OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE

Quarry manager
Job Description
Quarry managers are responsible for ensuring that quarries, pits and opencast sites operate successfully and they oversee all operations, both on site and in the office. They manage staff, coordinate production and monitor all site systems. Quarries produce a wide range of materials for use in industry and construction. These include: rocks and stone of all types; slate; sand and gravel; china clay; brick and ball clay; coal; and other minerals and materials. Many quarries have ancillary plants producing asphalt, ready-mixed concrete and concrete products, while others have industrial plants producing cement, lime, bricks and tiles, glass and refractory sands, and specialised products.

Typical Work Activities

Quarry managers combine their knowledge of extraction and processing systems with excellent interpersonal skills to ensure the profitability of quarry sites. Work takes place in the office and on site. In the office, typical work activities include:

checking that the quarry's production levels are maintained to schedule; balancing sales and output; altering the quarry's production system in accordance with the materials required; liaising with sales and commercial teams; providing the owner company with information and statistics on the quarry's performance; developing links with local groups and organisations; managing and regulating the quarry's budget; dealing with a range of paperwork; ensuring that key government health and safety legislation (Quarries Regulations 1999) is implemented throughout the site; keeping up to date with relevant government legislation and industry developments; developing inspection systems and checklists; writing development proposals and reports; maintaining up-to-date records; managing and recruiting staff.

On site, typical work activities include:

closely monitoring all areas of the quarry to ensure that extraction and processing work is carried out to the highest standard; liaising with staff on site and dealing with any technical or staffing challenges that arise; undertaking regular site inspections and risk assessments; examining the materials produced to ensure that a high quality of product is maintained; assessing equipment and production materials levels; ordering new items as required; checking that all vehicles on site are maintained to a good standard.

Work Conditions

Starting salary for an assistant quarry manager: 22,000+. Quarry manager: 30,000+. Unit manager (several quarries or a very large operation): 40,000+. Career paths exist for senior roles earning in excess of 100,000 (salary data collected Aug 07). Salary levels vary according to the size and type of company for which you work. Larger employers provide additional benefits, such as private health insurance and profit-related bonus schemes. The industry as a whole tends to work long hours, so it is likely that your working day would exceed 'average' nine to five office hours. Regular weekend work (approximately one weekend a month) is an integral part of the job. Your role may also include responsibility for being 'on call' in times of emergency or crisis. Whilst traditionally this role was based more on site, the ratio of site work to office work is now more likely to be 2:3. Due to the nature of the work, self-employment is not an option. Jobs are available throughout the UK in a variety of suburban and rural environments. Because the industry does not currently attract high levels of applicants, competition for jobs is lower than in other sectors. Mobility will be useful at the start of a career in quarry management, as you are likely to need to move from quarry to quarry before gaining an operations-level role. Approximately 90% of jobs in quarry management are held by men, but the percentage of jobs held by women has risen from 5% in 2005 to 10% in 2007 and employers are generally keen to recruit more female staff. Travel and overnight absences are not usually part of everyday working life. This sector offers a variety of opportunities to work overseas, in a range of settings, sometimes with additional company benefits.
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Entry Requirements
Although entry is possible with subjects unrelated to engineering and mining, the following are directly relevant and may improve your chances:

mining engineering; environmental engineering; geology; mining and mineral engineering.

The Institute of Quarrying (www.quarrying.org) website lists details of other suitable subjects. For entry to a graduate management training scheme, a degree in quarry engineering, IT or business may be preferred, combined with a strong academic record. Entry requirements vary between courses. There are a few specialist courses, a small number of which provide student sponsorship through industry support. The following qualifications are approved by the industry's professional body, the Institute of Quarrying, and permit institute membership at corporate level:

BEng Mining Engineering: University of Exeter (Camborne School of Mines (www.uec.ac.uk/csm)); BEng/MEng Mining and Mineral Engineering: University of Leeds.

Entry with an HND (in areas such as engineering, environment, business, and urban and rural planning) is possible, although this is likely to be at pre-management level. Progression to a management post would require further experience and industry training. Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:

the ability to communicate effectively with people at all levels; a strong level of technical understanding of quarrying environments and extraction systems; good business and management skills; knowledge of health and safety issues and how they relate to practical working environments.

It is advisable to arrange a visit to a quarry site. Contact individual companies for further information. One or two of the larger companies provide work experience opportunities and one-year industrial placements for students. This type of experience can provide useful contacts and evidence of commitment to the industry. Major companies provide graduate management training schemes. These intensive schemes usually provide an overview of the entire group or company by enabling you to work in each of their functions. (Generally, you make a choice about which function to work in after a year). For some schemes, geographic mobility is required to allow you to travel to each of the company's bases. Some training schemes provide time off and support to study for management qualifications. It is illegal for employers to discriminate against candidates on the grounds of age, gender, race, disability, sexual orientation or religious faith. For more information on equality and diversity in the job market see Handling Discrimination (www.prospects.ac.uk/links/discrimination).

Training
EPIC Training (www.epicltd.com), the specialist training organisation for the extractive and mineral processing industries, provides a number of courses related to quarry management. These include:

risk assessment in quarries; quarry safety inspection schemes; understanding the Quarries Regulations 1999.

Some companies may provide opportunities to go on these types of training courses, whilst in others it will be your responsibility to identify your own training needs and follow them up. In addition, training opportunities may cover more general areas, such as computer skills, geotechnical skills, sales and production issues. For those entering the role at assistant manager level, companies generally arrange regular development reviews, which provide opportunities to identify training needs. EPIC has developed a set of national industry occupational standards, which can provide a useful reference point for developing a career in this field. Larger companies may also offer team leadership and management training courses. Where companies do not provide such opportunities, it is advisable to identify providers yourself in order to gain professional qualifications in areas such as management. Generally, continuing professional development (CPD) must be progressed by the individual through a combination of professional qualifications, industry networking and membership of the appropriate professional bodies.

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Quarry manager

Career Development
The type of quarry you decide to specialise in may have some impact on the progress of your career: hard rock quarrying requires specialist skills and knowledge in areas such as blast design and shot firing; quarries in which sand and gravel are extracted will require different types of skills. Mobility can be an issue as you are likely to have to move from one quarry to another in order to increase your level of responsibility and experience. In addition, staff generally stay with one employer for a long time, which may also slow progress. Larger companies may provide more scope for progressing your career without the need to move around. Membership of the relevant professional bodies, such as the Institute of Quarrying (www.quarrying.org), will give you an advantage and is an important way to validate your professional development and show potential employers that you have the right combination of skills, experience and commitment. As well as having a high level of recognition within the extraction industry as a whole, membership also provides the opportunity to network and keep up to date with sector developments. The institute provides a clear membership structure, from student level through to fellow. Membership is gained through evidence of experience and completion of examinations. A number of qualifications provide exemptions from these examinations - contact the institute directly for further information. Gaining additional qualifications in areas such as management and government legislation is also a good way to develop your career in quarry management. With a number of years' experience and expertise, some quarry managers move on to working in an area operations management role. Working for a major, or even international, group of companies can provide a variety of career opportunities and the chance to diversify into other areas of the industry.

Typical Employers
Typical employers include the major aggregate companies that extract and produce materials for construction and industry, as well as smaller operations. The nature of employing companies varies from specialist private companies to international groups. The larger groups are made up of a wide range of specialist companies, so it is worth getting to know them and the details of their specific quarrying functions. A directory of quarries can be found at Minerals UK (www.bgs.ac.uk/mineralsuk/). The range of functions within such companies, and other employers in the quarrying sector, means that there is a variety of opportunities in what is a strong industry, with well-established career routes and comparatively low levels of competition for jobs.

Sources of Vacancies

Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) (www.iom3.org); Materials World (www.iom3.org/materialsworld/index.htm); Quarry Management (www.quarrymanagement.com).

Vacancies for permanent jobs and details of graduate training schemes are also advertised on company websites. Use reference resources, such as Minerals UK (www.bgs.ac.uk/mineralsuk/) and the Directory of Quarries and quarry equipment (which covers UK-based quarries and pits as well as opencast sites and recycling centres), to make informed speculative applications and to request visits. Recruitment agencies specialising in this sector can provide details of relevant UK and overseas vacancies. These include:

Hunter Personnel (www.hunterpersonnel.com); Thomas Mining Associates (www.thomasmining.com).

Related Occupations

Drilling engineer Environmental manager Forest manager/forester Minerals surveyor Mining engineer Petroleum engineer Seismic interpreter Wellsite geologist

Find comprehensive careers information on www.prospects.ac.uk and in your HE careers service

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Information Sources
Bibliography
AGCAS and Graduate Prospects products are available from higher education careers services.

AGCAS Publications
Energy and Utilities Sector, AGCAS Sector Briefing Engineering Sector, AGCAS Sector Briefing Options with Geology, AGCAS Options Series

Other Publications
Directory of Quarries and quarry equipment, QMJ Publishing, 2007/08 Materials World, Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3), Monthly Quarry Management, QMJ Publishing, Monthly

Websites
Handling Discrimination, www.prospects.ac.uk/links/discrimination Hunter Personnel, www.hunterpersonnel.com Minerals UK, www.bgs.ac.uk/mineralsuk/ Thomas Mining Associates, www.thomasmining.com

Addresses
Camborne School of Mines, School of Geography, Archaeology and Earth Resources, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9EZ Tel: 01326 370400 URL: www.uec.ac.uk/csm Cogent: The Sector Skills Council for Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Nuclear, Oil and Gas, Petroleum and Polymers, Unit 5, Mandarin Court, Centre Park, Warrington, Cheshire WA1 1GG Tel: 01925 515 200 URL: www.cogent-ssc.com Environment Agency (EA), Visit the EA website to check for details of regional offices Tel: 08708 506 506 URL: www.environment-agency.gov.uk EPIC Training, Alban Row, 27-31 Verulam Road, St Albans, Herts AL3 4DG Tel: 01727 869008 URL: www.epicltd.com Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3), 1 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5DB Tel: 020 7451 7300 URL: www.iom3.org Institute of Quarrying, 7 Regent Street, Nottingham NG1 5BS Tel: 0115 945 3880 URL: www.quarrying.org SEMTA: the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies, Head Office, 14 Upton Road, Watford WD18 0JT Tel: 01923 238 441 URL: www.semta.org.uk

Content copyright of or licensed to AGCAS (www.agcas.org.uk) Written by Julie Bhagat, AGCAS, 17/08/2007 The work of writers, editors and other contributors is gratefully acknowledged - full details on www.prospects.ac.uk/links/occupations To view the terms and conditions for the material provided in this publication, please see www.prospects.ac.uk/links/disclaimer Page 4 of 4 Visit www.prospects.ac.uk/links/occupations to see case studies of graduates in this role