Senior Manager Government Relations

Senior Manager – Government Relations

• Manage government relations strategy at the Federal level

• Advise the senior leaders on the geopolitical issues that matter to Rio Tinto in Australia

• Critical stakeholder engagement role, permanent full time, based in Canberra, Australia

About the role

We are looking for a Senior Manager – Government Relations to develop and manage Rio Tinto’s Federal government relations strategy in Canberra. The role requires an experienced government relations professional or public policy practitioner to lead and manage engagement between Rio Tinto and government stakeholders.

Reporting to the Head of Government Relations – Australia and the Pacific – the role will advise the senior leaders at the intersection of Rio Tinto’s strategy and Australian Government policy. You will be required to liaise across the critical functions in Rio Tinto and play a coordinating role with the product groups on public policy. You will also be required to provide geopolitical advice on the key drivers that matter to the business. The successful candidate will demonstrate a high degree of confidentiality, professionalism, problem solving, and strategic thinking as they position Rio Tinto in Canberra. It is high-profile and the candidate will be expected to represent Rio Tinto’s interests at policy, regulatory and industry meetings.

The individual in the role requires a high-level understanding of the key policy and geopolitical challenges facing the resources industry and be able to interpret and communicate the potential implications for Rio Tinto in Australia.

Working closely with a team across Australia, you will:

• Maintain and manage relationships with Ministers, Members of Parliament and Shadow Ministers, and represent Rio Tinto with these key stakeholders. Develop and maintain strong working relationships with key ministerial offices and senior officials in the Australian Government and Government agencies... 

• External engagement – Develop and manage relationships with a diverse group of external stakeholders. Manage the development of policy in relation to these stakeholders.

• To successfully perform the role the successful candidate will establish and maintain excellent working relationships across the Rio Tinto Group and industry associations. A key task of this role is to formulate innovative strategies and plans to enable the business to interact with governments across a broad range of matters that either protect or enhance RT’s licence to operate. Identifying how to influence key business critical decisions within governments is essential to the success of the role and requires an excellent understanding of political and bureaucratic processes.

• Monitor the policy and regulatory environment to identify potential risks likely to impact Rio Tinto's business interests in Australia and develop strategies to manage these risks. Identify, analyse and respond to government policy. Understand the consequences of introduction and passage of relevant legislation in the Australian Parliament.

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with industry associations. 

What you’ll bring

To be successfully considered for this role, you will be able to:

• Build trust with team members located around Australia

• Live Rio Tinto’s values of Care, Courage and Curiosity

• Develop strategic plans and communicate them in a concise manner

• Tertiary qualification in law, economics, business/commerce, political science or related fields with demonstrated experience in public policy and geopolitical analysis

• Extensive experience in dealing with governments and departments, particularly with the Australian Government

• Strong network, including in Australian Government departments and ministerial advisers. Or, be able to demonstrate the skills required to develop a network in Canberra. 

• Outstanding influencing skills when engaging with senior leaders internally and externally.

• Excellent written communication skills, including experience in preparing high-level briefings and submissions.

• The ability to navigate a global, matrixed organisation to deliver results.

• Previous experience working on issues related to the resources and energy sectors in Australia will be highly valued.

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 competitive base salary reflective of your skills and experience with annual incentive program

• Comprehensive medical benefits including subsidised private health insurance for employees & 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)

• Domestic relocation assistance if required

Where you’ll be working

The role will be located in Canberra and primarily focused on government relations at the Federal level. Opportunities for interstate travel.

You will be part of a global team providing expertise and advice across all aspects of external affairs, stakeholder engagement, social risk management, communication, brand management and media relations.

Applications close on Tuesday the 17th of December 202(Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date)

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.

Every Voice MattersAt 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.