Specialist Hydrogeologist

• Join a collaborative technical team where your expertise will help shape effective water management outcomes. 
• Use your hydrogeology expertise to influence critical water management, dewatering and operational outcomes.
• Permanent opportunity working Mon-Fri based in Perth.

We’re Finding Better Ways to provide materials the world needs, now and in the future. Our values – care, courage and curiosity – guide how we work and how we treat each other.

About the role  An exciting opportunity is available for an experienced Specialist Hydrogeologist to join our Perth-based team. he Specialist Hydrogeologist will be responsible for delivery of water related investigations to improve RTIO’s hydrogeological knowledge base and facilitate future expansion projects while sustaining ongoing mining operations within the 10-year time horizon.   

The role will also require the development of innovative groundwater management strategies to effectively mitigate dewatering / water supply related risks to key environmental receptors within the deposit area. The Specialist position will manage a diverse array of activities spanning technical hydrogeology analyses, reporting, drilling design, studies and approval support, and contract / financial management. 

The role demands a practical approach to technical problems, an understanding of risk-based assessments, and an ability to work proactively within multi-discipline teams.  A positive ‘can do’ attitude to achieve results is highly regarded. 

Reporting to the Principal Hydrogeologist, you will be responsible for:

• Interpret complex hydrogeological datasets and contribute expert conceptual understanding to numerical models, groundwater systems, and related environmental processes.
• Build and sustain strong relationships with internal teams, operational stakeholders, regulators, and external partners to support effective water management outcomes.
• Design and implement integrated water management strategies that align with operational needs, regulatory approvals, project studies, and long‑term resource development objectives.
• Prepare high‑quality technical documentation, including hydrogeological assessments and reports that underpin water management decisions and environmental approval submissions.
• Support the development of emerging Hydrogeologists, providing technical guidance, coaching, and mentorship to build team capability.
• Lead and oversee hydrogeological field programs, ensuring technical accuracy, safety compliance, and effective project execution across drilling, testing, and monitoring campaigns. Have expertise in Hydrogeological Drill hole planning, scoping and executing
• Develop detailed scopes of work for the planning and design of dewatering, reinjection, water supply, and groundwater monitoring infrastructure.

What you’ll bring

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team 
• A current "C Class" WA Manual Driver’s License
• Relevant Degree in Geoscience
• 4-5 years relevant experience in hydrogeology
• Analytical & problem-solving skills
• Stakeholder engagement
• Ability to succinctly communicate complex, technical information

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 
• 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

We are committed to elevating Indigenous voices and increasing cultural knowledge in our business. Diversity of skills, life experiences and perspectives within our team enhances our way of working and our ability to achieve success together. To help you on your journey with us, you’ll also have access to:

• Specialist Indigenous Support Advisors are always there for our Indigenous employees and available to support through any aspect of your employment
• Dedicated Indigenous Talent Programme for our Operators and Tradespersons and entry level operational roles. This programme is designed to create long term sustainable careers for our Indigenous Employees to grow into leadership or technical pathways to ensure you have every opportunity to grow your career.
• Indigenous leadership programmes across some professional and operational roles to ensure that we are developing Indigenous Leaders.

Where you’ll be working  This role offers a Monday to Friday roster based at Rio Tinto’s Perth head office at the Central Park building where you will work closely with operational and technical teams to support hydrogeology, water management and dewatering outcomes across the business.Advertising will close on the Wednesday 20th of November, 2026 (Rio Tinto reserves the right to cease advertising earlier)

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.

Respect and InclusionAt Rio Tinto, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, the LGBTQ+ 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.