Principal Advisor - Environment

Principal Advisor – Environment

• Be part of an inclusive and diverse Closure team
• Seeking a subject matter expert in broader environmental risk management, biodiversity and closure programs
• This role demands travel to project/asset locations such as Australia, USA, Canada, France, offering a unique opportunity to work with site teams and impact Env practices on the ground
• Role will be based in Salt Lake City, USA or Perth, Australia, or Brisbane, Australia

About the Role

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

We are looking for a Principal Advisor - Environment to assist with maintaining compliance and internal standards, supporting the management of environmental risk exposure. This role involves strategic oversight of a global portfolio and advising senior leadership on proactive risk management and reduction. Additionally, the Principal Advisor will assist with company initiatives in sustainability and biodiversity solutions and provide guidance on risk and control effectiveness.

This is a great opportunity to support Rio Tinto Closure sites by overseeing and guidance on innovative project management solutions grounded in a robust environmental technical background.

Reporting to the HSES Business Partner for Rio Tinto Closure, and working in a collaborative community, you will:

• Provide expertise and support to Closure assets in managing environmental risks through redevelopment, reclamation, and demolition activities.
• Proactively collaborate with peers to recommend, develop, and implement strategies designed to improve compliance and overall HSE performance, while fostering strong working relationships within the closure teams.
• Advise senior leadership on proactive risk management and reduction strategies.
• Assist and advise on company initiatives related to sustainability and natural-based solutions.
• Manage consultant benchmarking to ensure sites have access to high-quality SME support.
• Oversee incident management and internal reporting processes.
• Work closely with internal Regulatory Affairs to support permit compliance and the development of land and biological mitigation strategies.
• Identify and address potential conflicts before they become issues.
• Provide guidance to site/asset managers on existing and emerging environmental issues, risks, and action plan development.
• Review environmental incidents in accordance with regulatory requirements, community obligations, and corporate policies.
• Improve awareness in intercompany environmental requirements to the workforce.
• Support the development and implementation of environmental data management strategy

This role is integral to driving Rio Tinto’s commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship across its global operations.

 What you’ll bring 

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team
• Bachelor’s degree in environmental science, Environmental Engineering, Sustainability, or a related field.
• A master’s degree or higher in a related field is highly desirable.
• Significant experience (10+ years) in environmental management, sustainability, or a related field.
• Experience in managing environmental risks and compliance in large, complex organizations, preferably in the mining or industrial sector.
• Proven track record in advising senior leadership on environmental and sustainability issues.
• Expertise in sustainability practices, including sustainable development, natural-based solutions, and environmental stewardship.
• Experience with environmental impact assessments, land reclamation, and biological mitigation strategies.
• Experience in providing training and development on environmental and sustainability topics.
• Experience working in a global context, with an understanding of diverse environmental and sustainability challenges across different regions.
• If you are applying for the role based in Montreal, Quebec, fluency in French and English, both written and spoken. Rio Tinto is a global company and the duties of this position may require collaboration with colleagues, teams or partners based outside Quebec.

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 competitive salary package with annual cash incentive awards for eligible employees
• Career development & education assistance to further your ambitions 
• Access top tier family-friendly health and medical programs and pension plan 
• Wellbeing benefits 
• Generous Rio Tinto employee share program 
• Employee Assistance Program 
• Ongoing individual wellbeing support for you and your family for personal and professional matter 
• Leave for all of life’s reasons (vacation/annual, paid parental, sick leave) 

About Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto is a leading global mining and materials company. We operate in 35 countries where we produce iron ore, copper, aluminum, 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.

Every Voice Matters

At Rio Tinto, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, women, the LGBTQIA+ 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.