Principal Engineering - NPI & Water

Principal Engineering – NPI & Water

• Play a pivotal role in delivering efficient, fit-for-purpose engineering solutions that sustain and optimise Rio Tinto’s existing assets

• Join our global leading business offering outstanding personal development & global career opportunities

• Permanent employment which includes a huge range of additional benefits

• Perth based role

About the role

Finding better ways™ to provide the materials the world needs.

We are looking for a Principal Engineering – Non-Process Infrastructure and Water to manage a team of discipline specific project engineering professionals to support quality engineering deliverables through the full project lifecycle.

This is a great opportunity for a strategic, results-driven engineering leader to shape and optimise sustaining capital projects that ensure the long-term performance of Rio Tinto’s assets.

We are an open, connected international team of technical specialists using some of the most exciting data and tools on the planet. We are the world leader in automation and smart mining.

We have technical development programmes that are industry-leading and recognise the unique nature of your role. These provide opportunities to grow your career through a dedicated technical path while being rewarded for your unique skills.

Reporting to the Manager Engineering you will:

• Efficiently allocate and manage engineering staff and resources across the full project lifecycle. Provide technical support and direction to team and project stakeholders.

• Hire and train engineers, fostering a skilled and capable engineering team. 

• Provide technical support and direction to team and project stakeholders.

• Oversee and evaluate engineering service providers, including their adherence to contracts and performance benchmarks.

• Input into contractual negotiations and ensure service providers meet their deliverables and maintain standards. Including being a key contributor in Supplier Relationship Meetings.

• Key contributor and owner of Engineering governance and quality assurance specific to their discipline across capital projects.

• Actively promotes compliance with standardised processes, systems and tools, including the application of Rio Tinto and Australian Standards.

• Drive efficiency in engineering through standardised designs and program level engineering packages.

• Drive Capital efficiency by ensuring fit for purpose designs and practical application of Engineering Standards.

• Regularly reviewing and improving Engineering Management practices and processes.

What you’ll bring

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team

• Tertiary qualification in Mechanical Engineering (or equivalent)

• Demonstrated experience in Project Engineering in the mining and resources industry

• Demonstrated experience in Project Engineering within NPI and Water

• Strong people leadership experience, leading large teams in a matrixed organisation.

• Proficiency in engineering practices, including the preparation and review of engineering specifications, scopes, and drawings

• Ability to provide technical support and direction to stakeholders and team members

• Strong understanding of engineering management principles, including cost, quality, schedule, site delivery, and safety management. 

• Intimate knowledge of engineering deliverables and tasks throughout project lifecycle

• Commitment to safety and a strong understanding of safety protocols and regulations, in particular application of Safety in Design processes

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 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

Where you’ll be working

This role is based in Perth CBD with occasional travel to site.

We operate 200 locomotives on nearly 2,000 kilometres of track in the Pilbara, transporting ore from 17 mines to four port terminals. The average return distance of these trains is about 800 kilometres with the average journey cycle, including loading and dumping, taking approximately 40 hours.

Our network is the largest privately owned and operated heavy haul rail system in Australia, and as we focus on the future, our vision is to become the greatest heavy haul railway in the world.

Applications close on Monday the 15 of December 2025 (Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date)

#gts

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 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.