Senior Advisor, Closure R&D

Senior Advisor R&D Remote Sensing and Closure Data Solutions

• Be at the forefront of remote sensing and data solutions for mine rehabilitation, closure and post-closure monitoring by facing agile technology development and upscaling challenges and realising commercial opportunities.
• Opportunity to gain exposure and develop your career in the Rio Tinto Closure team.
• Permanent I Band role based in Brisbane, Australia.

About the role

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

We are looking for a Senior Advisor R&D Remote Sensing and Closure Data Solutions to plan, direct and oversee the development of proof of concepts (PoCs) and delivery of minimum viable products (MVPs) for geospatial data analytics, visualisation and reporting solutions for mine rehabilitation and closure monitoring data (e.g., environmental, geotechnical, cultural heritage, etc.)

This global role is a great opportunity for an innovative thinker who enjoys ownership in the way they work and wants to provide step-changes in how we capture, store, analyse and consume monitoring data from our closure and post-closure activities.

Our open, connected global team includes some of the industry’s best and brightest minds. We offer competitive, performance-focused remuneration and a wide range of benefits to reward your contribution. With a global reach, the opportunities to develop and grow your career are broad and exciting.

Reporting to the Principal Advisor – Closure R&D for Sensing, Automation & Digital, and working in a rewarding environment within the global Closure Strategy and Optimisation team, you will:

• Lead, plan and coordinate the development of remote sensing and closure data solutions up to MVP validation & verification, including hands-on scoping, budgeting and scheduling.
• Contribute to building a pipeline of R&D projects (technology development stages), shaping their business cases with due consideration of our IP position, technical and commercial risks and financial and non-financial (ESG) value metrics .
• Leading internal and external development and analytics teams using relevant project management framework (agile, etc).
• Build partnerships and negotiate agreements with other industry and technology players and/or research organisations to advance the technologies’ readiness level.
• Maintain a working knowledge of the advancements and emerging technologies within your program’s domain.

About you

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team.
• Strong communication skills
• Proven experience scoping, planning and leading the development of end-to-end geospatial data capture, analytics and visualisation solutions, including PoCs and MVPs, in an Agile framework.
• Applied knowledge of remote sensing platforms (e.g. satellite, unmanned aerial vehicles, airborne, etc.) and imagery (e.g. LiDAR, multispectral, hyperspectral, RGB, InSAR, etc.)
• Knowledge of potential partners through networks of relevance to remote sensing and geospatial data analytics.
• Tertiary qualifications in engineering/science, preferably computational, systems or software engineering.
• Demonstrated experience influencing key decision-makers and senior executives in a large, cross-functional environment.
• Robust commercial and contractual acumen for the establishment of R&D and intellectual property/technology commercialisation partnerships.
• Capacity for divergent thinking combined with an entrepreneurial and venture investment mindset.

It will also be beneficial if you have:

• Hands-on knowledge in geographic information systems (GIS), e.g. ESRI’s ArcGIS, geospatial data analytics and data pipeline architecture to rapidly improve solutions and maximise their adoption.
• Agile and/or PMP certifications

What we offer

Be recognised for your contribution, thinking, and 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)
• Relocation assistance where necessary

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 almost 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

Rio Tinto’s Development and Technology group engages and partner with Rio Tinto businesses across 73 operating sites, 35 countries and 6 continents to help create value, manage risk and innovate for the future, whilst providing range of support and services functions, to ensure technical optimisation, establish and transfer best practices, develop strategies to drive performance improvements, and ensure that technical innovation provides a source of long-term competitive advantage.

Rio Tinto Closure safely transforms Rio Tinto’s end of life mining, processing and infrastructure assets by developing innovative and sustainable solutions to leave a positive closure legacy. We collaborate with all parts of Rio Tinto to focus on maximizing post operational opportunities, de-risking and reducing the scale of closure liabilities and executing existing and near-term closures at optimal cost.

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 10 Oct 2023 (Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date).