Principal Agreement Making, ILUA

• Lead Rio Tinto’s Indigenous Land Use Agreement (ILUA) negotiations and agreement-making strategy across a diverse portfolio of Traditional Owner partnerships

• Act as a subject matter expert in Native Title and Traditional Owner agreements, influencing strategic outcomes and long-term partnership success

• Work closely with Traditional Owner groups, senior leaders and specialist stakeholders to deliver complex, high-impact agreements

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 Principal Agreement Making – ILUA to lead and support the negotiation, development and implementation of Indigenous Land Use Agreements (ILUAs) and other Traditional Owner partnership agreements across Rio Tinto's portfolio.

This is a great opportunity for an experienced negotiator and relationship builder who enjoys working in complex stakeholder environments and delivering outcomes that balance commercial, legal and partnership objectives. You will act as a trusted adviser on Native Title and agreement-making matters, supporting both new agreements and the ongoing management, renewal and evolution of existing commitments.

Reporting to the Manager Agreement Making, you will:

• Lead and support negotiation strategies and agreement plans for Indigenous Land Use Agreements and other Traditional Owner partnership agreements

• Draft, review and negotiate agreement documentation in collaboration with Legal, Finance, Communities & Social Performance and operational stakeholders

• Provide technical expertise on ILUAs, Native Title frameworks, agreement implementation and compliance obligations

• Develop long-term agreement strategies, including renewals, amendments and modernisation initiatives

• Build and maintain trusted relationships with Traditional Owner groups, Prescribed Body Corporates, advisers and other key stakeholders

• Lead culturally appropriate engagement and negotiations that support positive partnership outcomes

• Prepare high-quality negotiation materials, governance papers, submissions and decision-making documents

• Identify and manage agreement, stakeholder and implementation risks, ensuring alignment with Rio Tinto governance and risk standards

About you

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team

• Significant experience negotiating, developing or implementing complex agreements, preferably within Native Title, Traditional Owner partnerships, land access or related fields

• Strong understanding of Indigenous Land Use Agreements, Native Title frameworks and Traditional Owner partnership models

• Proven ability to influence and build trusted relationships with Traditional Owner groups, internal stakeholders and external advisers

• Excellent commercial, negotiation and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to balance competing priorities and interests

• Strong written communication skills with experience preparing negotiation strategies, decision papers and executive-level materials

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 an annual incentive program

• Comprehensive medical benefits including subsidised private health insurance for employees and immediate family

• Attractive share ownership plan and company-provided insurance cover

• Extensive salary sacrifice and salary packaging options

• Career development and 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

• Exclusive employee discounts (banking, accommodation, cars, retail and more)

Where you'll be working

You will be part of Rio Tinto’s Traditional Owner Partnerships team, working across a portfolio of strategic agreement-making activities that support long-term partnerships with Traditional Owner groups. Collaborating closely with internal specialists, operational leaders and external stakeholders, you will help deliver agreements that create enduring value for Traditional Owners and Rio Tinto alike.

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.