Laboratory Specialist

Laboratory Specialist

• Permanent employment which includes a huge range of additional benefits
• Subsidised housing and utilities
• Supportive team culture with a focus on inclusion, safety and work life balance
• Opportunity to apply your strong laboratory knowledge in a leadership role
• Enjoy the coastal lifestyle in this residential role in Gove, NT

About the role

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

We are currently seeking a Laboratory Specialist to Lead and Supervise the Laboratory team at our Bauxite operations in Gove, NT.

This role presents a great opportunity to combine your technical and analytical knowledge in the sampling and analysis processes for the export of Bauxite and the Waste Water Treatment Plant plus quality assurance with your leadership abilities to develop, mentor and guide a dynamic group of Laboratory Chemists and Officers Reporting to the Superintendent – Processing Port, you will be:

• Lead, supervise and operate in accordance with HSE standards / policies.
• Risk reduction is achieved by performing Safety Observations, PTHA, attending requested training courses, leading or attending Tool-Box meetings, HSR Safety meetings and other initiatives within the policy.
• Responsible for overall laboratory performance. Leadership through Supervision of the Laboratory employees.
• Ensuring continued availability of laboratory instrumentation and equipment and consumables to the Laboratory.
• Effective management planning of the operational and strategic development of Laboratory technologies and techniques.
• Leader - commissioning and implementation of new laboratory instrumentation, equipment, technologies and techniques. This is achieved by a Report written on successful implementation.
• Ensuring the integrity, accuracy and precision of results generated by following established methods and procedures. Performing routine tasks in a correct, accurate and timely manner for plant process support and product certification. Performing routine tasks within the Laboratory as required. This is achieved by being signed-off competencies in the relevant methods and procedures.
• Continuous improvement and development of Laboratory methods and procedures to ensure that industry best practice is maintained. Monitoring current trends in laboratory technologies and techniques with objective of developing recommendations for the selection and timing of new/updated technology to take advantage of industry developments. Maintain Laboratory quality & data systems.
• This is achieved by being involved with the Laboratory Quality Assurance system ensure it is maintained by Internal & External audits. Participation in the yearly Benchmarking exercise and other round robin activities. Contact with Research & Development groups.
• Support other Laboratory employee’s in training and development and maintain own technical & analytical skills. To share technical & other expertise in order to meet the standards of a highly skilled workforce and help people become more competent, effective and self-reliant. Attend external training courses in areas of expertise if available & offered, this is achieved by organising and attending training when Service Engineers / Providers are on-site.
• Hiring Lead for Laboratory Chemists and Officers.
• Perform ’Assessments’ on Laboratory Staff employees reporting to the position and on self and also including succession planning. Assessment system time frames are met.

About you

To be successfully considered for this role, you will have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry or related discipline.
• Previous experience working as a Laboratory Chemist
• ICP-MS, ICP-OES and XRF instrumentation experience.

What we offer

• Domestic relocation assistance on offer
• Remote area allowance
• Remote area holiday travel assistance
• Heavily subsidised housing and utilities
• Paid parental leave up to 9 months (no distinction between primary or secondary carer!)
• Health cover scheme for employees and their immediate family
• Salary sacrifice & packaging options – rental, mortgage, super, vehicle
• Rio Tinto employee share programme
• Employee discounts – banking, accommodation, motoring, retail and more

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.

Rio Tinto Aluminium – Gove Operations

Our Gove Operations have been supplying the global aluminium industry with world-class bauxite for more than 40 years. Located in Australia’s Northern Territory, each year the operation produces approximately 12 million tonnes of bauxite.

With a workforce of 460 people, daily activities include mine operations, maintenance, asset management, shutdown planning and execution, export operations, cultural heritage management, and closure activities following our decision to close the site’s alumina refinery and associated Residue Disposal Area in 2017. 

We expect our bauxite mining operations on the Gove Peninsula will cease in 2030 and we are undertaking significant work to support closure of the operation. We also recognise our operations take place on Indigenous-owned land, and we are committed to working together to achieve a positive future for Nhulunbuy and the Gove Peninsula post-mining.

Every Voice Matters

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.

Closing Date: Sunday 05^th February

“Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove job postings prior to the stated closing date, therefore, if you are interested in applying for this vacancy please submit your application as soon as possible.”