Superintendent Cultural Heritage

Superintendent Cultural Heritage | Weipa

• Full-time permanent position
• Exceptional career advancement prospects within a global enterprise
• Experience the beauty of the Cape right in your backyard
• Flexible 9 Day Roster

About the role

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

Reporting to the Manager, Communities and Social Performance Weipa, the Superintendent Cultural Heritage will lead all technical aspects of the Cultural Heritage team in delivering Rio Tinto's cultural heritage obligations across operational and project areas, ensuring alignment with legal and land use agreement requirements.

This role drives strategic planning, risk management, stakeholder engagement, and governance uplift, enabling safe, inclusive, and efficient land access in partnership with Traditional Owners and internal stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

The Superintendent Cultural Heritage will:

• Provide strategic leadership to the Cultural Heritage team, fostering a high-performance, safety-first, and inclusive culture.
• Oversee the delivery of cultural heritage assessments, approvals, and reporting to ensure compliance with legislative obligations and agreement frameworks (e.g., WCCCA, ELY).
• Build and maintain respectful, effective relationships with Traditional Owner groups and representative bodies.
• Lead annual work planning, prioritisation, and scheduling of heritage activities in coordination with Traditional Owners and internal stakeholders.
• Embed cultural heritage into project, operational, and Life of Mine planning through early engagement and risk integration.
• Drive continuous improvement in heritage governance and systems, refining processes in line with CSP and HSEC standards.
• Manage cultural heritage risks across all leases through expert advice, cross-functional collaboration, and proactive mitigation.
• Lead planning and execution of large-scale field surveys in partnership with Traditional Owners, balancing cultural and operational requirements.
• Mentor and develop team members to build heritage capability and ensure succession planning.
• Contribute to regional and Pacific Aluminium-level CSP and heritage initiatives as required.

What You'll Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Anthropology, Archaeology or related field (postgraduate qualification preferred)
• Extensive experience in cultural heritage management within mining or infrastructure sectors
• Demonstrated leadership capability, especially in cross-cultural and regional contexts
• Advanced understanding of cultural heritage legislation, governance frameworks, and land use agreements
• Strong stakeholder engagement and negotiation skills
• Proficiency in GIS and digital heritage systems
• Proven ability to manage complex programs including planning, risk, and budget oversight
• Commitment to safety and cultural respect in all aspects of work
• Inclusive and values-based leadership
• Strategic and systems-oriented thinker
• Cultural intelligence and respect for Indigenous knowledge systems
• Clear and adaptive communicator across diverse audiences
• Proactive problem-solver with sound judgment
• Committed to continuous improvement and team development

What we offer

• Full relocation provided to Far North Queensland from elsewhere in Australia
• Weipa accommodation benefit
• Remote area allowance
• Remote area holiday travel assistance
• Be recognized 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, 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

Where you'll be working

Our Weipa Operations includes three bauxite mines, processing facilities, ship loaders, an export wharf, two ports, power stations, a rail network and ferry terminals. Located on the Western Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland, each year the operation produces more than 35 million tons of bauxite.

Our operations are supported by a 1,900-strong workforce—including 26 per cent who are women and 25 per cent Indigenous employees. Activities include mine operations, maintenance, asset management, ports, cultural heritage management, and processing facility management.

The development of our new mine, Amrun, which was completed in 2018, will extend the life of our Weipa bauxite operations by decades to come and significantly build on our 55-year history on the Western Cape

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 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 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.

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.