Corporate Counsel

• Permanent, part-time role (3 days per week) based in Perth, WA 
• Extend your legal expertise to the Exploration Management Team in Australia and Asia Pacific
• Flexible working - to suit your family life

About the role 

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs. 

At Rio Tinto, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, the LGBTI+ community, mature workers, people with disabilities and people from different cultural backgrounds.

We are looking for a Corporate Counsel to provide legal support and strategic advice to the Rio Tinto Exploration Australasia team. This is a great opportunity for a legal professional to play a key role in executing core business strategy and provide legal services and expertise of the highest standards to the Rio Tinto Group, at a corporate level as well as in support of activities on the ground.

Reporting to the Chief Counsel, APAC, this role will provide support to the Regional Exploration Team in Australia and Asia Pacific and will operate in a job share arrangement with a Perth based Corporate Counsel. You will also be: 

• Supporting the Regional Exploration Team’s Leadership in Australia and Asia Pacific
• Providing timely and commercially focused advice and assistance in managing the legal aspects and risks of the regional Exploration team’s business objectives, monitoring compliance with changing government legislation and regulation, management of critical incidents, and general legal support to the regional Exploration team’s support functions across Australia and Asia Pacific
• Drafting and negotiating arrangements with third parties including earn in and farm in agreements, joint venture agreements, option agreements, acquisition and divestment agreements and land access arrangements (including with indigenous groups and pastoralists)
• Support with permitting, tenure, approvals and land access matters, including WA Warden’s Court matters
• Support exploration activities on engagement and agreement making with indigenous groups
• Support local exploration activities covering various commercial agreements such as services, drilling, rental, transport and consultancy agreements
• Provision of corporate governance support for regional Exploration entities
• Leading dispute resolution and litigation (major litigation will be handled by the Rio Tinto Litigation Team)
• Providing training to the Exploration Team on a range of issues
• Cost effective management of external legal resources in multiple jurisdictions
• Ability to manage and prioritise multiple matters effectively
• Maintaining awareness of, and advising on, relevant external legal developments and trends
• Developing and maintaining close working relationships with the Regional Exploration Team members, other members of the Rio Tinto Legal, Governance and Corporate Affairs group globally, as well as related functions

What you’ll bring

To be successful in this role you will bring:

• 8 + years of post-qualification experience as a legal practitioner in the relevant area of law or industry
• Comprehensive written and verbal English skills
• Appreciation of and experience working/negotiating with people from different cultures
• The ability to work independently and to use your internal and external network to supplement your own skills and expertise where needed
• Strong problem solving, strategic and analytical capability, as well as commercial acumen
• Effective time management and personal organisational skills
• Demonstrated ability to develop strong working relationships
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Strategic decision making with a demonstrated ability to influence and negotiate

What we offer  

• A work environment where safety is always the number one priority 
• Flexible working from home arrangements as per operational requirements 
• 18 weeks of gender-neutral and equal paid parental leave, with continued superannuation contributions whilst employees are on unpaid or half paid parental leave 
• A competitive base salary reflective of your skills and experience with annual incentive program 
• Comprehensive medical benefits including subsidised private health insurance for employees and immediate family 
• Attractive share ownership plan 
• Company provided insurance cover 
• Extensive salary sacrifice & salary packaging options 
• Career development & education assistance to further your technical or leadership ambitions 
• Ongoing access to family-friendly health and medical wellbeing support 
• Leave for all of life’s reasons (vacation/annual, paid parental, sick leave) 
• Exclusive employee discounts (banking, accommodation, cars, retail and more); and 
• Local relocation packages offered for Australian residents only 

About Rio Tinto 

Rio Tinto is a leading global mining and materials company. We operate in 35 countries where we produce iron ore, copper, aluminium, critical minerals, and other materials needed for the global energy transition and for people, communities, and nations to thrive. 

We have been mining for 150 years and operate with knowledge built up across generations and continents. Our purpose is finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs – striving for innovation and continuous improvement to produce materials with low emissions and to the right environmental, social and governance standards. But we can’t do it on our own, so we’re focused on creating partnerships to solve problems, create win-win and meet opportunities. 

Where you’ll be working 

Rio Tinto's Exploration group seeks to create value for the business by discovering or acquiring new mineral resources. Organised into three regional teams (Americas, Australasia and Africa-Eurasia), the Exploration group provides both a global reach and a local presence across a range of commodities including copper, iron ore, nickel, lithium, uranium and diamonds. This role supports the Australasia region with the head office in Perth (Belmont) and other offices and sites in multiple locations across the region. You will be based in Perth, and be able to travel as reasonably required.

Every Voice Matters 

We are committed to an inclusive environment where people feel comfortable to be themselves. We want our people to feel that all voices are heard, all cultures respected and that a variety of perspectives are not only welcome – they are essential to our success. We treat each other fairly and with dignity regardless of race, gender, nationality, ethnic origin, religion, age, sexual orientation or anything else that makes us different. 

Applications close on Tuesday 26th September 2023 noted (Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date)