Principal Advisor - Indigenous Engagement

Principal Advisor - Indigenous Engagement

Rio Tinto Aluminium (RTA) Pacific Operations 

• Strengthen the relationship between our operations and Traditional Owners in the Gladstone region
• Opportunity to work collaboratively across multiple teams both internal and external to Rio Tinto Aluminium
• Gladstone based opportunity

About the role

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

Our approach to Communities and Social Performance (CSP) is to build strong relationships based on the principles of mutual benefit, 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 at our assets, from operation to closure.

We are looking for a Principal Advisor Indigenous Engagement to join a collaborative team and help with the strategic direction for the relationship between Traditional Owner Groups and key stakeholders within the Rio Tinto Aluminium Gladstone assets.

The Gladstone CSP team works with our assets to support our engagement with Traditional Owners and provide leadership and guidance to asset teams and operational leaders on our strategic approach to engagement, partnerships, Indigenous participation, heritage management and project development, ensuring adherence to our standards and commitments.

This role will support Rio Tinto Aluminium to make significant improvements to the way we work with the Gladstone Traditional Owners. This role will play an important part in building long-term, enduring positive relationships with Traditional Owners, developing creative solutions that benefit communities and supporting RTAs social license to operate.

Reporting to the Manager Communities and Social Performance and working closely with the relationship lead, you will:

• Build strong relationships and trust with Traditional Owners
• Develop a framework and plan to deliver on commitments and opportunities for Traditional Owners for the long term
• Support work to develop formal agreements with Traditional Owners
• Implement Traditional Owner partnership strategies and implementation plans
• Interface with other areas of our business and assets requiring Traditional Owner inputs and interactions
• Showcase your effective engagement and negotiation skills
• Manage governance processes for partnership strategies
• Monitor core documentation practices and ensure the quality of data

What you’ll bring

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and others, creating and maintaining a safe workplace
• Experience and a passion to build relationships with Traditional Owners and across Indigenous communities and stakeholders
• Influencing, project management, compliance, risk management and stakeholder engagement skills
• Excellent people, teamwork and communication skills
• Ability to manage complex and conflicting priorities
• It will be beneficial if you bring a knowledge of Indigenous engagement and participation (including employment and procurement), agreement making, cultural heritage, as well as State and Federal heritage legislation requirements

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, sick leave)
• Exclusive employee discounts (banking, accommodation, cars, retail and more)
• Possible domestic relocation assistance 

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 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.

Where you’ll be working

You will be based in Gladstone partnering with various local assets including Boyne Smelters Limited (BSL) and Yarwun Alumina Refinery (Yarwun).

BSL is Australia’s second largest aluminium smelter with a 1,000-person strong workforce. Located approximately 20km south east of Gladstone at Boyne Island on the Central Queensland coast, BSL produces around 500,000 tonnes of aluminium per annum. 

Activities at BSL include manufacturing carbon anodes in the carbon plant, aluminium production (smelting) in reduction lines, and casting of molten material into aluminium products ready to ship. The smelter is connected via a conveyor belt to the Queensland Alumina Limited refinery for the supply of alumina.

Located in Central Queensland, approximately 10km north-west of Gladstone, Yarwun commenced operations in 2004. Processing bauxite from our mines in Weipa and Gove, Yarwun produces more than three million tonnes of smelter grade alumina annually.

As one of the largest industries in the Gladstone region, Yarwun employs over 700 people and has a large contractor workforce.

With a focus on safely improving our process every day, the team at Yarwun challenge themselves to use existing and emerging technology to support our 24 hour operation. 

Yarwun is a proud member of the Gladstone community, and along with Boyne Smelters Limited and Queensland Alumina Limited, support community investments that improve the liveability of the Gladstone region through the Here for Gladstone community fund.

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.