
- Excellent communication skills. Comfortable presenting to client executives and in front of a large audience in a public setting
- Management experience with the implementation of projects or programs using alternative and collaborative delivery methods, including design-build (DB), progressive design-build (PDB), and/or construction management at-risk (CMAR)
- Familiar with the various tools used to manage large programs - PMIS, CMIS, scheduling, cost control, document management, risk management, asset management, dashboard analytics, etc.
- An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must
