Senior Engineer Geotechnical

• Shape safer, more resilient mine designs by turning rock mass and monitoring data into practical geotechnical decisions.
• Grow your technical influence across rock mass characterisation, numerical modelling, monitoring and ground support while mentoring junior engineers.
• This is a Permanent role based in Superior, Arizona.

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 Senior Engineer Geotechnical to help our mining team use high-quality geotechnical information to support safe, effective mine design and operations. In this role, you’ll analyse rock mass and monitoring data, interpret the response of the ground to mining, and translate technical findings into stability, ground support and operational recommendations. This is a great opportunity for an experienced geotechnical professional who enjoys solving complex rock mechanics challenges and wants to deepen technical expertise while guiding less experienced engineers.

What you’ll be doing

Reporting to the Manager Technical Services and working within the geotechnical engineering team, you will be:

• Process, analyse and model rock mass and geotechnical monitoring data to understand ground response to mining and inform mine design and operational decisions.
• Model and interpret excavation stability and rock mass response to optimise mine designs and support safe operational performance.
• Conduct rock mass and stability assessments and develop ground support recommendations for integration into mine planning and design.
• Analyse geotechnical monitoring data and maintain trigger-based monitoring processes so emerging ground-control hazards are identified and acted on in a timely way.
• Assess ground support quality assurance and quality control data to verify installation quality, support effectiveness and compliance with contract specifications and the Ground Control Management Plan.
• Provide geotechnical input to blast design to minimise blast damage and protect excavation stability and infrastructure.
• Implement geotechnical operating procedures and recognised engineering practices while meeting applicable safety, legislative and regulatory requirements.
• Build geotechnical capability by communicating ground-control risks, training operators in geotechnical awareness and quality systems, and mentoring junior engineers.

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 capability in rock mass characterisation, stability assessment and ground support design for mining excavations.
• 5 plus years of geotechnical engineering experience in mining, applying rock mechanics and monitoring data to mine design, ground control or operational decisions.
• A qualification in geotechnical, mining, geological, civil engineering or a closely related discipline, or equivalent practical experience where accepted for the role.
• Practical capability with numerical modelling and geotechnical monitoring methods, including analysis and interpretation of monitoring data and hazard triggers.
• Experience providing technical guidance, training or mentoring to engineers, operators or other site stakeholders.

Helpful for Success

• Experience with ground support quality assurance and quality control, Ground Control Management Plans, or geotechnical input to blast design.
• Experience working across both design and operational interfaces in a safety-critical mining environment.

What we offer

We are committed to providing our employees with a generous benefits package. Be recognized for your contribution, your 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 (EAP) 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 will be working

Resolution Copper has the potential to supply nearly 25% of the US copper demand and create several thousand direct and indirect jobs in the Pioneer Mining District of Arizona, with an economic value of several billion dollars over the estimated mine life.

The project will rely on a technique called block caving to extract the deposit that lies more than 2,000 meters deep. This technique uses gravity to help remove the ore and is the most viable way to recover the resource.

Resolution Copper will continue underground development, conduct extensive drilling and orebody testing, plus maintain the permitting and public engagement process.

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.

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