Kemano Superintendent – Maintenance & Operations

Kemano Superintendent – Maintenance & Operations

• Grow your career in the most unique location–the 1000 MW Kemano Hydroelectric Power Station, which provides power to the BC Works Aluminum Smelter and the province of British Columbia
• Kitimat is the perfect place to live, combining the tranquility of a small community with an unrivaled love for the great outdoors.
• 9 months fixed-term contract (until march 2026)

About the role

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

We are looking for an Operations & Maintenance Superintendent to join the BC Works Power Operations team, where they will play a key role in achieving best practice performance in our hydroelectric generating station, located in Kemano, BC.

The incumbent will be based at the Kemano camp, where you will stay for the duration of your Tuesday to Friday work schedule. Kemano is located approximately 80km away from Kitimat, and employees are transferred in and out by boat from Kitimat at the start and end of the rotation. Transportation to the Kemano camp is provided from Kitimat only. On occasion, you will also work from the Kitimat site to interface with Power Operations leaders and stakeholders.

This role is a great opportunity for a highly motivated individual, who will find opportunities to improve equipment reliability, asset management performance, and defining sustaining projects to secure the long-term future of the facility. The role will provide you with a unique management expertise regarding a remote power station and associated equipment.

Leading on the frontline is one of the most important jobs in our business and comes with a huge amount of responsibility. We need you to motivate, inspire and keep your people safe and well. With signature leadership training programmes, growing, and developing is more than an opportunity – it is something we actively plan and make happen. Every day our leaders grow, while our rosters are designed to help you live the lifestyle that is right for you and your family.

Reporting to the Manager of Power Operations, and residing at the Kemano site from Tuesday through to Friday, you will be:

• Leading a team of supervisors, skilled trades, and technicians towards achieving an interdependent safety culture by utilizing team meetings, safety interactions, human performance, and critical risk management tools
• Coaching, mentoring, and developing team members, and leading with a genuine care for others
• Working to improve equipment availability, reliability, and productivity
• Fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation including cost reduction initiatives; making sure best practice processes are in place
• Overseeing safety & incident investigations; instigating reports and recommendations for the implementation of corrective actions to prevent reoccurrence
• Developing and managing the departmental maintenance budget and operating plan that minimizes cost while achieving key objectives
• Collaborating closely with other functions such as Operations, People Experience and HSE to achieve business unit objectives
• Providing support for critical breakdowns and incidents outside of your standard schedule as needed

What you’ll bring

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team
• A bachelor’s degree in engineering and/or technologist diploma and/or trade credential
• A competent and visible leadership style of guiding, mentoring, developing and empowering team members resulting in positive employee engagement
• Power generation experience
• Leadership experience within either a mining, plant or maintenance role or similar operational role
• Interpersonal and communication skills
• The capability to critically analyse data and make effective strategic and operational decisions based on information provided and drive issues to resolution
• A proven record in leading operational teams with experience in continuous improvement and change management activities

It will also be beneficial if you have:

• Experience using business improvement methodologies such as: KAIZEN, Lean Six Sigma and Change Management 

What we offer

Be recognized for your contribution, your thinking and your hard work, and go home knowing you’ve helped the world progress.

The base salary range for this role is $128,800 – $193 200 CAD in addition to allowances, bonus, equity, health or retirement benefits, and any other discretionary benefits offered at Rio Tinto. Our base salary ranges are based on role, level, and location. Within the range, individual pay is determined by the skills, experience, and impact you bring to the role. Our talent acquisition partners can share more during the hiring process.

At Rio Tinto, we offer a competitive reward package that reflects the value that each person brings to our business. As part of our pay philosophy, we believe equity represents fairness, and is rooted in our values and aligns with what we stand for.

• A work environment where safety is always the number one priority
• Career development & education assistance to further your technical or leadership ambitions
• Leave for all of life’s reasons (vacation/annual, paid parental, sick leave)
• Exclusive employee discounts
• Domestic relocation program

Where you’ll be working

Rio Tinto’s BC Works is a part of the Atlantic Operations of the Aluminium product group and has been operating in British Columbia for over 65 years. With industry leading new technology and four generations of employee expertise, as well as our hydropower facility at Kemano and the Nechako Reservoir, the Kitimat smelter is one of the world’s most competitive aluminium smelters, producing aluminium with one of the lowest carbon footprints in the industry.

Rio Tinto is proud to operate in BC alongside our 1,000 employees, partners, community stakeholders and First Nations, and we look forward to the next 60 years. To learn more about our Aluminium Operations, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=25&v=CTp1jkRKeBI 

Working at Rio Tinto also means choosing to be part of a company recognized one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers in 2025 for the sixth consecutive year (for more information, click here: Rio Tinto Top Employer 2025) and one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers for Young People (for more information, click here: Rio Tinto Top Employer for young people.

Applications close on Sunday the 25th of May 2023 (Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date)

À propos de Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto est un chef de file mondial du secteur des sociétés minières et des matériaux. Nous sommes établis dans 35 pays où nous produisons du minerai de fer, du cuivre, de l’aluminium, des minéraux critiques et d’autres matériaux nécessaires à la transition énergétique mondiale et à la prospérité des personnes, des communautés et des nations. 

Nous exerçons nos activités depuis 150 ans, en nous appuyant sur les connaissances accumulées au fil des générations et sur les différents continents. Notre mission – trouver de meilleures façons de fournir les matériaux dont le monde a besoin – nous guide dans notre quête d’innovation et d’amélioration continue, dans le but de fabriquer des produits à faibles émissions et répondant aux bonnes normes environnementales, sociales et de gouvernance. Mais comme nous ne pouvons pas y arriver seuls, nous nous attachons à créer des partenariats nous permettant de résoudre des problèmes, de créer des situations mutuellement avantageuses et de saisir des occasions.

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.

Chaque voix compte

Nous sommes déterminés à créer un milieu inclusif où les employés se sentent à l’aise d’être eux-mêmes. Nous souhaitons de plus que chacun ait l’impression que sa voix compte, que toutes les cultures sont respectées et que les points de vue, aussi variés soient-ils, sont non seulement bienvenus, mais également essentiels à notre succès. Nous nous traitons mutuellement avec équité et dignité, sans égard à la race, au genre, à la nationalité, à l’origine ethnique, à la religion, à l’âge, à l’orientation sexuelle ou à tout autre aspect distinctif.

Chez Rio Tinto, nous accueillons favorablement et encourageons les candidatures d’Autochtones, de femmes, de membres de la communauté LGBTQ2S+, de travailleurs âgés, de personnes handicapées et de représentants d’origines diverses.

Every Voice Matters

At Rio Tinto, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, women, the LGBTQIA2 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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