Tailings Engineer

Tailings & Water Engineer

• Excellent opportunity to be involved in one of the world’s most exciting underground mining projects

• Join a leading global mining company offering personal development and career opportunities

• Work for a company with a world-class reputation for safety and performance

• Superior, Arizona, USA

About the role

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

We are looking for a Tailings & Water Engineer to support the design, monitoring, and compliance of tailings facilities and site-wide water balances at the Resolution Copper Project. This role involves both field and office work, with a strong focus on geotechnical and hydrological data collection and analysis.

This is a great opportunity for a detail-oriented, safety-conscious, and collaborative engineer to contribute to a high-impact project and grow their expertise in tailings and water management.

Reporting to the Manager – Tailings & Hydrology

and working in a collaborative and technically driven environment within the Tailings & Hydrology team, you will be:

• Updating and maintaining site-wide and tailings facilities water models and balances

• Assisting in tailings facility analysis and design

• Coordinating installation and operation of geotechnical monitoring systems

• Collecting and analyzing geotechnical and hydrological monitoring data

• Supporting tailings and groundwater permitting processes

• Managing geotechnical drilling and CPT operations for design inputs

• Ensuring compliance with regulatory and internal standards

• Supporting instrumentation and monitoring of historic tailings impoundments

What you’ll bring

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team

• Bachelor’s degree in Geotechnical/Water Engineering or a related field

• Engineer In Training (EIT) certification

• 2+ years of experience in tailings, hydrology, or a similar role

• Field and drilling experience in geotechnical data collection

• Familiarity with geotechnical and hydrological instrumentation

• Knowledge of GISTM standards and requirements

• Strong communication and collaboration skills

• Experience with water balance modeling and/or GoldSim

• Understanding of soil slope stability and liquefaction
   

It will also be beneficial if you have:

• Masters degree in Geotechnical/Water engineering in lieu of 2+ years demonstrated experience.

• Registered Professional Engineer (P.E.)

What we offer

• A safety-focused and inclusive working environment

• Competitive salary with annual incentive awards

• Career development and education assistance

• Comprehensive health and medical programs

• Excellent retirement plan with 6% company contribution

• Generous 401(k) matching

• Paid parental leave, vacation, holidays, and sick leave

• Wellbeing support for personal and professional matters

• Rio Tinto employee share program

Where you’ll be working

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

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

In 2019, the project achieved a significant milestone – issuance of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) by the US Forest Service (USFS). In anticipation of the Final EIS in 2020, Resolution Copper continues permitting and community engagement activities, reclamation of the historic Magma Mine site, shaft and underground development studies, and advancing data collection to further orebody knowledge.

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.

Every Voice Matters

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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