Lead, Communities and Social Performance

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. Since our founding in 2018, 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 Role:

You will lead KoBold’s community and public relations function in the DRC, ensuring that our presence reflects our values, regulatory obligations, and long-term commitments to local communities. You will manage community engagement, public and government relations, and oversee the implementation of the Plan d’Action de Réinstallation (PAR).

Responsibilities of this position include:

Strategic Leadership & Representation

• Represent KoBold at the regional and local level with provincial governors, local administrative authorities, traditional authorities and community stakeholders and other industry stakeholders.
• Lead strategic engagement with local communities to ensure KoBold’s success.
• Provide advisory support and recommendations for the implementation of exploration activities.
• Represent KoBold’s values and ethics in every interaction, reinforcing a culture of trust and credibility.

Communities Engagement and Stakeholder Relations

• Ensure the proper identification and analysis of stakeholders who may be affected by or interested in KoBold’s activities.
• Design stakeholder engagement processes such as land access strategies and stakeholder engagement plans, including engagement strategies with traditional leaders.
• Lead consultation processes with local communities, traditional authorities and local authorities to ensure the timely implementation of work programs.
• Develop and maintain trusted and productive relationships with community leaders, local governments, civil society organizations, and development partners to sustain community confidence.
• Implement KoBold’s grievance mechanism and resolve community concerns or complaints.

Social Impact Assessment and Management

• Lead social and environmental risk assessments.
• Lead social due diligence for new projects.
• Oversee social impact assessments and ongoing monitoring of exploration activities.
• Develop and implement social management plans aligned with international standards (IFC Performance Standards, ICMM principles, IRMA).
• Track and report on social performance indicators.
• Identify and assess social risks, including artisanal and small-scale mining and develop mitigation strategies.
• Manage complex crisis situations with judgment and authority, balancing company, community, and regulatory expectations.

• Lead cross-functional task forces on critical issues requiring alignment across operations, legal, and ESG teams.
• Foster a culture of accountability, discretion, and disciplined execution across all externally-facing teams.
• Advise senior leadership on the strategic implications of evolving stakeholder dynamics.

Community Development

• • Oversee community investment programs and local initiatives
  • Develop scopes of work for community investment initiatives
  • Implement actions outlined in the PARs.

Qualifications

• 7-10+ years of progressive experience in social performance, community relations or stakeholder engagement within the mining, energy, or infrastructure sectors.
• Proven ability to build and manage relationships with community members, traditional leaders, government officials, and institutional stakeholders in complex environments.
  
  
• Deep understanding of international standards including IFC Performance Standards, ICMM principles and UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.
• Knowledge of social impact assessment methodologies and tools.
• Knowledge of grievance mechanism design and implementation.
• Strong negotiation and conflict resolution abilities.
• Fluency in French and English (written and spoken); knowledge of local languages is an advantage.
• High level of integrity, cultural awareness, and professional maturity, with the ability to operate effectively in a diverse, cross-functional team.

What to Expect

Joining KoBold means getting the opportunity for hands-on exposure to our exploration projects around the world. All employees are expected to travel to project sites, with a minimum of one week per year. Field-facing and technical roles spend significantly more time in the field.

KoBold Metals is an equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity for people of any race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, age, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.

This position is (Contract, Exempt)

At this time, we are only accepting applications from Congolese nationals.

(Location: Lubumbashi, DRC)