Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Underground Project Supervisor

🎯 Role Definition

The Underground Project Supervisor leads and coordinates all downstream activities for underground construction and mining projects—ensuring safe, on-time, on-budget delivery of tunnelling, shaft sinking, decline development, or underground access works. This role oversees crews and subcontractors, administers technical plans (drill & blast, ground support, shotcrete, TBM support), enforces safety and regulatory compliance, manages logistics and equipment availability, and delivers project reports and client liaison. The ideal candidate brings deep underground operational experience, strong leadership, and practical skills in geotechnical interpretation, ventilation, and emergency response.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Underground Foreman / Crew Leader
Site Supervisor (Surface or Underground)
Senior Underground Technician / Miner

Advancement To:

Underground Project Manager
Mine Manager / Operations Manager
Senior Construction Manager (Tunnels & Underground)

Lateral Moves:

Ventilation Superintendent
Safety & Compliance Manager
Contracts/Procurement Manager (Underground Services)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead day-to-day underground construction and mining operations, supervising multi-disciplinary crews and subcontractors to safely deliver tunnelling, shaft sinking, decline, or raise development according to project scope, schedule, and budget.
Develop, implement and enforce site-specific safety plans, risk assessments, method statements, and permit-to-work systems; ensure full compliance with regulatory bodies (e.g., MSHA, OSHA, provincial mining authorities) and company safety management systems.
Plan and coordinate drill-and-blast programs including face preparation, blast design review, charging procedures, pre-blast surveys, blast monitoring, and post-blast inspections to control fragmentation, vibration, and airblast impacts.
Manage ground support operations—design and supervise installation of rock bolts, mesh, shotcrete, steel sets, welded wire, resin anchors and other support systems in accordance with geotechnical recommendations and QA/QC requirements.
Oversee ventilation and dewatering systems: size and manage ventilation fans, ducting, monitoring of gas and air quality, and maintain dewatering pumps and sumps to ensure safe and productive underground environments.
Control and optimize production schedules using project planning tools (MS Project, Primavera or equivalent) to balance crew shifts, equipment availability, material deliveries, and critical-path activities.
Supervise TBM operations or mechanized excavation support where applicable: coordinate TBM maintenance windows, cutter head inspections, lining operations and logistics for segment or lining supplies.
Plan and control the mobilization and demobilization of heavy mobile equipment (loaders, haul trucks, excavators, jumbo drills) and ensure effective preventative maintenance and downtime reduction through coordination with maintenance teams.
Manage procurement and on-site inventory for critical long-lead items, explosives, ground support consumables and construction materials; validate contracts and ensure subcontractor scope, compliance and performance.
Maintain cost control and budget tracking through accurate daily reports, progress claims, labor and equipment hour tracking, and propose corrective actions when forecasts deviate from targets.
Conduct routine geotechnical and face inspections, interpret geological mapping, and implement mitigation measures for ground instability, water inflows, fault zones and squeezing ground conditions.
Enforce environmental management practices underground including containment of pollutants, correct handling of run-off and slurry, dust suppression, and compliance with environmental permits and monitoring programs.
Lead emergency preparedness and mine rescue readiness: organize drills, ensure rescue equipment and refuge stations are maintained, and maintain clear communication protocols for underground emergencies.
Train, mentor and develop crew members: deliver toolbox talks, competency assessments, supervisor coaching, and ensure staff qualifications and tickets are current for underground tasks.
Maintain strong client and stakeholder relationships: provide regular technical updates, attend client meetings, manage expectations, and resolve scope or change order issues proactively.
Prepare, review and submit daily, weekly and monthly reports including production logs, safety statistics, incident investigations, and technical change proposals for senior management and clients.
Implement continuous improvement initiatives using operational feedback and performance metrics to drive productivity, safety and cost efficiencies across underground operations.
Coordinate interdisciplinary activities with surface operations, shaft/hoist teams, geology, surveying, and surface logistics to ensure seamless material movement and alignment with surface works.
Monitor quality assurance and control for underground construction: ensure work meets engineering drawings, specification standards, lining tolerances and testing requirements (e.g., shotcrete testing, bolt pull tests).
Manage site security, access control, and record-keeping for personnel entry/exit, explosives magazines and controlled materials to meet statutory and company requirements.
Resolve operational conflicts and incidents through timely investigation, root-cause analysis, corrective action plans, and follow-up to prevent recurrence.

Secondary Functions

Support pre-construction planning and value engineering by providing underground method input, constructability reviews and risk-based sequencing recommendations.
Assist estimating and tender teams with underground cost inputs, resource hours, equipment productivity rates, and schedule logic for bid preparation.
Participate in design coordination meetings with engineers and geotechnical specialists to refine excavation profiles, support designs and temporary works.
Maintain and update as-built records, tunnel mapping and survey data to support future maintenance and client handover packages.
Lead or support internal audits and third-party inspections; implement corrective actions for non-conformances and support certification efforts.
Champion safety culture initiatives, behavior-based safety programs and reward systems that increase frontline engagement and reduce incident rates.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Underground mining and tunnelling operations (shaft sinking, decline development, drift/tunnel excavation)
Drill & blast planning and execution, blast design review and blast mitigation best practices
Ground support design and installation: rock bolts, shotcrete, mesh, steel sets, resin anchors
Ventilation design and management, gas monitoring and air quality control in confined spaces
TBM support and mechanized excavation coordination (where applicable)
Heavy mobile and fixed plant operation oversight, maintenance scheduling and reliability practices
Project scheduling and planning tools (MS Project, Primavera P6) and production forecasting
Budgeting, cost control, progress claims and labour/equipment hour accounting
Geotechnical interpretation, mapping, and implementation of ground control strategies
Emergency response and mine rescue procedures, refuge station and first-aid readiness
Regulatory compliance knowledge (MSHA/OSHA, provincial mining legislation, environmental permits)
QA/QC procedures, testing of shotcrete and ground support, and acceptance criteria management
Contract and subcontractor management, procurement of explosives and critical materials
Permit-to-work systems, confined space entry procedures and isolation/lockout practices

Soft Skills

Strong leadership with proven ability to motivate and manage multi-shift crews and subcontractors
Excellent verbal and written communication for reporting, client liaison and crew briefings
Problem solving and decisive decision-making under operational pressure and changing ground conditions
Collaborative stakeholder management across engineering, operations, safety and clients
Situational awareness and commitment to a positive safety culture
Time management and prioritization skills in a dynamic, high-risk environment
Coaching and mentoring aptitude to grow frontline supervisory talent
Adaptability and resilience in remote or austere underground project locations

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma (or equivalent) plus recognized underground mining or tunnelling ticket/certification and/or trade qualification (e.g., heavy equipment operator or fitter).

Preferred Education:

Bachelor’s degree or diploma in Mining Engineering, Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Geotechnical Engineering, or Occupational Health & Safety.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Mining Engineering
Civil / Structural Engineering
Construction Management
Geotechnical Engineering
Occupational Health and Safety
Heavy Equipment Operations / Trades

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 5–15 years of progressive experience in underground construction, tunnelling or mining operations with at least 3–5 years in a supervisory role.

Preferred:

8+ years of underground project experience with demonstrated leadership on large-scale tunnelling or mine development projects.
Experience supervising drill & blast, ground support and ventilation operations; proven record managing budgets, schedules and subcontractors.

Recommended certifications and tickets (preferred or required depending on jurisdiction): Underground Supervisor/Foreman ticket, Blaster’s Certificate, First Aid/CPR, Confined Space Entry, WHMIS/GHS, Mine Rescue training, and an accredited Project Management or Safety certification (PMP, NEBOSH, or equivalent) where applicable.