Area Project Manager – Non-Process Infrastructure (NPI)

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Job Description

Albemarle is hiring for an Area Project Manager. This position is hybrid and located in Kings Mountain NC and full-time on-site presence is required during active construction phases.

The Area Project Manager Non-Process Infrastructure (NPI) is a senior capital project leadership role within Albemarles Kings Mountain lithium mine projectone of the most strategically significant critical mineral developments in the United States. This role owns end-to-end delivery of non-process infrastructure that enables safe on-schedule construction and start-up of the Mine Concentrator and Tailings areas.

NPI scope includes high-voltage power and substations; mine haul/access roads and site earthworks; raw and process water supply storage and treatment; stormwater and environmental containment; site buildings (maintenance warehouse dry/admin); telecoms/controls backbone; geotechnical and surveying programs; and third-party utility coordination.

The successful candidate brings hands-on experience delivering infrastructure for greenfield or brownfield mining and mineral processing facilities with strong understanding of hard-rock concentrator sequencing and interfaces. This role requires an EPCM-caliber project manager with an owners mindset to protect schedule capital and operability through design construction commissioning and turnover.

What You Will Do

Project Leadership & Execution

• Own scope schedule budget and risk for all NPI projects supporting the Mine Concentrator and Tailings areas across FEL2IFC construction commissioning and handover.
• Develop execution plans WBS and integrated schedules aligned to the overall Kings Mountain master schedule and critical path.
• Control cost and change (Class 3 through completion): estimates commitments contingency change orders and monthly performance reporting.
• Maintain risk and issue registers drive timely resolution/escalation and lead NPI stage-gate readiness reviews to ensure FEL maturity before sanction and execution.

Mining & Concentrator Infrastructure Expertise

• Lead greenfield hard-rock mining infrastructure delivery: access/haul roads earthworks ROM pad interfaces and overburden/stockpile enabling works.
• Translate concentrator needs (crushing grinding separation/flotation dewatering) into coordinated NPI scope: power water compressed air reagent/utility areas and building envelope.
• Manage mine-to-plant and plant interface points with process OEMs and EPCM: equipment pads/foundations utility tie-ins corridors constructability and commissioning utility readiness.
• Coordinate tailings infrastructure interfaces (ancillary works return water decant/pumping access) with geotechnical and environmental teams.

Engineering & Design Oversight

• Direct EPCM and specialty consultants across civil/structural mechanical electrical I&C and architectural disciplines for NPI scope.
• Review/approve key deliverables (site layout grading foundations/structures electrical single-lines underground utilities) and guide routing decisions to ensure constructability and operability.
• Ensure all designs incorporate safety-in-design principles and satisfy requirements identified through HAZID HAZOP and constructability reviews. Ensure all open action items are formally closed prior to IFC issuance.
• Participate in or lead value engineering exercises to optimize NPI capital cost without compromising operability maintainability or regulatory compliance.

Contractor & Supplier Coordination

• Manage interfaces with NPI contractors/utility providers and internal stakeholders; ensure scopes RFPs contracts and changes capture technical and schedule requirements.
• Ensure commercial documents RFPs scopes of work contracts and change orders fully capture NPI technical requirements and are aligned with the contracting & procurement teams standards.
• Integrate OEM/vendor requirements into NPI execution (foundations heavy-haul access/laydown pre-install utilities and commissioning readiness) and drive timely receipt of vendor data.

Permitting Land & Regulatory

• Maintain NPI permitting and land tracker (land disturbance building encroachments utility agreements environmental authorizations) and align construction sequencing to permit conditions.
• Oversee surveying/easements/right-of-way and geotechnical investigations to support design manage subsurface risk and enable construction.

Reporting & Controls

• Implement project controls for NPI scope (baseline progress forecasting and change) and communicate status risks and milestones to project leadership and key stakeholders.

Safety & Compliance

• Champion safety-first execution for NPI embedding safety-in-design and ensuring contractor plans meet site requirements.
• Ensure compliance with MSHA/OSHA requirements and track closure of hazard review and PHA action items prior to construction.

What You Bring

Education

• B.S. in Mechanical Civil Electrical or Chemical Engineering (Mechanical/Civil preferred for mining and concentrator infrastructure scope).
• PE strongly preferred; PMP a plus.

Experience

• 15 years capital project leadership primarily in mining mineral processing or heavy industrial environments.
• Proven delivery of infrastructure for at least one greenfield/brownfield mine development or major concentrator project; EPCM/owner-side delivery experience highly valued.
• Demonstrated NPI delivery in a mining context (earthworks/roads HV power water/stormwater buildings multi-utility distribution) within a stage-gate framework (FEL1FEL3 / Class 52 estimates).
• Experience executing government-funded or incentive-supported capital projects (e.g. federal/state grants DOE programs) including compliance reporting and audit readiness preferred but not required.
• Working knowledge of concentrator equipment installation interfaces (crushing grinding flotation/separation thickening/filtration conveying) and associated utility/sequencing impacts.
• Experience in the lithium borates potash or other specialty minerals industry is a plus given the Kings Mountain projects critical mineral mandate.

Technical Skills

• Able to interpret and challenge key engineering documents (P&IDs layouts grading single-lines structural and I&C drawings).
• Knowledge of MSHA requirements and strong proficiency with schedule/cost tools (Primavera P6 MS Project or equivalent).

Leadership & Interpersonal

• Lead and influence multi-disciplinary teams in fast-paced greenfield mining construction environments.
• Communicate complex project status and risk clearly; operates with an owners mindset to protect schedule cost quality and operability.

Specific Interface Responsibilities

• Electric power provider: interconnection agreements substation/design reviews metering and energization schedule coordination.
• Permitting: maintain real-time permit status for NPI construction; ensure sequencing complies with conditions and avoids violations.
• Land/surveying & geotechnical: survey control/as-builts boundary/easements and subsurface investigations to support roads earthworks and foundations.

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Benefits of Joining Albemarle

• Competitive compensation

• Comprehensive benefits package

• A diverse array of resources to support you professionally and personally.

We are partners to one another in pioneering new ways to be better for ourselves our teams and our communities. When you join Albemarle you become our most essential element and you can anticipate competitive compensation a comprehensive benefits package and resources that foster your well-being and fuel your personal growth. Help us shape the future build with purpose and grow together.