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, Durable Capital, StepStone, and Standard Investments; and natural resources companies Equinor, BHP, and Mitsubishi.

About the Role

In the role of Field Operations Lead, you will plan and execute our field activities in Finland to meet our business objectives without causing harm to our people, our contractors and partners, or the communities and environments where we operate. You will report to our Field Operations Director North America & Europe and other members of the operations and exploration team. Your primary responsibility will be to serve as the leader of field operations for 1–3 projects per year across Finland and potentially other Nordic or European jurisdictions.

Responsibilities

Plan

• Lead planning of complex exploration projects and moderate-scale development programs in Finland, including drilling campaigns, electromagnetic surveys, and reconnaissance programs
• Lead 1–3 concurrent projects of varying size, complexity, and jurisdiction, with accountability for planning and execution
• Lead procurement strategies: contractor selection, bid evaluation, benchmarking, and contract administration for Finland-based programs
• Develop detailed project-level risk and hazard identification, risk assessments, mitigation plans, and critical control implementation, with particular attention to Finnish winter construction conditions
• Lead project kick-offs with integrated teams and contractors, covering scope, execution strategy, and risk management
• Contribute collaboratively to data collection planning during Phase 4a of the Exploration Project Lifecycle
• Generate creative field operations scenarios outside conventional boundaries that lead to efficient programs

Execute

• Lead end-to-end execution of assigned projects from mobilization through demobilization and closure
• Provide strong leadership during changing field conditions, including Arctic and sub-Arctic weather events
• Track and forecast production rates, spend profiles, and resource requirements
• Manage and direct all field activities: lead contractor performance evaluation, feedback, and improvement
• Maintain daily contact with and monitor the status of KoBold personnel and contractors while in the field; maintain close communication with the Project Geologist, Project Data Scientist, and the Senior Project Planner

Close

• Lead site remediation and rehabilitation activities per Finnish regulatory standards
• Lead contractor performance reviews and lessons learned to drive continuous improvement

Compliance and Stakeholder Engagement

• Lead execution within regulatory compliance, monitoring, and reporting in accordance with Finnish mining and environmental legislation (including the Mining Act 621/2011 and Environmental Protection Act), EU regulations, and the practices of our joint venture partners
• Ensure execution is done within Finnish permitting processes, land access agreements, community relations, third-party agreements, and any joint venture requirements
• With leadership direction and support, represent KoBold Metals with local Finnish stakeholders, including communities, landowners, municipal authorities, and environmental bodies

Process Improvement and Mentoring

• Create ways of working that allow us to continue to work more effectively and to be nimble so that we can support machine-learning-driven dynamic field programs, where we adapt our plan based on the data we collect at each stage
• Mentor Field Operations Supervisors: ensure field operations follows KoBold’s systems, practices, and leading industry standards

Qualifications

Required

•  At least 12 years of experience conducting field operations in mineral exploration and mining, oil and gas, or a related industry, with demonstrated progression in complexity and responsibility
• Advanced knowledge of construction methodology, including winter and frozen-ground construction (tracks, pads, ice roads) relevant to Nordic operating environments
• Advanced understanding of helicopter-supported exploration, including utilization optimization and emergency response considerations
• Strong understanding of procurement processes: RFP development, bid evaluation, and contract administration
• Strong understanding of rehabilitation and closure planning
• Demonstrated commitment to health and safety standards, including incident management, root cause analysis, and corrective action implementation and verification
• Strong conceptual knowledge of all HSE, Land and Permitting, Legal, and Business Development systems as applied to exploration projects
• Ability to manage and supervise KoBold staff and contractors on all aspects of field activities, including complex and higher-risk field programs
• Ability to design complex field programs including scope, cost estimates, risk assessments, procurement, and project execution plans
• Ability to prepare complete and accurate deliverables based on the Exploration Project Lifecycle and synthesize findings for integrated project teams and leadership
• Ability to work in remote and isolated locations for extended periods of time, including Finnish Lapland and other Nordic environments
• A high degree of independence and the ability to work effectively with limited supervision
• Must speak, read, and write in Finnish and English; additional language skills are of benefit
• Valid First Aid Certification (Level 3 or Wilderness First Aid preferred)

Preferred

• Recognized internally or externally as a subject matter expert in field operations across at least two operation types (e.g., drilling, EM surveys, civil works)
• Material understanding of data science products (e.g., catchment analyses) and their appropriate uses in exploration
• Experience with Finnish and/or Nordic regulatory frameworks governing exploration operations
• Experience working on projects with dedicated exploration teams including both Geologists and Data Scientists, demonstrating sustained partnership and effective interdisciplinary collaboration
• Familiarity with project management principles and managing projects remotely across multiple jurisdictions
• Experience with logistics tied to complex remote operations in cold-weather environments, including helicopter, weather, camps, chartered flights, and drilling operations
• Swedish or other Nordic language skills are an asset

What We Value

• Sustained partnership with exploration teams, including both Geologists and Data Scientists, on one or more exploration projects
• Effective communication with team members across Geology, Data Science, HSE, Aviation, Legal, Community Relations, and Land and Permitting
• Perpetuating KoBold’s ethical standards through your own actions and in communicating with others
• Leading constructive field operational dialogue with colleagues; offering ideas freely and being willing to be wrong
• Receiving constructive and critical feedback well and providing constructive input and guidance to others
• Recognizing and elevating the team’s contributions, both in the field and to leadership, reinforcing a culture where strong work is visible and valued
• Interest in contributing broadly to the success of the company and eagerness to pitch in where needed

KoBold Metals is an equal opportunity workplace and an affirmative action employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunities 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 a Full-time Contract role.

Location: KoBold is a remote-first workplace. All candidates should be legally authorized to work in one of the following countries: Finland or Sweden.

The  Security Design and Integration Manager Nordics will drive our efforts in securing our Data Centers throughout the Nordics. They have responsibility of overseeing security design, integration, implementation and programming. This role is also responsible for the integration of EdgeConneX security and customer security efforts, ensuring compliance to all applicable standards. This position is customer facing and must uphold the ideals of EdgeConneX excellence.

Primary Responsibilities

• Procurement and oversight of security designers, integrators, and programmers.
• Liaison with customer security teams and local construction teams.
• Define and support the rollout, implementation, and adherence to EdgeConneX physical and operational security standards.
• Oversight over Physical Security Systems, such as S2, Lenel, and Genetec systems.
• Audit security contractors.
• Adjust baseline standards to local conditions and to local authorities holding jurisdiction.
• Collaborate with Security Operations on site turnover.
• Participate in shaping Security Design and Integrations global standards and processes.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Strong communications, both written and verbal, in leading teams and coordinating with peers and other disciplines on driving projects/issues to closure.
• Strong and effective team player in working with various disciplines and peer groups; can cover all gamut of tasks required to ‘getting a job done.’
• Superb ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects/responsibilities.
• Commitment to organizational excellence and constant awareness to seek opportunities to improve processes/quality of deliverables.
• Superb ability to meet committed timelines, leveraging assistance/input from peers.
• Strong attention to details.
• Superb ability to work independently while adhering to standards.
• Ability to use computer systems related to security and reporting.

Experience/Education

• 2+ years of experience managing large scale security design and installation projects in the Nordics.
• Experience in the Data Center industry, Telecommunications, IT, or similar critical infrastructure  industry.
• A working knowledge or ability to learn: EN50600 standards, PCI/DSS, SOC2, ISO 27001 certifications, as well as AUTOCAD and associated drawing programs.
• Working knowledge of jurisdictional security requirements.
• Interest in cyber security.
• Candidates with experience with S2, Lenel, and/or Genetec are highly encouraged to apply.
• Willingness to travel around the Nordics 

At Aiven, our vision is to help developers and builders bring their ideas to life with speed and simplicity by providing a data platform that makes open-source infrastructure easily accessible to everyone. We are now embarking on one of our most ambitious strategic bets to ensure open-source thrives on European cloud infrastructure.

The Role

We are looking for a Head of Public Policy to shape the regulatory and institutional landscape around European sovereign cloud infrastructure and lead Aiven’s company-wide policy work. Your mission is to influence how ‘sovereign cloud’ is defined in European policy, ensuring that sovereignty means more than data residency. In practice you will be creating the narrative and forming the landscape for a new category around truly sovereign and open-source cloud infrastructure.

What You'll Do

Policy Strategy & Ownership

• Define and execute Aiven's public policy strategy centred on true European sovereignty and open-source 
• Ensure this strategy is tightly integrated with Aiven's roadmap and commercial objectives

Create the True Sovereign Cloud category

• Push the open-source sovereignty narrative into new audiences like government decision makers, universities, and the next generation of public sector technology leaders to build long-term category ownership
• Position Aiven as a credible and trusted voice in European cloud sovereignty and AI infrastructure policy through exceptional thought leadership

Government & Institutional Relationships

• Engage with EU institutions, national governments, and standards bodies to advocate for sovereign cloud definitions that prioritise European ownership, control and open-source principles 
• Build trusted, long-term relationships with senior government officials and institutional stakeholders

Policy Intelligence & Strategic Action

• Track certification timelines, procurement frameworks, budget signals, and political developments across European markets
• Translate these into actionable intelligence that enables Aiven to engage earlier and more effectively than competitors

Cross-functional Partnership

• Partner with marketing to ensure policy positions feed into public narrative and thought leadership
• Partner with product and engineering to ensure Aiven’s offering meets evolving certification and compliance requirements
• Engage directly with early design-partner customers in regulated industries to validate requirements and understand the customer needs first hand

What We're Looking For

You have deep experience working at the intersection of technology policy, government relations, and European regulation. You understand how EU policy gets made not just in theory, but through direct involvement in shaping frameworks, certification schemes, or procurement standards. You have existing relationships with senior government officials, EU institution stakeholders or defence and security procurement leaders.

You understand cloud infrastructure and open-source technology well enough to engage credibly with both policymakers and engineering teams. You have excellent taste and conviction on why open-source and European-controlled infrastructure matters and the seniority to turn that into simple narratives for a minister, a procurement officer, or a room full of policy advisors.

You have true passion to create an European category king in the cloud market, thrive in ambiguity and move fast without waiting for permission. 

Amazing! What’s next:

If you think Aiven is the place for you and that our Values align with yours, send us your resume and we’ll get in touch!

Global Benefits:

Our global benefits are designed to help you thrive and grow, personally and professionally:

• Participate in Aiven’s equity plan.
• Balance work and life with our hybrid work policy.
• Choose the equipment you need to set yourself up for success.
• Use your Professional Development Plan budget for learning opportunities.
• Receive holistic wellbeing support through our global Employee Assistance Program.
• Inquire about our Global Time Off Commitment (Parental and Sick Leave, as well as Personal Time)
• Enjoy country-specific benefits for our global cast.

How to Recognize and Avoid Employment Scams:

There has been a rise in fake job postings used by scammers to get personal information. At Aiven, all of our emails relating to recruitment come from an @aiven.io, @greenhouse.io or @eu.greenhouse.io domain and all of our interviews are conducted by video call or in person.  Our interviews will never occur via text or chat. If you’re unsure of the legitimacy of a job opportunity/offer pertaining to Aiven, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at recruitment@aiven.io.

Equal Opportunities:

Aiven provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified employees and applicants for employment without regard to age, gender identity, national or ethnic origin, religion, sexual orientation, physical and mental ability, marital and family status or without regard to any other similar personal attributes. Aiven complies with applicable local laws governing non-discrimination in employment in every location in which the company operates. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, training and any other terms and conditions related to employment.

At Aiven we are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities or special needs in our working environment and job application procedures. We make all reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities or who otherwise need support to thrive in the workplace. We are committed to continuously improving workplace accessibility. There is an option to request a discussion in the application process but if you have any questions before applying please write to us at recruitment@aiven.io.

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