Senior Manager Government Relations - Western Australia

Senior Manager Government Relations – Western Australia

• An excellent opportunity for a government relations professional to lead and manage Rio Tinto’s engagement with the Western Australian Government in a senior, high impact role

• Competitive remuneration, annual incentive program and a huge range of employee benefits

• Permanent, full-time role based in Perth

About the role

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

We are looking for a highly experienced Senior Manager – Government Relations Western Australia to lead Rio Tinto's stakeholder engagement and policy dialogue across the state. The successful candidate will be an experienced government relations professional or public policy practitioner who can effectively manage complex stakeholder relationships.

Reporting to the Head of Government Relations – Australia and the Pacific, this role will provide advice to senior leaders at the intersection of Rio Tinto’s strategy and Western 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. In addition, the role requires providing 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 represent Rio Tinto's operations and contributions in Western Australia. You will be expected to participate in policy, regulatory and industry discussions on behalf of Rio Tinto

Responsibilities

• Maintain 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 Western Australian Government and Western Australian Government agencies.

• External engagement – Develop and manage relationships with a diverse group of external stakeholders. Contribute to policy discussions and provide input during consultation processes.

• Establish and maintain excellent working relationships across the Rio Tinto Group and industry associations. A key aspect of this role is the ability to be responsive and adaptable in a dynamic policy environment, enabling effective dialogue between Rio Tinto and government on a broad range of regulatory and operational matters.

• Understanding government decision-making processes to effectively communicate Rio Tinto's position on relevant policy matters.

• 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 Parliament.

• Establish and maintain strong working relationships with industry associations. 

What you’ll bring

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

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

• Demonstrated ability to build professional relationships with government officials and policy professionals

• Excellent relationship management and communication skills when engaging with senior stakeholders.

• 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 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

Applications close on the 14th July 2025 (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.