FP&A and Procurement Manager

About the company 

The mining industry has steadily become worse at finding new ore deposits, requiring >10X more capital to make discoveries compared to 30 years ago. The easy-to-find, near-surface deposits have largely been found, and the industry has chronically under-invested in new exploration technology, relying on the manual techniques of yesteryear – even as demand accelerates for copper, lithium, and other metals to build electric vehicles, renewable energy, and data centers.

KoBold builds AI models for mineral exploration and deploys those models—alongside our novel sensors—to guide decisions on KoBold-owned-and-operated exploration programs. In the six years since founding, KoBold has become by far both the largest independent mineral exploration company and the largest exploration technology developer. Our data scientists and software engineers, who come from leading technology companies, jointly lead exploration programs with our renowned exploration geologists.

KoBold has proven its first discovery with materially less capital than the industry average and found one of the best copper deposits ever discovered: the copper is far more concentrated than the global average of copper mines, and this asset alone is expected to generate meaningful revenue for decades. KoBold has a portfolio of more than 60 other projects, each of which has the potential for another high-quality discovery.

KoBold is privately held; investors include institutional asset managers T. Rowe Price, and Canada Pension Plan Investments; technology venture capitalists Andreessen Horowitz, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, BOND Capital, and Standard Investments; and natural resources companies Equinor, BHP, and Mitsubishi.

About the position

This role will be a key member of our team in Zambia. You will be responsible for all financial planning and analysis responsibilities, serving as a key partner to business and technical functions, working across the entire company to help forecast, model, and plan expenses. Additionally, you will provide the necessary data, front-end tools, and analytical support to understand operational performance and improve decision-making. You will also be responsible for procurement and vendor management. This includes effectively managing large and complex contracts, developing strategic sourcing initiatives for capital equipment, overseeing vendor performance, and managing procurement risks and opportunities. Since KoBold is a startup company operating globally, your role will be dynamic and your role and responsibilities will grow as the company grows.  

Responsibilities

The FP&A and Procurement Manager will:

• Track and report on financial performance to the executive team, other business leaders, and various external stakeholders (e.g. investors, financial institutions, etc.) with an initial focus on our Africa operations
• Lead financial planning and reporting, sourcing strategy, vendor performance, and vendor contract management for the Mingomba project and other exploration efforts in Africa 
• Work closely with mine planning and mineral exploration project teams to develop a deep understanding of key activities, the engineering and technical details, and how KoBold develops and deploys its technology across these spaces
• Create tools and processes to streamline budget creation and tracking
• Conduct ad-hoc analyses as needed to support operational and strategic decision-making
• Help build and maintain various financial models to forecast company performance, cash requirements, or specific project economics
• Drive vendor performance analysis and improvement roadmaps, including:
  • Regular performance and cost reviews
  • Improvement roadmap definition and execution
  • Initial focus will be on the company’s drilling activities

• Partner with Project Controls Manager on strategic sourcing and building commercial relationships with industry Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management  partners in the region
• Develop and execute a comprehensive procurement management plan that aligns with the Mingomba project schedule and exploration project objectives, including evaluation of prospective or alternative suppliers
• Negotiating contracts with key suppliers, including costs and terms of supply, service, and quality
• Develop Mingomba’s project-specific forms and packs for tender and contract documentation and processes
• Lead tender and contract award processes in consultation with project teams, ensuring adherence to KoBold’s ethical standards
• Supervise and execute all purchasing activities with operations departments
• Implement a warehouse and inventory management system with adequate controls for the receipt & dispatch of inventory for daily operations
• Monitor compliance with contractual and procurement obligations by vendors.

Qualifications

A great candidate will have:

• A minimum 10 years of work experience in a commercial or financial lead role construction, manufacturing, or mining
• Post Graduate degree or equivalent management experience in CIPS, Construction & Project Management, Engineering, or Finance
• Strong Excel experience; SQL or Python experience is a plus
• Excellent communication and data presentation skills, including the ability to effectively communicate with both business and technical teams
• Ideas about how to visualize and communicate finance and operations data across a multi-disciplinary organization
• A high degree of independence and the ability to work effectively with limited supervision
• A strong interest learning a lot about how mineral exploration works, how our technology improves exploration, and how exploration leaders can make better decisions with better information
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Flexibility to accommodate meetings with staff overseas and occasional travel
• Interest in contributing broadly to the success of the company and eager to pitch in where needed
• Clear Ethics Record

We are committed to equal employment opportunities for all people. 

This position is a full-time pensionable contract 

Location: Flexi Lusaka/Copperbelt