[Hiring] Senior Geochemist @KoBold Metals

Role Description

KoBold explores across several continents and a widening set of commodities. This role is the geochemical capability that travels with those programs.

Reporting to the Principal Geochemist, you will work as a functioning member of exploration teams in North America, Europe, and Africa; planning and running sampling campaigns, on the ground when it matters, and turning results around quickly enough to change what the team does next.

Your responsibility is in the practice, programs, field decisions, interpretation, and the day-to-day geochemical judgement that the exploration teams you work within depend on. You will work closely with data scientists and software engineers to develop new tools and drive an ever deepening analysis of results. You will work to company standards and audit against them in the field. You will be required to prioritize your time effectively across multiple projects, and multiply your reach by training field teams to sample well without you present.

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate in all activities a commitment to the highest standards in health and safety, environment, and community relations.
• Act as the embedded geochemist for exploration programs across North America, Europe, and Africa.
• Design geochemical sampling programs fit for the terrain, regolith, and mineral system being tested.
• Own the geochemical component of drilling programs, including sampling intervals and quality control.
• Apply and audit KoBold's geochemical standards and quality control procedures in the field.
• Interpret multi-element geochemical datasets across commodities and deposit types.
• Partner with geoscientists, data scientists, and software engineers to improve and develop tools.
• Assess legacy and third-party geochemical datasets during property evaluation and acquisition due diligence.
• Work alongside geologists, geophysicists, and data scientists to identify, rank, and prioritize targets.
• Coach and train field geologists and technicians in leading-practice sampling.
• Feed field experience back into method and technology development led by the Principal Geochemist.
• Plan and manage a demanding international travel and deployment schedule.

Qualifications

• Strong technical knowledge of more than one ore deposit type.
• Demonstrated hands-on experience designing and executing surface geochemical programs.
• Experience running the geochemical side of drilling programs.
• Practical command of quality control for sampling programs.
• Excellence in generative analysis of large multi-element datasets.
• Baseline level of proficiency in standard desktop software packages (e.g., ArcGIS or QGIS).
• The ability to work effectively as a member of teams across cultures and technical disciplines.
• Previous experience in coaching and training geoscientists.
• Willingness and ability to travel internationally for extended periods.
• Demonstrated commitment to high standards of health and safety in the workplace.
• A minimum of 8 years’ experience in the mineral exploration industry.
• Intellectual curiosity and eagerness to learn about all aspects of mineral exploration.
• Ability to explain technical problems and collaborate on solutions with domain experts.
• Excitement about joining a fast-growing early-stage company.
• A valid passport and willingness to travel to exploration sites around the world.

Requirements

• Working knowledge of one programming or scripting language (e.g., Python, R) applied to geochemical data.
• Knowledge of geostatistics, compositional data analysis, or other statistical methods.
• Experience with portable XRF and in-field sample preparation.
• Experience in environmental geochemistry, including baseline surveys.
• International experience, particularly in the Central African Copperbelt.
• Professional registration or chartership (e.g., CGeol, FAusIMM, EurGeol, SACNASP).
• Working proficiency in French.

Benefits

• Base salary range of $140,000-$185,000, plus equity and benefits including 401k matching.
• Remote-first workplace with legal authorization to work in specified countries.
• Hands-on exposure to exploration projects around the world.
• Minimum of one week per year travel to project sites.

Company Description

KoBold builds AI models for mineral exploration and deploys those models alongside novel sensors to guide decisions on exploration programs. The company has proven its first discovery with materially less capital than the industry average and has a portfolio of more than 80 other projects.

KoBold is privately held, with investors including institutional asset managers and technology venture capitalists.