Principal Advisor Asset Management

• Influence reliability, asset performance, functional safety and risk reduction across Rio Tinto Copper operations.
• Lead product group initiatives, capability building, and the adoption of leading asset management practices across multiple sites.
• Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, with the opportunity to collaborate across a global technical network and drive enterprise-wide impact.

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 Principal Advisor – Asset Management to support the Copper Technical – Asset Management team in optimizing asset reliability, lifecycle value, asset failure risk reduction and functional safety performance across our Copper sites portfolio. This role provides integrated leadership across reliability engineering, maintenance strategies, asset health monitoring, asset risk management, lifecycle planning, defect elimination and functional safety governance.

The role works closely with Copper sites and Rio Tinto central teams to guide the implementation, adoption and continuous improvement of asset management practices that improve asset performance, optimize lifecycle costs and reduce asset-related risks. A key focus is enabling assets to embed sustainable asset management systems, operating models and governance processes, while facilitating the sharing and replication of best practices, lessons learned and improvement opportunities across the Copper Group.

Reporting to the Senior Manager – Asset Management and working across a collaborative network of site, product group and central technical teams, you will help strengthen asset management practices, improve operational performance and support the safe, reliable operation of critical assets.

What you'll be doing

• Monitor asset performance, reliability trends, risk indicators and production loss data to support product group decision-making and continuous improvement.
• Develop and standardise reporting on asset reliability, lifecycle cost, maintenance effectiveness and asset-related risk across Copper operations.
• Facilitate asset criticality assessments, reliability studies, RCFA and defect elimination initiatives to reduce recurring failures and improve performance.
• Support the development, optimisation and governance of maintenance strategies using methodologies such as RCM, FMECA and PMO.
• Guide Copper sites in implementing and continuously improving asset management systems, governance processes and operating models across reliability engineering, maintenance strategies, asset health monitoring, asset risk management, lifecycle planning and functional safety.
• Facilitate communities of practice, technical forums and cross-site working groups to promote collaboration, accelerate problem solving and enable replication of proven practices across the Copper Group.
• Support sites in prioritizing improvement opportunities using asset criticality, reliability performance, functional safety risk, asset health insights, business priorities, others.
• Develop and maintain practical guidance, templates, playbooks, standards and reporting approaches that support consistent application of asset management and functional safety practices.
• Identify and facilitate opportunities to replicate successful asset management, reliability improvement, maintenance optimization, asset health monitoring and functional safety initiatives between Copper operations.

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.
• Bachelor degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline, or equivalent relevant experience in a heavy industries and asset management.
• 10 years + demonstrated experience in asset management, reliability engineering, maintenance strategy development and lifecycle planning within mining, metals, oil and gas, petrochemical or comparable industrial operations.
• Practical knowledge of RCM, FMECA, PMO, RCFA, defect elimination, asset criticality assessment and risk-based decision-making processes.
• Experience supporting asset health monitoring, condition monitoring technologies, reliability data analysis and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Working knowledge of functional safety and Safety Instrumented Systems, including awareness of IEC 61508, IEC 61511 and associated lifecycle requirements.
• Ability to facilitate workshops, influence stakeholders and communicate technical findings to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Helpful for Success

• Experience with SAP-PM or related enterprise asset management systems.
• Experience facilitating HAZOP, LOPA, SIL verification or functional safety assurance activities.
• Exposure to AI, machine learning or advanced analytics applications in asset health monitoring and reliability improvement.
• Experience working across multi-site or global operations and supporting capability-building initiatives.
• Demonstrated experience guiding the implementation of standards, operating models, governance processes or improvement programs across multiple operating sites.
• Experience facilitating communities of practice, knowledge-sharing networks, technical forums or best-practice replication initiatives.
• Strong capability-building, coaching, stakeholder engagement and cross-functional facilitation skills.

What we offer 

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

• A work environment where safety is always the number one priority
• Competitive base salary reflective of your skills and experience with an annual incentive bonus
• 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
• Attractive share ownership plan
• Comprehensive leave policies which cover all the moments that matter in life: PTO (paid time off), paid holidays, and paid bereavement leave
• A generous parental leave policy, which ensures you’re able to spend quality time with your new family
• Discount programs for leisure purposes and access to Personify Health with incentives supporting your wellbeing
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which provides confidential counselling or expert guidance for you and your family to help get through life’s challenges

Where you'll be working

The Rio Tinto Copper tecnical group is a global organization with operations and projects in the U.S. (Kennecott Utah Copper, "RTKC", and Resolution Copper Project), Mongolia (Oyu Tolgoi), and Western Australia (Winu Cu-Au project). The portfolio also includes interests in a non-managed joint venture in Chile, in addition to exploration & evaluation interests and other minor investments.

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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