Principal Strategy & Improvement (Procurement)

Principal Strategy & Improvement (Procurement)

• Join our global Procurement Strategy, Risk & Governance team

• Partner with a breadth of stakeholders in delivering procurement excellence

• Based in Perth CBD

About the role

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

The Strategy & Improvement Principal is a senior role focused on delivering measurable improvements within Global Procurement. As part of the Procurement Strategy, Risk & Governance team, the role partners with category and BP procurement teams to improve end-to-end procurement

The role delivers improvement initiatives that embed simplification, operational excellence and continuous improvement. It will benefit from procurement knowledge and expertise, practical problem solving, and disciplined project management to govern and deliver initiatives end-to-end (scope, schedule, risks/issues, dependencies and benefits). You will operate effectively in a dynamic environment, adapting plans and priorities as business needs change while maintaining delivery discipline.

You will ensure initiatives align to the long-term procurement strategy and deliver measurable value.

Reporting to the Senior Manager Procurement Strategy & Portfolio, you will be entrusted with the following

Core Accountabilities:

Improvement Delivery & Strategic Problem Solving

• Lead end-to-end delivery of improvement initiatives that increase procurement efficiency and effectiveness, support growth, reduce costs and improve supplier performance, with accountability for scope, schedule, resources and outcomes.

• Establish project governance (plans, RAID, decision forums and reporting) to ensure on-time delivery and transparent accountability.

• Apply procurement domain expertise (e.g., source-to-contract, procure-to-pay) to diagnose root causes and implement sustainable solutions that improve front-line performance and business value.

• Identify and prioritise improvement opportunities aligned to the procurement strategy and operational excellence outcomes.

• Improve team delivery methods and, where relevant, coach others to lift capability.

• Adapt delivery to changing priorities, risks and constraints while maintaining clear communication and control.

• Partner with cross-functional teams to implement improvements using tools and technology to streamline workflows and remove waste.

• Work with change management to drive adoption of new processes, tools and ways of working, including training, support and governance for sustained outcomes.

Strategic Collaboration

• Build strong stakeholder relationships to understand needs, align priorities and drive actionable outcomes.

• Partner across teams to deliver initiatives that improve procurement and functional performance.

• Facilitate workshops and decision forums to co-design solutions, agree trade-offs and maintain alignment through delivery.

Project Management

• Plan and deliver initiatives end-to-end (scope, schedule, budget and outcomes), including dependency management and status reporting.

• Actively manage risks, issues, assumptions and dependencies, escalating early to enable timely decisions.

• Use data and performance metrics to track progress and demonstrate impact.

• Define and track benefits with stakeholders, and transition ownership to the business for sustained outcomes.

• Conduct post-implementation reviews to capture outcomes and lessons learned.

What you will bring

To be successfully considered for this role;

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Supply Chain Management, or a related field.

• 8+ years of experience in procurement, supply chain, or process improvement roles, with a strong track record of delivering operational improvements through disciplined project/program management and accountable delivery.

• Demonstrated experience working within a procurement environment.

• Project Management qualifications desirable (e.g. PRINCE2, Agile/Scrum).

Skills & Competencies

• Strong problem-solving skills (root cause analysis to practical solutions).

• Strong project management skills (delivery governance, reporting cadence and benefits tracking).

• Proficient in data analysis and performance measurement.

• Strong communication and stakeholder management; collaborative and agile in ambiguous, fast-changing environments.

• Strong procurement and commercial acumen.

• Able to influence and drive change at all organisational levels.

• Process improvement methods desirable (e.g., Lean, Six Sigma).

This role is an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the success of the Procurement Strategy and Global Procurement Function, offering the chance to lead, innovate, and enable impactful delivery that drives operational excellence across a global organization.

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);

Where you’ll be working

Rio Tinto Global Procurement ensures resilient supply chains that deliver value to the Rio Tinto Group through the strategic sourcing and buying of goods and services for our operations. Playing a fundamental role, value is achieved through effective supplier partnerships, innovation, easy and standardised processes, e-technology, corporate social responsibility and increased commercial advantage.

Application Deadline: 5th May 2026

(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.

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

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.

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