Second Class Power Engineer (Chief Engineer)

Chief Power Engineer (Second Class)

• Take the next step in your career and grow your leadership skills in this key role with a group that is safety driven and values inclusion
• Enjoy the perfect place to live and work, combining the tranquillity of a small community with an unrivalled love for the great outdoors. Relocation is provided.
• Spend more time on what’s important to you – home each night, permanent, full-time, role based in Kitimat, BC.

About the role

Finding better ways to provide the materials the world needs.

We are looking for a Chief Power Engineer (Second Class) to lead a team of engineers and oversee operations, maintenance, and management of industrial plants, including boilers, potable water facilities and lagoon systems.

This is a great opportunity for a collaborative and knowledgeable professional to grow their career in a large-scale industrial utility, with support from your leadership team.

Living in Kitimat you’ll enjoy being part of a friendly community with fantastic indoor leisure facilities, including an aquatic center and two ice arenas and outdoor adventure including world-class river and ocean fishing, coastal parks, a picturesque 18-hole golf course, incredible hiking trails, campgrounds and natural hot springs.

Reporting to the Operations Superintendent and working a Monday to Friday schedule and occasionally working on-call hours during weekends as required you will be:

• Overseeing operation and maintenance of the utilities network (steam system, including boilers and distribution, thermal fluid heaters, plant natural gas, process water, potable water, sewer, compressed air and environmental lagoons) of a multi-disciplined group
• Directing supervision and accountable for 4 operating crews, totalling 11 power engineers
• Working as a member of the technical team and as the area representative for various related engineering projects
• Overseeing and managing the work of contractors in area
• Attending regular planning meetings across multiple departments
• Managing and forecasting costs for their assigned sector
• Participating and leading continuous improvement projects
• Leading practical problem-solving workshops with other team members and trades

Please note: Fly-in-fly-out arrangements are not available, but we do offer domestic relocation assistance to help you settle in and thrive. Join us and become an integral part of our vibrant community.

What you’ll bring

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team
• A minimum of a Second‑Class Power Engineer Certification recognized by Technical Safety BC, or a corresponding Canadian Second‑Class credential eligible for transfer to British Columbia.
• Minimum of three years’ experience in a Chief Power Engineer position
• You possess, or are willing to obtain, the following certifications through the Environmental Operators Certification Program within a reasonable timeframe aligned with operational and regulatory requirements:
  • Water Treatment Operator Level 3
  • Water Distribution Operator Level 2
  • Wastewater Collection Operator Level 1
• Comprehensive knowledge of the principles, practices, and techniques of power plant operation and the maintenance of associated equipment
• Skill and ability in the control and operation of boilers and auxiliary equipment
• Ability to prepare routine operating reports, standard operating procedures (SOPs), technical guidance, and accurate operational records
• Coaching and collaboration skills
• Proficient computer skills, including the Microsoft Office Suite and computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS)
• Pressure Equipment Inspector (NBBI) certification is considered an asset

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 $111,200 – $166,800 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 70 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 70 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 designated as one of Canada's Top 100 Employers in 2025. For more information, click here: Top Employer: 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 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.

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.

Respect and Inclusion
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.

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.

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