Principal Advisor Melters – Steel Decarbonisation

Principal Advisor – Melters (Steel Decarbonisation)

• Join our global leading business offering outstanding personal development & global career opportunities
• Lead our Electric Melter Furnace technology program
• Permanent employment which includes a huge range of additional benefits
• Real meaningful and impactful work in a mining giant
• Based in Perth, Australia

About the role

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

The decarbonisation of the steel industry between now and future is likely to change the iron ore supply chain as we know it. The next 20 years will see the largest and fastest change in iron and steelmaking technology the industry has seen in decades. Positioning Rio Tinto as sustainability leaders is key in realising our ambitions, strategy and growth agenda. The Steel Decarbonisation team is at the forefront of this and will shape pathways for Rio Tinto’s iron ores in a decarbonised iron and steelmaking future.

The purpose of the Rio Tinto Steel Decarbonisation (RTSD) team is to:

• Protect the long-term value of Rio Tinto’s iron ore through development and scale up of cost-effective technologies that utilise our iron ores in the future low-carbon steel industry
• To position Rio Tinto to participate in the nascent green iron market, and
• To provide steel decarbonisation analysis and intelligence to support decisions on Rio Tinto’s future iron ore resource portfolio, product strategy, and renewable energy development.

We are now looking for an expert to accelerate our RTSD technical program as melter and steel subject matter expert. Delivers development programs that demonstrate and scale DR melting technology including induction furnace, electric smelting, electric arc and direct smelting technologies

Reporting to GM Pacific and Technical, Steel Decarbonisation, you will:

• Lead the Electric Melter Furnace Technology Program: Oversee and drive the research, development, and engineering of electric melter furnace technologies that convert metallics derived from Rio Tinto iron ores into steel.
• Deliver Melter Projects: Successfully execute projects involving induction furnaces, electric smelting, electric arc furnaces, and direct smelting technologies.
• Customer Projects Representation: Serve as the primary representative in customer partnership programs related to electric melter technology.
• Collaborate Across Rio Tinto Group: Work closely with internal experts to advance the application of electric melting technology within the organization.
• Lead Low Carbon Steelmaking Initiatives: Spearhead the steelmaking and steel byproducts program, focusing on improving steel quality and integrating melter technologies into existing steelworks.
• Assess Sustainability Impacts: Evaluate the sustainability aspects of melting technologies, including carbon footprint, byproduct management, and electrode sourcing.
• Develop Technical Reports and Communication Materials: Create detailed technical reports and communication materials related to low carbon melting and steelmaking.
• Ensure Intellectual Property Protection: Collaborate with Legal/IP departments to maintain appropriate intellectual property positions across melter project.

What you’ll bring

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

• Strong emotional intelligence (EQ) and interpersonal skills, with proven ability to collaborate effectively with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong commercial acumen and business insight.
• Extensive mechanical engineering knowledge and experience with scaling up technologies.
• Proficiency in electric and induction melting technologies.
• Hands-on experience in industrial-scale electrical melting operations.
• Experience collaborating with research providers and universities on pyrometallurgical programs.
• A university degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Process Engineering, Physics, or a related field.
• University degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Process Engineering, Physics or similar.

What we offer

A work environment where safety is always the number one priority

• Flexible working from home arrangements as per operational requirements
• 18 weeks of gender-neutral and equal paid parental leave, with continued superannuation contributions whilst employees are on unpaid or half paid parental leave
• 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); and
• Local relocation packages offered for Australian residents only

About Rio Tinto Commercial

Rio Tinto Commercial puts the company’s value over volume approach into practice, with the goal of maximizing the value of our physical flows to improve both our business and that of our customers.  Headquartered in Singapore, and integrated with Rio Tinto’s assets, hubs, and offices globally, our Commercial group works hand-in-hand with our product groups to ensure both the amount and types of products we produce meet our customer’s needs, and manage the trade-off between volumes, quality, cost and capital expenditure.

Where you’ll be working

Centrally located in beautifully appointed offices in Central Park – Perth, CBD.  Everything at your doorstep and just a short walk to all transport.

Our world class Pilbara assets comprise of an integrated network of 16 mines, four independent port terminals, a 1,700 kilometre rail network and related infrastructure – all designed to respond rapidly to changes in demand.

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.

Applications close on: 1st July 2024

(Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date)

Please note, in order to be successfully considered for this role you must complete all pre-screening questions.

Rio Tinto does not accept unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles from recruiters or employment agencies. Rio Tinto will not consider or agree to payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee relating to unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles. Rio

Tinto reserves the right to hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles, including those submitted to hiring managers, are deemed to be the property of Rio Tinto.

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