Senior Drill & Blast Engineer

Senior Drill and Blast Engineer – Perth

• Choose work-life balance with a Perth based role on an 8 days on, 6 days off work roster 
• Be exposed industry-leading technology including autonomous drilling operations and multiple electronic initiation systems across our Pilbara Mine Operations
• Be a technical leader within Drill & Blast Engineering 

Where we’re all welcome  

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.  

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 acknowledge that all people are different and believe that our differences are our strength.  The diversity of skills, life experiences and perspectives within our team enhances our way of working and our ability to achieve success together.   

About the role

We are looking for industry experienced, degree qualified Senior Drill & Blast Engineers to join our Mine Technical Services Team in Perth to support mining operations in the Pilbara. You’ll be responsible for leading the delivery of technical drill and blast design, with active collaboration with the operations teams.  

You’ll be embedded as part of a supportive team of drill and blast engineers, led by your Supervisor/ Manager to grow and achieve your own personal goals as well as the goals of the team. Your Perth based work roster will be 8 days on, 6 days off  which will give you more time to spend on the things that are important to you and the people in your life.   

This role is a great opportunity for a Senior Engineer with a Drill & Blast passion and appropriate skills and experience. Reporting to the Superintendent Drill & Blast Design Centre, key responsibilities will include:

• Leading and mentoring a team of Drill & Blast engineers
• Managing your teams design priorities through communication and collaboration with Senior Mine Engineers
• Technical reviews of drill and blast designs to ensure conformance to heritage and environmental controls
• Engaging with internal and external stakeholders to develop solutions and mitigate risks in achieving the plan
• Support drill & blast technical projects to yield safety, productivity, and cost improvements.

You will be a safety role model, engage with a variety of stakeholders, champion continuous improvement projects and provide training and mentoring to junior staff.

What you’ll bring   

• Tertiary qualification in an Engineering related degree (Mining Engineering is preferred) 
• Demonstrated drill and blast experience gained within a large scale, open pit iron ore mining environment.
• Professional team leadership experience
• Considerable open pit operational drill & blast experience
• Strong technical report writing skills
• Excellent communication skills
• A current C Class driver’s licence is essential.

If you are excited about the role and think you have what it takes but your experience doesn't align 100% we still want to hear from you.  

We are committed to promoting diversity within Rio Tinto and as a special measure to we strongly encourage women to apply. 

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  
• Full relocation provided to Western Australia from elsewhere in Australia  
• A competitive base salary reflective of your skills and experience with annual incentive bonus  
• 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, cultural leave)  
• To better suit different family needs, our paid parental leave approach gives all parents the option to take 18 weeks of paid leave after a new child arrives – at a time that suits them  
• Exclusive employee discounts including hotel stays, banking, accommodation, cars, retail and more, read more about the huge range of benefits here: https://bit.ly/43AQLue   

Who we are 

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 will be working

In the Pilbara region of Western Australia, Rio Tinto operates the world's largest integrated portfolio of iron ore assets with industry-leading performance and technology. Our iron ore business continues to be the world's largest autonomous truck operator and a proud leader in automated mining technologies.

This role is based in Perth at our Central Park building with some travel to operating sites as required. 

Applications close on 20th November 2023 (Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date)