Cultural Heritage & Land Access Advisor

Cultural Heritage & Land Access Advisor – Exploration

• Unique opportunity to join an innovative team unlocking new opportunities in Western Australia
• Work in an energised and dynamic environment, building relationships and working closely with colleagues from multi-disciplinary teams supporting exploration
• Share the privilege of working closely with Traditional Owners and other key external stakeholders in various locations in Western Australia
• Perth based opportunity involving regular planned and ad hoc field-time as required throughout the year

Our approach to Communities and Social Performance (CSP) is to build strong partnerships based on a relationship of mutual trust and respect. This includes the way we engage with communities and the steps we take to identify and manage social, economic, environmental, cultural, and human rights impacts throughout the life cycle of our projects, from exploration, to project development, to operation and closure.

About the role

All progress begins with pioneers. At Rio Tinto, it begins with you.

We are looking for an Advisor Communities & Social Performance (CSP) to join the team facilitating cultural heritage and land access requirements across Rio Tinto Exploration projects in Western Australia.

At Rio Tinto Exploration (RTX), we are charged with ensuring successful entry for Rio Tinto into new areas, being the first in our business to engage with our community stakeholders, consulting in good faith and building enduring, positive relationships based on mutual benefit and trust.

This role is a great opportunity to work with key stakeholders (especially Traditional Owners, land councils, representative bodies and consultants) to co-ordinate and conduct cultural heritage surveys and related community engagement activities. Key accountabilities include:

• Engage and collaborate with Aboriginal Corporations and their heritage service providers; consulting and contracting partners; multiple teams and other relevant personnel throughout Rio Tinto to enable effective delivery of the access work
• Work on RTX and Joint Venture tenure ensuring compliance with multiple Land Access Agreements and commercially sensitive JV arrangements and other statutory, legal and contractual obligations
• Support planning and scheduling of the relevant technical and logistical inputs to implement the project cultural heritage survey schedules and work programmes
• Act as a company representative on cultural heritage surveys in the field to support land access approvals
• Prepare cultural heritage survey scopes and spatial data, review post survey results and contribute to the approvals
• Providing leadership and assurance in Health and Safety by anticipating current and future risks and managing these
• Maintaining databases with respect to GIS and land and mineral rights obligations and compliance

What you will bring

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and others, creating and maintaining a safe workplace
• Experience in and a culturally sensitive approach to, working with Indigenous communities
• Graduate qualifications in a related field such as Archaeology, Environmental Science, Community Relations or equivalent industry experience
• Functional understanding of GIS software including ArcGIS, related field applications and devices, experience in community engagement plans and cultural heritage management systems and processes
• Excellent verbal and written communication and interpersonal skills – ability to build networks with a wide range of people and to positively influence and build consensus
• Previous experience in mining or related industry coordinating and supervising cultural heritage field surveys
• Ability to multi-task and deliver work on schedule whilst balancing multiple external factors influencing plans
• Knowledge of Native Title Agreements, State and Federal heritage legislation requirements and related industry codes of conduct

What we offer

• A safety-focused and inclusive working environment
• A competitive salary package with annual cash incentive awards (STIP)
• Access to top tier family-friendly health and medical programs
• Excellent retirement plan
• A comprehensive leave policy that covers all moments that matter in life (vacation/annual, paid parental leave, short term sick leave, paid holidays)
• Ongoing individual wellbeing support for you and your family for personal and professional matters
• Generous Rio Tinto employee share program

About Rio Tinto

Every idea, every innovation, every little thing the world calls ‘progress’ begins with a first step, and someone willing to take it: explorers, inventors, entrepreneurs. Pioneers.

For nearly 150 years, Rio Tinto has been a company of pioneers – generations of people spanning the globe, all with the grit and vision to produce materials essential to human progress. Our iron ore has shaped skylines from Shanghai to Sydney. Our aluminium –the world’s first to be certified “responsible” –helps planes fly and makes cars lighter. Our copper helps wind turbines power cities and our boron helps feed the world and explore the universe. Our diamonds help us celebrate the best parts of life.

Where you’ll be working

Rio Tinto's Exploration group seeks to create value for the business by discovering or acquiring new mineral resources. Organized into four regional teams (Americas, Australasia, Africa-Europe and Eurasia), the Exploration group provides both a global reach and a local presence across a range of commodities including bauxite, copper, iron ore, nickel and uranium.

This role will be based in Western Australia at Rio Tinto's Exploration office located in Belmont. We expect regular planned and ad hoc field-time as required throughout the year.

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.

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.

Please note, in order to be successfully considered for this role you must complete all pre-screening questions.

Applications close Monday, 23rd January 2023 (Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove the advertisement prior to the stated close date).