• Lead reliability engineering across Smelter and Refinery assets, improving asset health, equipment performance and long-term maintenance outcomes.
• Lead, coach and develop a multidisciplinary team of predictive maintenance, reliability and maintenance engineering professionals
• Permanent role based in Salt Lake City, Utah
We’re Finding Better Ways™ to provide materials the world needs, now and in the future. Our values – care, courage and curiosity – guide how we work and how we treat each other.
About the role
We are looking for a Superintendent, Reliability Engineering to lead the team responsible for predictive maintenance, reliability and maintenance engineering across Smelter and Refinery operations. In this role, you’ll help assets perform safely, consistently and efficiently over their intended lifespan by strengthening maintenance strategies, asset health monitoring and defect elimination. This is an opportunity to combine technical reliability expertise with people leadership and long-term asset planning.
What you’ll be doing
Reporting to the Manager, Smelter & Refinery Maintenance and working closely with Maintenance, Asset Management and operational teams, you will be:
• Lead, coach and manage predictive maintenance, reliability and maintenance engineering professionals to deliver department objectives and improve asset health.
• Champion Defect Elimination and Root Cause Analysis programs to reduce recurring failures and improve equipment reliability.
• Develop and improve maintenance strategies and tactics using asset criticality, condition monitoring and reliability methods.
• Partner with the Maintenance Manager and Asset Management team to maintain a high-quality 5-10 year asset management outlook, including major shutdown scopes aligned with production plans.
• Plan, organize and manage team priorities, work packages and schedules to improve the utilization and productivity of plant, labour and equipment.
• Embed proactive safety practices, set clear expectations and support training and safe execution for employees and contractors.
• Use asset health and performance insights to identify opportunities, communicate progress to leaders and stakeholders, and recommend practical solutions.
• Apply Rio Tinto operating practices to eliminate non-value-adding work, strengthen cost discipline and support operational excellence.
About you
We’re looking for someone whose experience aligns with the key requirements below. You do not need to meet every “helpful for success” item to apply, if you bring relevant experience and are excited by the opportunity, we encourage you to submit an application.
Required for Success
• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team.
• Demonstrated reliability engineering or maintenance experience in a smelter, refinery, mineral processing, manufacturing or comparable safety-critical industrial environment.
• Demonstrated experience leading professional technical teams, including coaching, performance management and delivery of team objectives.
• Working knowledge of asset life-cycle planning, asset criticality, equipment performance, maintenance strategies and tactics.
• Hands-on capability with reliability and defect elimination methods, including Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Reliability-Centred Maintenance (RCM), Preventive Maintenance Optimization (PMO) and condition monitoring.
• Experience using SAP or a comparable enterprise asset management or maintenance system to support maintenance and reliability work.
Helpful for Success
• Knowledge of fixed plant and process equipment used in smelting, refining or similar heavy industrial operations.
• Experience contributing to long-range asset management plans, major shutdown scope development and alignment of maintenance strategies with production plans.
• A qualification in engineering, maintenance, asset management or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
What we offer
We are committed to providing our employees with a generous benefits package. Be recognized for your contribution, your way of thinking, your hard work, and go home knowing you’ve helped the world progress, we provide:
- A safety-focused and inclusive working environment
- Advantageous salary package with annual cash incentive awards (STIP) for eligible employees
- Access to top-tier family-friendly health programs including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life insurance coverage, and various voluntary benefits.
- Excellent retirement plan including up to 6% defined company contribution; Generous 401k matching program
- Generous Rio Tinto employee share program, which allows you to purchase Rio Tinto Company shares.
- Comprehensive leave policies which cover all moments that matter in life: PTO (paid time off), paid holidays, and paid bereavement leave.
- A favorable child-caregiver leave program (Up to 100% salary top-up)
- Discount programs for leisure purposes and access to Virgin Pulse with incentives supporting your wellbeing
- Ongoing Employee Assistance Program for you and your family; to help in addressing educational opportunities, addiction treatment, depression, stress, domestic issues, financial management, and legal concerns.
- Our team and industry experts are here to support and work with you to explore your learning potential and career goals
Where you’ll be working
Rio Tinto Kennecott is a fully integrated mining operation located just outside Salt Lake City, Utah, US. Kennecott is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rio Tinto. For more than 110 years, Kennecott has been mining and processing minerals from the rich orebody of the Bingham Canyon Mine. Kennecott is a strong economic driver and strives to be a valuable community partner through strategic partnerships, charitable giving and sustainable development practices.
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.
Respect and Inclusion
Rio Tinto is committed to equal employment opportunity. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.
We are committed to an inclusive environment where people feel safe, respected and valued. We want our people to feel that all voices are heard and that a variety of perspectives are not only welcome but are essential to our success. We treat all our people fairly and with dignity.
Rio Tinto participates in E- Verify to confirm work authorization. Please visit http://www.ucis.gov/ for more information.
R67258
Rio Tinto is a leading global mining and materials company. We operate in 35 countries where we produce iron ore, copper, aluminum, 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 and meet opportunities.
Rio Tinto is committed to equal employment opportunity. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.
We are committed to an inclusive environment where people feel safe, respected and valued. We want our people to feel that all voices are heard and that a variety of perspectives are not only welcome but are essential to our success. We treat all our people fairly and with dignity.
Rio Tinto participates in E- Verify to confirm work authorization. Please visit http://www.ucis.gov/ for more information.
Start your application
Take your leadership career to the next level.
Where can Rio Tinto take you?
You’re passionate and ambitious with tremendous career aspirations. The breadth and growth of our organisation empowers you to define your ideal career path.
Take a look at Katie’s career journey
Take a look at Katie’s career journey
- 2022 - PresentManager Projects - Energy DevelopmentBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
- 2021Superintendent Operations CentreBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
- 2020Development / Drill and Blast SuperintendentPilbara, Western Australia
- 2019Deputy Quarry ManagerPilbara, Western Australia
- 2018Development SupervisorPilbara, Western Australia
- 2017Senior Engineer of Drill, Blast and SurveyPilbara, Western Australia
- 2016Production EngineerPilbara, Western Australia
- 2015Mine scheduler - 2 week plannerPilbara, Western Australia
- 2014Drill and Blast EngineerPilbara, Western Australia
- 2012Graduate Mining EngineerPilbara, Western Australia
- 2022 – PresentManager Projects – Energy DevelopmentBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
- 2021Superintendent Operations CentreBrisbane, Queensland, Australia
- 2020Development / Drill and Blast SuperintendentPilbara, Western Australia
- 2019Deputy Quarry ManagerPilbara, Western Australia
- 2018Development SupervisorPilbara, Western Australia
- 2017Senior Engineer of Drill, Blast and SurveyPilbara, Western Australia
- 2016Production EngineerPilbara, Western Australia
- 2015Mine scheduler – 2 week plannerPilbara, Western Australia
- 2014Drill and Blast EngineerPilbara, Western Australia
- 2012Graduate Mining EngineerPilbara, Western Australia
Working at Rio Tinto
Help us deliver the materials that make human progress possible.
The plane you’re flying in just landed. You fire up your phone and get your laptop out of the overhead bin. Immediately, you’re in work mode – thousands of miles from your office. Do you ever stop to think about all the materials that make life in the 21st century possible? At Rio Tinto, we discover, develop and deliver the materials that drive human progress. When you work with us, you’ll experience advantages you won’t find anywhere else.
Our application process
01
Apply
The first thing you’ll need to do is apply to the role. You can do this with your LinkedIn profile or you can upload your resume. We’ll also ask you to complete a few questions before you submit your application.
02
Undergo assessments
Our assessments are designed to help us work out whether you are suitable for the role. We will let you know which ones you’ll need to complete.
03
Interview(s)
Our interviews could be in person or online. It’s a great opportunity for us to get to know you a bit better, answer any of your questions and talk about the exciting career opportunity you have applied for.
04
Offers and checks
At this stage, we will let you know if you have been successful. If you have been, we’ll need to conduct a couple of checks, such as a background or security check. You may also need to do a medical assessment depending on the role you have applied for.
05
Join the Rio Tinto team
Once the checks have been completed, we’ll be in touch to talk with you about your start date and answer any questions you may have before you start with us.