Principal Advisor, Sales

• Shape profitable growth for Rio Tinto’s aluminium billet business across North America through customer strategy, commercial opportunity development and contract negotiation.
• Influence account strategy and work across Sales, Portfolio, Operations, Logistics, Marketing, Customer Service, Credit, Finance, Legal and Trade in a commercially focused role.
• Based in Chicago, Illinois, with salary range between 131,200 – 180,400

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, Billet Sales – North America to support the growth of Rio Tinto’s aluminium billet business across North America. In this customer-facing commercial role, you’ll develop account plans, build a pipeline of opportunities and negotiate physical billet sales with existing and prospective customers. This is an opportunity to deepen your aluminium market expertise while helping deliver profitable sales growth in a fast-moving regional market.

What you’ll be doing

Reporting to the Sales Director, Aluminium Atlantic and working across the aluminium sales business, you will:

• Develop and execute account plans for assigned billet customers, translating customer priorities and growth plans into actions that grow Rio Tinto’s business.
• Build and actively manage a pipeline of spot and term sales opportunities with existing and prospective customers across North America.
• Lead negotiations for assigned customer accounts and contribute to larger, more complex physical contract negotiations.
• Develop trusted customer relationships and a detailed understanding of customer businesses, sourcing strategies, technical requirements and growth plans.
• Maintain current knowledge of North American billet and extrusion markets, including customer demand, competitor activity and market developments, and use this insight to identify growth opportunities.
• Provide accurate sales forecasts and account updates, including customer priorities and pipeline opportunities, to support revenue, volume and margin objectives.
• Partner with Portfolio to align customer opportunities and contractual commitments with available metal, and collaborate with Customer Service, Operations, Logistics, Marketing, Credit, Finance, Legal and Trade to support effective contract execution.
• Support customer credit, receivables and collections while ensuring sales activities and contracts meet Rio Tinto legal, regulatory, governance and risk-management requirements.

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 experience in aluminium, metals or a related industrial sector, with relevant exposure to sales, manufacturing or supply-chain management.
• Experience in a customer-facing commercial role, including developing business, executing customer account plans and supporting achievement of sales targets.
• Demonstrated experience identifying, developing and converting commercial opportunities, with capability in sales, commercial negotiation and business development.
• Ability to understand customer requirements and translate them into practical commercial proposals, supported by strong analytical, communication and presentation capability.
• A bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Finance or an equivalent discipline.

Helpful for Success

• Knowledge of aluminium billet, extrusion markets and related customer applications.
• Understanding of aluminium pricing, regional premiums and physical contract structures.
• Understanding of hedging and risk management.

What we offer

Be recognised 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 Virgin Pulse 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

Our Commercial function at Rio Tinto connects our product groups, customers and suppliers from mine to market. We bring together Sales & Marketing and Trading (Sell), Global Procurement (Buy), and Marine & Logistics (Move) to buy, sell and move the materials the world needs, by partnering across the value chain to optimise outcomes for our customers and the Group. Headquartered in our global Commercial hub in Singapore, and with a strong presence in Chicago, Frankfurt, Antwerp and across Asia in Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Seoul, we work as one team to deliver customer centric value, safely and sustainably.  

Join our downtown Chicago office. Easily accessible and close to decision‑makers across our key markets, you'll be able to support customers and suppliers deliver value across the Atlantic market.  

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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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