Water Engineer - Tailings & Water

Water Engineer (Tailings & water) - Weipa Operations

• Opportunity to live in the beautiful Coastal town of Weipa
• We offer competitive compensation, benefits and flexible work arrangements
• Gain exposure to high level business strategy and business transformation methodology

About the role

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

Reporting to the Tailings and Water Specialist (Weipa), the Water Engineer is an operational role that provides strategy and support to the Tailings and Water team who oversee management of a complex portfolio. These facilities include a large number of Tailings and Water Storage dams, 5 Water Supply Schemes, multiple Water and Wastewater Treatment Plants, Waste Management Facilities and other ancillary operations associated with the Town of Weipa and the East Weipa, Andoom and Amrun Mining Operations.

The role will be principally accountable for providing technical input, oversite and advice on the operational management of the water and wastewater treatment systems across site, including:

• Performance and KPI monitoring of each facility.
• Operations for five water treatment plants and four wastewater treatment plants
• Delivery of production water to the 3 mining operations Andoom, East Weipa and Amrun.
• Coordination between the operations and the Capital Project activities on the water and wastewater assets.
• Input into the 5-year capital forecast.
• Development and upkeep of the Goldsim water balance model.

The role requires strong technical capability with regards to wastewater and water treatment plants and water management.

Responsibilities include:

• Improve site performance for surface, process and groundwater management.
• Technical support for operation of water and wastewater treatment plants.
• Provide technical expertise to identify best practices in water management and help implement them in terms of treatment, monitoring and analysis.
• Participate and potentially lead incident investigations to identify root causes and corrective actions.
• Support site to maintain regulatory compliance and Rio Tinto standards.
• Evaluate the risks related to water management on sites and help prioritise corrective measures.
• Improve data management by improving existing tools and participating in the implementation of the data management system.
• Manage specialised external consultants.

In addition to paying competitively and providing great benefits packages, we want you to live the lifestyle that is right for you and your family. And because of our size and scale, there are many opportunities to learn, grow and do more than you ever thought possible.

Every hour of every shift, your safety and wellbeing is our number one priority. We do the work only if it is safe, and we invest to make sure every member of the team has the quality tools they need to do their job.

What you will bring

To be successfully considered for this role, you will have:

• A bachelor’s Degree in Environmental, Civil or Chemical Engineering.
• 5 to 10 years of experience in water and wastewater treatment.
• Experience in contractor management.
• Demonstrated ability to project manage small teams of contractors and consultants
• Exposure and previous experience with SCADA systems, Factory talk and Citect (desired but not essential).
• One to two years’ experience with Goldsim Modelling (desired but not essential).
• Strong MS Office skills, specifically in Excel and MS Project.
• Beneficial to have frontline leadership experience.

What we offer

• Domestic relocation assistance on offer
• Weipa accommodation benefit
• Remote area allowance
• Remote area holiday travel assistance
• Paid parental leave up to 9 months (no distinction between primary and secondary carer)
• Health cover scheme for employees and their immediate family
• Salary sacrifice & packaging options – rental, mortgage, super, vehicle
• Rio Tinto employee share programme
• Employee discounts – banking, accommodation, motoring, retail and more.

Where you will be working

Rio Tinto Weipa is located 900km north-west of Cairns on the Gulf of Carpentaria and has been operating for over 50 years. Over the years, it has developed into a vibrant and diverse cultural hub of the Western Cape. Weipa offers a coastal community rich in geographical beauty and cultural heritage that provides families with opportunities to participate in leisure activities, sports and community events. With a strong sense of community, the region has plenty of natural beauty to offer including the opportunities for boating, fishing, camping and exploring. Construction of the Amrun mining operation, located 40 kilometres southwest of Weipa, was completed in late 2018 expanding our bauxite operations to continue production from one of the world’s premier bauxite deposits.

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.

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.

Closing date – 21 September 2023

“Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove job postings prior to the stated closing date, therefore, if you are interested in applying for this vacancy please submit your application as soon as possible.”