Commercial & Scientific Analyst

About the company

The mining industry faces increasing challenges in discovering new ore deposits, requiring significantly more capital compared to 30 years ago. Easy-to-find, near-surface deposits are scarce, and the industry has under-invested in exploration technology, relying on outdated manual techniques despite accelerating demand for metals like copper and lithium essential for electric vehicles, renewable energy, and data centers.

KoBold addresses this by building AI models for mineral exploration and deploying these models, along with novel sensors, to guide KoBold-owned-and-operated exploration programs. Since its founding six years ago, KoBold has become the largest independent mineral exploration company and the largest exploration technology developer. Our data scientists and software engineers, originating from leading technology companies, collaborate with renowned exploration geologists to lead exploration programs.

KoBold has demonstrated its first discovery with substantially less capital than the industry average, identifying one of the best copper deposits ever discovered. This deposit boasts a copper concentration far exceeding the global average for copper mines and is projected to generate significant revenue for decades. KoBold also manages a portfolio of over 60 other projects, each with the potential for further high-quality discoveries.

KoBold is a privately held company with investors including institutional asset managers T. Rowe Price and Canada Pension Plan Investments, technology venture capitalists Andreessen Horowitz, Breakthrough Energy Ventures, BOND Capital, and Standard Investments, as well as natural resources companies Equinor, BHP, and Mitsubishi.

We are seeking a Commercial & Scientific Analyst to contribute to our mission.

About the position

Reporting to a Lead or Manager within the Commercial Analytics team, you will collaborate closely with a remote team of 5-7 members across North America and Europe. Your role will involve structuring ambiguous problems, building financial and operational models, and providing data-driven recommendations to the C-suite for critical decision-making.

The scope of work is diverse, encompassing traditional market analyses such as supply/demand forecasting and commodity outlook reports, as well as non-traditional analyses to support KoBold's mission. This may include operational and financial modeling for exploration programs, build vs. buy decisions for technology, mine economics modeling, and creating scientific communication materials for external audiences.

This position is ideal for a recent graduate eager to rapidly acquire a broad skill set. The role offers a steep learning curve and involves varied, intellectually demanding work.

Responsibilities

The Commercial & Scientific Analyst will:

• Aggregate existing research and/or conduct original research to build forecasts and models related to commodity markets, KoBold operations, mine development, and other areas.
• Collaborate with the Commercial Analytics and Financial Planning & Analysis teams to address strategic questions from leadership.
• Prepare materials for the Board of Directors, investors, and partners.
• Apply a first-principles approach, working with various KoBold functions, to aid in decision-making or improve operational efficiency (e.g., cost models for technology, HR, exploration programs, carbon emissions reporting, trade-off/sensitivity analyses).
• Conduct analytics for critical workstreams in mine development and exploration.
• Build and maintain financial models to assess project economics.
• Support other members of the Commercial Analytics team on various analytical assignments.

Qualifications

A great candidate will possess:

• An educational background in a STEM discipline or economics is preferred (e.g., physics, chemistry, astronomy/astrophysics, or mathematics).
• At least 1 year of experience in technology or natural resources.