Principal – Contracts & Procurement, Refinery Decarbonisation Projects

Principal – Contracts & Procurement, Refinery Decarbonisation Projects

• Lead a small team of Contract Advisors and Specialists
• Construction focussed, commercial and contract management
• Support delivery of $1Billion of Decarbonisation projects
• Permanent opportunity: Brisbane or Gladstone based

About the role

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

Rio Tinto has recently announced an ambitious strategy to grow our business and decarbonise our assets. Our greenhouse gas Scope 1 & 2 emissions reduction targets are 15% by 2025, 50% by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

Rio Tinto Aluminium’s Pacific Operations is committed to reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from the alumina refineries located in Gladstone. There are three large ‘Tier 1’ project workstreams that have been identified to rapidly advance carbon reduction at Yarwun and Queensland Alumina Limited (QAL) where Rio Tinto holds an 80% interest. These projects are to electrify the coal fired boilers at Yarwun and QAL using renewable energy, increase process efficiencies to reduce the capital cost of electrification by converting QAL’s high-temperature digestion units to a ‘double digestion’ configuration and use hydrogen (H2) in the high temperature process of alumina calcination.

We are looking for a Principal – Procurement & Contracts, Refinery Decarbonisation Projects to lead a portfolio of sustaining capital projects in Gladstone. This role will work closely with Workstream Project Managers and other project stakeholders to achieve superior contractual outcomes for the business.

This role is a great opportunity for an experienced contracts and procurement leader to join Rio Tinto’s journey to decarbonise its alumina assets. Applicants will have a proven track record of managing procurement teams, a technical skillset across the end-to-end project contract lifecycle and have effective stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills.

Reporting to the Procurement Business Partner – Sustaining Capital, and working in a diverse team within BP Sustaining Capital, you will:

• Provide leadership for a small end-to-end procurement delivery team and grow the team as projects progress through each study phase into execution;
• Develop and implement commercial strategies for these projects;
• Be an expert negotiator, mediator and problem solver who is committed to driving positive contractual outcomes for the business;
• Maintain pre and post award contracts management reporting and monitoring to measure progress;
• Ensure all capital contracts are executed in line with Rio Tinto’s strict governance and compliance requirements, including use of Ariba;
• With your team, manage the dispute resolution process for complex contractual claims;
• Work closely with project leads, engineers, site-based construction teams and other project delivery professionals in order to meet project timelines;
• Maximise commercial value for the business through superior contract management practices and behaviours; and
• Travel to sites as required on an as needed basis, in order to maintain effective relationships with key stakeholders.

What you’ll bring

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team
• A degree in Business, Law, Engineering and substantial industry experience in a related field;
• Experience in all phases of the contract lifecycle demonstrated through past experiences in related project procurement roles;
• Demonstrated people leadership across prior commercial, procurement or project roles;
• Strong influencing, stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills;
• Experience in developing commercial strategies, business recommendations and leading supplier negotiations;
• A commitment to Rio Tinto’s values around care, courage and curiosity; and
• Knowledge and experience working across alumina assets will be advantageous

What we offerBe 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

Every idea, every innovation, every little thing the world calls ‘progress’ begins witha 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. 

Where you’ll be workingRio Tinto Procurement provides supply chain services that deliver value to the Rio Tinto Group through the strategic sourcing of goods and services for all operations and businesses. Value is enabled through close collaboration with business unit stakeholders to gain a deep understanding of requirements, and then delivered through uniformed processes, e-technology, increased corporate social responsibility and measurable value delivery for the Rio Tinto Group.

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.

Applications close on Sunday 5^th March 2023 (Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date).