Engineer Reliability
Rio Tinto
Perth, WA
Posted on: 1st Sep 2026
- Play a key role in shaping fixed asset reliability by turning equipment data and root cause insights into practical actions
- Build your technical expertise in reliability modelling, defect elimination and lifecycle decision-making across a complex operational network.
- Family -friendly, Perth based roster with ad-hoc travel
We’re Finding Better Ways™ to provide materials the world needs, now and in the future. Our values – care, courage and curiosity – guide how we work and how we treat each other.
About the role
We are looking for a Reliability Engineer to provide central reliability engineering support that improves asset reliability, defect elimination, maintenance strategy and lifecycle performance across our fixed asset portfolio.
Reporting to the Superintendent Reliability Engineering, you will use high-quality analysis, failure investigation and decision modelling to identify priority site and system-level improvement opportunities, develop practical recommendations and support informed engineering decisions. Working across multiple sites and value-chain areas, you will help address recurring and systemic reliability issues while building strong partnerships with operational, maintenance and technical stakeholders.
What you’ll be doing
Reporting to the Superintendent Reliability Engineering and working in a collaborative reliability engineering team, you will be:
- Delivering reliability studies and improvement work across fixed assets, including bad actor analysis, repeat failure reviews and investigation of key reliability and performance loss drivers.
- Identifying and investigating systemic reliability issues across sites, asset classes and the broader value chain, using cross-site data and operating experience to target common failure modes and improvement opportunities.
- Leading and supporting defect elimination and failure investigations using fit-for-purpose methods, from 5 Whys and structured problem-solving through to formal root cause and advanced causal analysis.
- Reviewing maintenance strategies and applying FMEA / FMECA, RCM-style methods and tactic optimisation to improve reliability, maintainability and lifecycle performance.
- Performing reliability, survival and Weibull analysis to understand failure behaviour, quantify risk and support evidence-based engineering decisions.
- Using lifecycle cost and decision models to support repair, replace, overhaul, intervention and other asset lifecycle decisions.
- Assessing asset and material criticality to support risk-based prioritisation, maintenance, spares and supportability decisions.
- Translating complex engineering and performance data into clear, practical recommendations and actions that improve asset outcomes at both site and system level.
- Working closely with site maintenance, operations and engineering teams, maintaining regular front-facing engagement on priority system-level reliability and defect elimination issues.
- Partnering with Asset Engineering, Asset Health, planning, inventory and Off-Site Repairs teams to resolve integrated reliability and asset performance issues across the value chain.
- Contributing to site and system defect elimination activities, helping maintain visibility of systemic issues, progress priority actions and share learnings across operations.
About you
We’re looking for someone whose experience aligns with the key requirements below. You do not need to meet every “helpful for success” item to apply, if you bring relevant experience and are excited by the opportunity, we encourage you to submit an application.
Required for Success
- A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team.
- Demonstrated capability in reliability engineering, defect elimination and structured problem-solving within a complex industrial environment.
- An engineering qualification or equivalent demonstrated technical and reliability engineering or Asset Management experience.
- Strong capability in root cause analysis and failure investigation, with experience selecting and applying fit-for-purpose investigation methods.
- Practical experience with Weibull analysis, FMEA / FMECA, maintenance strategy review, RCM-style approaches or maintenance tactic optimisation.
- Strong analytical capability, including the ability to interpret asset performance, failure and maintenance data and convert analysis into practical engineering recommendations.
- Ability to identify patterns and systemic issues across multiple assets, sites or operating areas, rather than considering asset performance in isolation.
- Experience working directly with operations, maintenance, engineering and planning stakeholders to prioritise issues, agree actions and deliver sustainable improvements.
- Sound engineering judgement in asset risk, criticality, maintainability and lifecycle decision-making.
Helpful for Success
- Experience with lifecycle cost modelling, repair-versus-replace analysis, overhaul strategies or other quantitative decision-modelling methods.
- Experience undertaking asset or material criticality assessments and supporting spares, repair or supportability decisions.
- Experience supporting fixed plant or comparable highly integrated mining and processing assets, or experience supporting multiple operational sites from a central technical team.
- Capability in coaching, knowledge sharing and strengthening the practical application of reliability tools and methods across engineering teams.
What we offer
Be recognised for your contribution, your thinking and your hard work, and go home knowing you’ve helped the world progress.
- A work environment where safety is always the number one priority
- A permanent position working directly for Rio Tinto
- 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, personal & cultural leave)
- Exclusive employee discounts (banking, accommodation, cars, retail and more)
- Possible domestic relocation assistance
Where you’ll be working
This role will require attendance at our modern office located in Central Park tower in Perth and our state-of-the-art Operations Centre at Perth Airport.
Both locations provide an inspiring environment for collaboration and professional growth. You'll be able to enjoy a range of benefits, including access to a modern gym, wellness programs, and convenient amenities that support a healthy work-life balance.
Applications close on Wednesday 9th September 2026.
About Rio TintoRio 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 situations and meet opportunities.
Respect and InclusionAt Rio Tinto, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, the LGBTQ+ community, mature workers, people with disabilities and people from different cultural backgrounds.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.
