Snr Advisor Indigenous Knowledge Systems

Senior Advisor, Indigenous Knowledge Systems

• Be the difference – an opportunity to genuinely shape how Rio Tinto preserves cultural heritage.
• Work with Traditional Owners and their communities to understand their priorities and concerns, and responsibly manage Indigenous cultural heritage within Rio Tinto operations.
• Permanent opportunity based in Perth CBD

Our approach to Communities and Social Performance (CSP) is to build strong partnerships based on a relationship of mutual trust and respect. This includes the way we engage with communities and the steps we take to identify and manage social, economic, environmental, cultural, and human rights impacts throughout the life cycle of our projects, from exploration, to project development, to operation and closure.

About the role

All progress begins with pioneers. At Rio Tinto, it begins with you.

The Heritage Sustainability Team seeks a Senior Advisor, Indigenous Knowledge Systems to support and champion Indigenous ways of knowing and seeing Country. Two staff members will report to the Senior Advisor. The position will report to the Lead, Heritage Sustainability and responsibilities include:

• Educating the broader business about Indigenous knowledge systems;
• Contributing to the implementation of cultural heritage and conservation agreements;
• Developing, managing, and maintaining key relationships for relevant agreement parties;
• Establishing best practice and training activities around Social Cultural Heritage Management Plans;
• Establishing best practice guidelines and training activities around Indigenous Knowledge Systems;
• Developing and maintaining strong professional relationships with Traditional Owner groups around the co-management of Heritage;
• Developing proposals and funding models;
• Initiating and developing strong partnerships with universities, museums, and other researchers.

What you’ll bring

To be successfully considered for the role you will demonstrate:

• Tertiary qualifications in landscape studies, Indigenous studies, cultural heritage, anthropology, archaeology, or a cognate field;
• Experience working alongside Indigenous communities;
• A deep understanding of Indigenous knowledge systems;
• Knowledge of best practice documents such as UNDRIP, Ask First and Dhawura Ngilan
• Experience with cultural mapping, community engagement, and/or participatory methods
• Project management and leadership skills
• Excellent communication skills and proven capability to work with a range of stakeholders.
• A continuous improvement mindset with the ability to identify opportunities to improve efficiency
• Desire to work within the CSP Function and be part of shaping how Rio engages with communities and Traditional Owners.

What we offer

Be recognised for your contribution, you’re 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. 

Every Voice Matters

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.

Applications close on Wednesday 19^th October 2022 (Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date)