Drill and Blast Engineer

Drill and Blast Engineer

• Opportunity to develop your career and work for a global company

• Our culture is inclusive, exciting and performance-driven

• Role based in Labrador City, Fly in/Fly Out options available and domestic relocation can be provided

About the role

Finding better ways™ to provide the materials the world needs.

Rio Tinto Iron Ore Canada’s Mine Technical Services is seeking a Drill and Blast Engineer to join their team supporting the Labrador City mining operation in Canada. This key role will be responsible for drill and blast design and planning activities to ensure the safe and efficient delivery of the mine plan.

Reporting to the Senior Mining Engineer, key responsibilities will include:

• Creating effective drill patterns, electronic initiation and charging designs

• Exploring new ways to increase drill and blast productivity

• Effectively implement designs in the field

• Manage wall control drilling program.

• Operating drones for blast capture and visualisation technology for efficient drill unit performance tracking

You will be a safety role model, engage with a variety of stakeholders, champion continuous improvement projects and provide training and mentoring to junior staff.

This permanent position will be offered on a fly in, fly out work roster of 2 weeks on site and 2 weeks off, out of St. John’s or Montreal. If you are interested in relocating to Labrador City, relocation assistance is provided.

What you’ll bring   

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team

• Tertiary qualification in an Engineering related degree (Mining Engineering is preferred) 

• Demonstrated drill and blast experience gained within a large scale, open pit iron ore mining environment.

• Proficient skills in using mining software such as Vulcan and Blast design software

• A current Class 5 driver’s licence is essential

It will also be advantageous if you have:

• Prior drill and blast design experience along with wall control and vibration modelling experience

If you are excited about the role and think you have what it takes but your experience doesn't align 100% we still want to hear from you.  

We are committed to promoting diversity within Rio Tinto and as a special measure to we strongly encourage women and indigenous peoples to apply. 

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

• Career development & education assistance to further your technical or leadership ambitions

• A competitive base salary reflective of your skills and experience with annual incentive program

• Ongoing access to family-friendly health and medical programs, pension and savings plans

• Attractive share ownership plan

• Leave for all of life’s reasons (vacation/annual, paid parental, sick leave)

• Exclusive employee discounts

• Domestic relocation assistance

Where you’ll be working​

We are a leading North American producer and exporter of premium iron ore pellets and high-grade concentrate with average iron grades greater than 66%. With a team of over 2,700 employees, IOC is committed to providing value and continuity for our customers, employees, communities and shareholders through our unique mine to port approach, taking advantage of our full integration and wholly owned infrastructure to deliver our high-quality concentrate and pellets to our customers across the globe.  ​

IOC’s operations include a mine with five operational pits, a concentrator and a pelletizing plant located near Labrador City in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.  We also operate a wholly-owned 418 km railway, the Quebec North Shore and Labrador Railway (QNS&L), that links our Labrador operations to Company-owned port facilities in Sept-Iles. ​

Working at Rio Tinto also means choosing to be part of a company recognized one of Canada’s Top 100 Employers in 2025 for the sixth consecutive year (for more information, click here: Rio Tinto Top Employer 2025).

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.

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.

Chaque voix compte

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.

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.

Every Voice Matters

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.