Senior Adviser, Research and Development

Senior Adviser, Research and Development - Knowledge, Innovation and Technology

• Be part of a group that is safety driven and values inclusion
• Join us in bringing our technological vision to life and taking our Iron Ore business into the future
• Partner with Rio Tinto’s dynamic R&D community across the globe on cutting edge technologies
• Monday to Friday Perth based role offering flexible working arrangements

About the role

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

Rio Tinto has a long history of being a leader in innovation and the development and deployment of technology within the mining industry. Innovation will continue to play a critical role in improving health and safety outcomes, delivering new mines of the future and decarbonising the industry.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore (RTIO) has recently established a dedicated Knowledge, Innovation and Technology (KIT) division to accelerate our Research and Development (R&D) programmes. The KIT team is courageous in the pursuit of innovation, curious in the development of emerging technologies and caring towards our people and partners. We are responsible for managing the Iron Ore R&D portfolio and ensuring alignment with our R&D roadmap and strategic objectives. We are highly collaborative and work in close partnership with Rio Tinto’s global R&D community, and external bodies such as research institutes, suppliers and industry partners.

Reporting to the Principal, Research and Development, we are seeking a Senior Adviser, Research and Development to join the R&D team where we empower your programme management and systems thinking skills to support the R&D Team Principals, as one of your primary responsibilities, in the planning, coordination and execution of R&D activities and strategies to advance and deliver objectives within the Iron Ore R&D portfolio. 

This new role will exist in a challenging and exciting environment within the KIT team. With a focus on early phases of technology development, your stakeholder skills will be key to understanding the needs of the customer and ensuring these are well-represented as you engage with internal and external subject matter experts, researchers and inventors as required. Additional responsibilities will be to:

• Support R&D decision making, and the development and delivery of selected KIT projects, including technology landscape investigations, facilitation of early discovery and study phases, evaluation activities, and general project planning and management activities in conjunction with stakeholders
• Steward smaller projects across the portfolio in support of and/or with support from the R&D Team Principals
• Undertake options analysis and then support engagement and planning for technology trials within RTIO operations and provide technology input to the Studies teams
• Gather information to create and manage project documentation and artefacts
• Contribute to the development of leading R&D practices and support governance activities
• Periodic site/supplier visits as required.

What you’ll bring

To be successful in this role you will have:

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team
• A bachelor’s degree or equivalent relevant qualification in a transferrable field (including although not limited to Science, Technology, Engineering or Math fields)
• Exceptional partnering and collaborative behaviours, including a willingness to build and improve on evolving R&D processes and to engage, constructively challenge and trust partners to deliver to meet customer needs in their areas of responsibility
• Effective communication skills as you influence and gather information and negotiate with a diverse range of stakeholders, internal and external to the Rio Tinto R&D group
• High aptitude for critical thinking and systems integration understanding
• Flexibility, willingness and ability to adapt to and take on work in areas outside of your existing technical expertise and with high levels of uncertainty

Ideally, you will also have experience in:

• Technology programme management and/or technology development with multi-disciplinary teams in a complex environment
• Technology and/or project management, change management, risk management and business acumen experience for delivery of technology option evaluations, technology valuations and justifications, delivery plans and budgets.

This position will suit a Perth resident or someone willing to relocate to Perth on a permanent basis. Full and unrestricted eligibility for employment in Australia is a requirement. 

Where you will be working

This role will be based in our Central Park office in the Perth CBD, working Monday to Friday, with ad hoc travel to our mine sites in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. We support and encourage flexible working arrangements.

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.

What we offer

• A work environment where safety is always the number one priority
• Flexible working from home arrangements as per operational requirements
• 18 weeks of gender-neutral and equal paid parental leave, with continued superannuation contributions whilst employees are on unpaid or half paid parental leave
• 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).

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 5 May 2023 (Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date)