Principal Advisor Underground Construction

Oyu Tolgoi’s workforce today is more than 97 per cent Mongolian, and a major strategic focus for the company is to develop a skilled workforce that is continuously learning. We aim to attract the best talent, so that we can together deliver a safe and globally competitive copper business that contributes to the prosperity of Mongolia. 

Oyu Tolgoi LLC is operating a copper-gold mine in southern territory of Mongolia. The company aspires a vision ‘Natural wealth to enduring value, knowledge, and skill’, and pursues a mission, 'Together deliver a safe and globally competitive copper business that contributes to the prosperity of Mongolia' to build one of the largest copper-gold mines worldwide.
 

Principal Advisor Underground Construction 
• Diverse & challenging projects with our underground operations team 
• Be part of a group that is safety driven and values inclusion 

About the role 

We are seeking an experienced Underground Construction Principal Advisor (PA) to join our Underground Operations Team supporting the delivery and transition of a world-class underground mine in Mongolia.
The Principal Advisor is a senior leadership position within the Owner’s team, working back-to-back with the Underground Construction Manager to provide continuity of leadership, technical oversight and project delivery across rotations.
The role will support the Construction Manager and wider underground leadership team in the safe, efficient and timely delivery of critical underground infrastructure, while placing a strong emphasis on safety leadership, national capability development, mentoring, contractor performance and sustainable knowledge transfer.

The Principal Advisor will provide leadership and oversight across underground & surface construction activities including production infrastructure, grizzlies, ore bins and wear liners, truck loading chutes, extraction and haulage level roadways, underground LOM services, dewatering pump stations, structural steel installations, drawpoint brow sets and associated underground infrastructure.

Living in Ulaanbaatar, flying in out to the mine site on Monday to Friday roster or 4 Week On / 2 Week Off – international FIFO roster.

Key Responsibilities;

• Work back-to-back with the Underground Construction Manager, providing consistent leadership, decision-making and continuity across rotations.
• Support the Construction Manager and team in the planning, coordination and execution of underground construction priorities.
• Provide senior technical and construction leadership across complex underground infrastructure scopes.
• Actively mentor, coach and develop national Superintendents, Supervisors and emerging leaders, strengthening their capability to progressively take greater ownership of construction activities.
• Support national leaders in developing their skills in planning, safety leadership, contractor management, decision-making, communication and project delivery.
• Provide visible field leadership and reinforce strong Life Saving Fatality (LIF) controls, critical risk management and safe work practices.
• Support incident prevention, learning from events and implementation of sustainable corrective actions.
• Assist with construction readiness, work-front availability, sequencing and coordination between construction, engineering, operations, commissioning and other key stakeholders.
• Review short- and medium-term construction plans, priorities, constraints and critical-path activities.
• Identify emerging schedule, safety, technical and delivery risks and support the development of practical mitigation and recovery strategies.
• Support contractor performance through clear expectations, field engagement, accountability and effective performance management.
• Monitor construction quality and ensure works are completed in accordance with approved drawings, specifications, standards and project requirements.
• Support effective interface management between Owner, EPCM, contractors, operations and other project stakeholders.
• Provide guidance on complex construction issues and support timely escalation and resolution of matters affecting safety, quality, schedule or production readiness.
• Promote effective handovers between rotations to maintain continuity of priorities, risks, commitments and key decisions.
• Promote a collaborative working environment that builds trust, accountability and effective working relationships between expatriate and national team members.
• Champion sustainable knowledge transfer and capability building, helping develop a stronger and increasingly self-sufficient national underground construction leadership team.

What You Will Bring:

• Relevant Engineering, Construction or Project Management qualifications, or significant equivalent industry experience.
• Minimum 15 years' senior underground construction and project delivery experience.
• Strong multidisciplinary experience across Civil, SMP, E&I, Engineering, QA/QC, Project Controls and Commissioning.
• Proven ability to work back-to-back with the Construction Manager, providing leadership continuity and technical support.
• Strong safety leadership, including critical risk management, LIF controls and contractor safety performance.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary teams and major execution contractors.
• Proven ability to mentor and develop national Superintendents, Supervisors and emerging leaders.
• Strong construction planning, sequencing, critical-path, constraint management and schedule recovery capability.
• Strong technical, commercial, contract management and project governance experience.
• Excellent leadership, communication and decision-making skills within complex Owner/EPCM environments.
• It will also be beneficial if you have:
• A formal Project or Construction Management qualification, & Engineering qualification will be highly regarded.
• Experience working in developing countries and multicultural environments.
• Demonstrated experience coaching, mentoring and transferring knowledge and leadership capability to national employees.
• Previous experience supporting capability development and succession of national Superintendents and Supervisors.
• Experience working within large-scale underground mining projects and operational environments

 What we offer:

• A work environment where safety is always the number one priority 
• International relocation and visa assistance   
• Competitive package including annual incentive and living allowance 
• Career development to further your ambitions 
• Access top tier family-friendly health and medical programs 
• Generous Rio Tinto employee share program  
• Employee Assistance Program  
• Ongoing individual wellbeing support for you and your family for personal and professional matter  
• Leave for all of life’s reasons (vacation/ annual, paid parental, sick leave)  

About us:  

Joining the Rio Tinto Oyu Tolgoi Underground Project team is a great opportunity to be part of one of the most exciting developments in copper and gold mining for several decades. The mine contains reserves and resources that make it one of the world’s largest copper-gold deposits.   

This mega project is expected to be a major contributor to Mongolia’s development. As part of the Rio Tinto Oyu Tolgoi Underground Project team, you have the ability to contribute to something significant and learn and develop both personally and professionally. We offer a collaborative, high performing environment where success is achieved by working together. 

Discover more about Mongolia and Oyu Tolgoi

Mongolia is increasingly becoming a destination for tourism and expatriate residents. As a rapidly developing city, Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar is seen as a comfortable, yet exciting place to live. With an array of cultural and social activities available and a growing network of international schools, housing options, and leisure facilities, its home to a growing community of international expatriates. 

Located in the South Gobi Desert, just 80 kilometres from the Chinese border, the Oyu Tolgoi open pit mine and camp is a large, well-run and comfortable site with multiple amenities including recreational and sports facilities, a cinema, shops, restaurants and bars catered to a growing community. For more information about OT site, please check out  this video.

Where you’ll be working  

Oyu Tolgoi is an operating Copper / Gold open pit mine with a brownfields underground mining project. The site is located in the Gobi Desert region of Mongolia. The reserves case for the underground project is in the order of 0.5 billion tonnes of ore to be mined from the 95,000 tonnes per day Hugo North Lift 1 (HNL1) panel cave mine with a 20-year operations life. There is also the potential for 3 further block cave districts to increase mine life beyond 100 years.  

Every Voice Matters                                                 

At Rio Tinto, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, women, the LGBTQIA+ 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. 

Job application closes on August 27, 2026
#GTS

Respect and Inclusion

At Rio Tinto, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, women, the LGBTQIA+ 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.

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