Principal Advisor Cultural Heritage

Principal Advisor – Cultural Heritage

• Help create a long-lasting positive legacy
• Join high performing and caring team, committed to your growth and development
• Be part of a global team working across multiple Product Groups

The Communities and Social Performance function supports the achievement of Rio Tinto’s business’ objectives by building strong partnerships based on relationships 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

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

Our Communities and Social Performance Area of Expertise (AoE) is Rio Tinto’s Technical CSP function. It provides support to the business to build respectful and trusted relationships with host communities that deliver sustainable improvements in social and economic outcomes. The AoE works with CSP practitioners and leaders across the business to build capability, support social performance delivery, monitor and respond to emerging trends, and provide assurance and risk management. The AoE also maintains Rio Tinto’s management systems, CSP standards and reporting process.

We are looking for a Principal Advisor – Cultural Heritage to be the technical subject matter expert (SME) in the area of Cultural Heritage.

This is a new position, offering a great opportunity for a technical expert to lead improvements in cultural heritage within the CSP function and across the business. While asset and regionally based teams will hold accountability for local delivery of cultural heritage approaches, this role will provide strategic oversight in support of strong cultural heritage and social outcomes across Rio Tinto.

You will understand the impacts of mining activities on Indigenous and land-connected people and the potential outcomes that impacts from our activities can cause. You will bring a deep understanding of the principles and application of cultural heritage management in the business, enabled via the relevant cultural and legal context.

We are an open, connected global team. We offer competitive, performance-focused remuneration and a wide range of benefits to reward your contribution. With a global reach, the opportunities to develop and grow your career are broad and exciting.

Reporting to the General Manager Global CSP within the Communities and Social Performance Area of Expertise you will be the business expert for cultural heritage. You will:

• Drive improved cultural heritage outcomes across the business
• Monitor global cultural heritage management trends, developments, risks, and issues
• Identify and share global best practices across Product Groups
• Lead Rio Tinto’s global response to its recent independent cultural heritage audit proposing strategies and mitigations to address the findings at a global level
• Develop group-level standards and procedures and their support their implementation through capability development e.g. training (content development and delivery), coaching and mentoring
• Build a comprehensive understanding of the cultural heritage risk profile across the company
• Advise on risk management and assurance activities as they relate to cultural heritage management
• Support the assets with resolution of complex situations, ensuring alignment to standards, policy or legislative requirements
• Contribute to improvements in heritage management across the mining industry
• Build a comprehensive understanding of the cultural heritage risk profile in the region by supporting sites in their social risk management

What you’ll bring

• A commitment to the safety and wellbeing of yourself and your team, and to our values of care, courage and curiosity
• Tertiary qualifications in a heritage management, social science or related discipline
• Effective influencing skills when engaging with senior leaders internally and externally
• Ability to build strong and trusting relationship and work in a networked organization to achieve results
• Demonstrated expertise in cultural heritage and Communities and Social Performance, including diverse and complex cultural and community challenges
• Direct operational and/or field heritage experience, including in different geographies and contexts
• Demonstrated experience in crafting and delivering strategies, and ability to drive technical excellence in heritage management and CSP at regional and asset teams 
• Demonstrated expertise in implementing and assuring cultural heritage and Communities and Social Performance standards and systems
• Demonstrated experience in project managing, and working through a networked organisation to achieve results
• Sound knowledge of international standards and global trends on cultural heritage
• Superior written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated proficiency across a wide variety of audiences and constituencies
• Ability to multitask, prioritise and organise a number of concurrent projects under tight time pressure
• Experience working in the mining & metals / extractive sectors

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

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 almost 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.

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.  

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.