Principal Geologist
Administration
San Diego, CA, USA
Posted on Nov 9, 2026
Careers
Principal Geologist
About the Company
Our mission is to discover the raw materials needed to create a prosperous world for the next 1000 years. With modern software and hardware, we aim to reduce mineral discovery timelines from 10 years to 1 year. Founded in 2023 by lifelong geoscientists, ExploreTech is a venture-backed business that develops technology and uses it to explore for minerals all over the world.
About the Role
We’re accelerating the pace of mineral discovery. Our AI drill targeting software has gone 8 for 8 hitting mineralized targets, a significant improvement over industry standards. Now the biggest mining companies in the world want results on their ground, and we deliver them as a service. We’re hiring a Principal Geologist to lead the team that delivers them.
You’ll lead our Project and Senior Project Geologists and own the quality, timelines, and outcomes of every customer project our commercial team brings in. You’ll hire and develop geologists, set how we scope and deliver work, and stay hands-on by personally leading our highest-stakes engagements. You’ll be a senior technical voice with customers’ chief geologists and executives, and you’ll work directly with the founders to scale delivery as the business grows.
What You’ll Do
- Lead, mentor, and grow our team of Project and Senior Project Geologists, including hiring and performance development
- Own delivery across all customer projects: staffing, timelines, quality, and customer satisfaction
- Personally lead our highest-stakes and most technically complex customer engagements
- Partner with the commercial team on technical discovery, scoping, pricing, and proposals for new work
- Review and sign off on drill targets, technical reports, and other customer deliverables
- Set the standards, templates, and workflows for how we deliver projects
- Act as a senior technical advisor to customer chief geologists and exploration executives
- Bring customer and delivery insights to the founders, product, and research teams
- Join customer field campaigns and site visits as needed
About You
- Bachelor’s, Master’s, or PhD in geology, economic geology, or a related earth science field
- 12+ years of mineral exploration experience, including leading exploration programs from target generation through drill testing
- Experience managing and developing geologists or exploration teams
- A track record of delivering drill-ready targets or discoveries
- Credible with chief geologists and executives; you can discuss ore deposit models, drill targeting, and data quality at a peer level
- Comfortable owning budgets, timelines, and customer relationships across multiple projects at once
- Comfortable with, or motivated to learn, Python, scripting, and 3D modeling and GIS tools
- Able to travel to customer sites and remote parts of the US and world
Bonus Points For
- Professional registration (P.Geo, CPG, or equivalent) or Qualified Person status
- Consulting or services experience, including scoping and selling technical work
- Experience building a team or practice from the ground up
- Startup or mining technology experience
Location
San Diego, California
Travel to customers and field sites as needed
Salary
Competitive salary
+ equity
Benefits
100% healthcare coverage
(medical, dental, vision)
Our Hiring Process
- Intro call: a conversation with a founder about your background and what you want to work on.
- Role conversation: a deeper discussion of the work itself with the people you’d work alongside.
- Final conversation: meet the founders and the team, and ask us anything. If it’s a fit, we’ll make an offer.
If you’re ready to accelerate critical mineral discovery across the world, we encourage you to apply!
ExploreTech is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.