Sourcing Specialist – Site Based (Gladstone, Queensland)

Sourcing Specialist – Site Based (Gladstone, Queensland)

• Deliver commercial strategies, managing tenders and negotiating contracts, and fostering stakeholder relationships

• Work in a supportive and dynamic environment 

• Permanent role based in Gladstone, supporting Rio Tinto Yarwun and Boyne Smelters Limited

About the Role

We are looking for a Sourcing Specialist to deliver commercial strategies and sourcing projects for Gladstone assets (RTA Yarwun and Boyne Smelter) as part of the Rio Tinto Aluminium (RTA) Pacific Operations.  This is a permanent role based in Gladstone, Queensland and you will work closely with site stakeholders in our Aluminium business on the east coast of Australia, as well as stakeholders in Rio Tinto Procurement and corporate functions.

This role is a great opportunity for a highly motivated, experienced contracts and procurement professional who has effective stakeholder engagement and change management skills, as well as a good commercial awareness with a background in site and/or project procurement. The Sourcing Specialist will be given the accountability for individual sourcing projects and be able to demonstrate and contribute to value delivery through the deployment of best practices, procurement tools and negotiation skills.

As the Sourcing Specialist, you will work collaboratively with the Gladstone assets providing support with the contracts, procurement and supply chain processes, through to contract execution, delivery and close out.  In this role you will:

• Develop, implement and maintain a robust sourcing strategy for each sourcing project assigned;

• Develop and execute commercial strategies, tender packages, and recommendations to award;

• Draft standard form contracts and variations to existing contracts in accordance with Rio Tinto Legal principles;

• Utilise SAP, Ariba and CM Solutions (e.g. Track) to extrapolate all available data from both Site and across the Rio Tinto group;

• Analyse all available internal and market data throughout sourcing project cycle;

• Conducting tenders and negotiations including liaising with Contracts/Legal team for advice;

• Analyse tender results and make recommendations to BU’s for supply contracts;

• Implement and drive continuous improvement initiatives to ensure sustainable quality, process and cost reduction outputs;

• Collaborate with key business stakeholders to assist the business in delivering its annual site plans;

• Support the BU with the identification and mitigation of the key risks in relation to the supply of the services;

• Conduct contract management activities as well as maintain and enhance supplier relationships;

• Ensure all projects are successfully delivered using the Ariba platform and meeting Rio Tinto’s compliance requirements;

• Develop, enhance, manage and maintain appropriate relationships with key internal and external stakeholders;

• As required, provide coaching and mentoring of team members to develop commercial skills and knowledge;

• Advise, support, and negotiate on behalf of the BU where claims may be submitted for non-conformances;

• Work in a dynamic environment to build a high level of trust through open and transparent relationships and engagements;

• Work with minimal supervision, using your initiative to decide how to perform and prioritise tasks

• Perform all activities complying with Contracts and Procurement policies and procedures; and

• Demonstrate the application of Rio Tinto’s values of Courage, Care and Curiosity

About You

To be successfully considered for this role, you will have:

• A degree in Business, Law, Engineering (or related discipline) is preferred, but not essential

• Minimum 3-5 years experience in contracts formation, tender and award phases demonstrated through past experiences in related project procurement roles.

• Strong influencing, stakeholder engagement and change management capabilities.

• Experience in developing commercial strategies, business recommendations and be able to lead supplier negotiations.

• Proficient at negotiating terms and conditions independently.

• Experience in using Ariba S2C module is preferred (but not essential).

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

• A permanent position working directly for Rio Tinto

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

• Comprehensive medical benefits including subsidised private health insurance for employees and immediate family

• Attractive share ownership plan

• Company provided insurance cover

• Extensive salary sacrifice & salary packaging options

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

• Ongoing access to family-friendly health and medical wellbeing support

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

• To better suit different family needs, our paid parental leave approach gives all parents the option to take 18 weeks of paid leave after a new child arrives – at a time that suits them

• Exclusive employee discounts including hotel stays, banking, accommodation, cars, retail and more.

Where you will be working

Rio Tinto Procurement (RTP) provides supply chain services that deliver value to the Rio Tinto Group through end to end Category Management (strategy, strategic sourcing, and buying of goods and services and strategic customer, supplier and market management). Playing a fundamental role, value is achieved through uniformed processes, e-technology, increased corporate social responsibility and measurable saving for the Group.

This role is based in Gladstone, Queensland (we support both Boyne Smelter and Rio Tinto Yarwun Alumina Refinery) 

Application Deadline: 12th Nov 2025

(Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date)

Please note, in order to be successfully considered for this role you must complete all pre-screening questions.

Rio Tinto does not accept unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles from recruiters or employment agencies. Rio Tinto will not consider or agree to payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee relating to unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles. Rio Tinto reserves the right to hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles, including those submitted to hiring managers, are deemed to be the property of 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 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, the LGBTI+ 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.

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