Principal Advisor UG Production

Oyu Tolgoi’s workforce today is more than 97 per cent Mongolian, and a major strategic focus for the company is to develop a skilled workforce that is continuously learning. We aim to attract the best talent, so that we can together deliver a safe and globally competitive copper business that contributes to the prosperity of Mongolia. 

Oyu Tolgoi LLC is operating a copper-gold mine in southern territory of Mongolia. The company aspires a vision ‘Natural wealth to enduring value, knowledge, and skill’, and pursues a mission, 'Together deliver a safe and globally competitive copper business that contributes to the prosperity of Mongolia' to build one of the largest copper-gold mines worldwide.
 

A significant leadership and career progression opportunity
This role represents a key career milestone for experienced underground mining professionals, positioned one level above Superintendent within the operational leadership structure. It is ideally suited to senior mining engineers or operational leaders who have successfully managed underground production environments and are ready to broaden their influence through technical leadership, workforce development, and strategic operational improvement.
As a Principal Advisor, you will be recognized as a senior technical authority within Underground Operations, providing expert guidance to the Production Manager, operational leaders, engineers, and contractor partners. You will influence production strategy, improve operational performance, mentor future leaders, and support the safe and sustainable ramp-up of one of the world's premier block cave operations.
A critical component of this role is the development of Oyu Tolgoi's national workforce. Success will be measured not only by production outcomes, but by your ability to transfer knowledge, build capability, and develop future Mongolian leaders in underground mining.
For many professionals, this role serves as an important stepping stone toward senior operational and management positions within Rio Tinto's global portfolio.

Why Join Us?
•    Be part of one of the most significant underground mining projects globally.
•    Influence the performance and future growth of a world-class block cave operation.
•    Lead the development of the next generation of Mongolian mining professionals.
•    Work within a highly capable and collaborative Owner's Team environment.
•    Gain exposure to Rio Tinto's global technical and operational networks.
•    Leave a lasting legacy through mentorship, operational excellence, and capability development.

About the role

Reporting to the Production Manager, the Principal Advisor – Production provides senior technical leadership and operational support across underground production activities, including production draw, secondary breaking, ore flow management, haulage systems, production infrastructure utilization, and operational readiness for future production panels.
The successful candidate will work closely with operations teams, technical services, contractor partners, business improvement specialists, and senior leadership to optimize safety, productivity, reliability, and cost performance across the underground production system.

A key focus of the role is the development of engineering and operational capability within the Mongolian workforce. The Principal Advisor will actively mentor engineers, production supervisors, superintendents, and emerging leaders while supporting succession planning and long-term capability development across Underground Operations.

Depending on location, the role may be offered as:
•    Ulaanbaatar-based with regular site travel, or
•    International FIFO roster (4 weeks on / 2 weeks off)

Key Responsibilities

Technical Leadership:
•    Provide expert engineering guidance and operational support for underground production activities.
•    Review and optimize production systems, operational practices, and workforce deployment strategies.
•    Support production planning and execution to safely achieve business targets.
•    Ensure operational activities are aligned with engineering standards, operational best practices, and strategic objectives.
•    Lead technical reviews and identify opportunities to improve production performance and equipment utilization.
•    Support operational readiness activities for future production areas and panel expansions.

Workforce Development and Mentorship:
•    Act as the senior technical mentor to production engineers, mining engineers, supervisors, and superintendents.
•    Develop and deliver structured coaching, mentoring, and training programs.
•    Facilitate knowledge transfer and capability building across the Mongolian workforce.
•    Support succession planning initiatives and development of future operational leaders.
•    Share global underground mining and block cave best practices throughout the organization.
•    Foster a culture of accountability, continuous learning, and operational excellence.

Production and Contractor Management:
•    Provide technical oversight and support for underground production contractors and operating teams.
•    Establish clear performance expectations and accountability frameworks.
•    Monitor contractor and operational performance against safety, productivity, quality, and cost objectives.
•    Support contractor governance, performance reviews, and continuous improvement initiatives.
•    Ensure alignment between production activities and broader operational objectives.

Operational Excellence:
•    Champion a visible and proactive safety culture.
•    Lead and support investigations into production-related incidents and operational challenges.
•    Identify and implement improvement initiatives to enhance productivity, reliability, and operational efficiency.
•    Collaborate closely with Technical Services, Planning, Business Improvement, Maintenance, and Construction teams.
•    Support implementation of operational excellence and continuous improvement programs.
•    Act as delegate for the Production Manager when required.

What You'll Bring
Essential:
•    Bachelor's degree in Mining Engineering or related discipline.
•    Professional Engineer (PE), Chartered Engineer, Competent Person, or Government-recognized Mining Engineering certification preferred.
•    Minimum 10 years of relevant experience in underground mining operations, production engineering, and contractor management.
•    Strong technical knowledge of underground production systems, mine operations, ore flow, and production optimization.
•    Demonstrated experience leading operational improvement initiatives.
•    Strong understanding of contractor performance management and operational governance.
•    Proven leadership experience within complex underground mining environments.
•    Excellent communication, stakeholder engagement, and influencing skills.
•    Demonstrated ability to mentor, coach, and develop technical professionals.

Highly Regarded:
•    15+ years of underground mining experience. Experience in large-scale block cave or caving operations.
•    Experience with production draw management, secondary breaking, cave performance monitoring, and haulage systems.
•    Experience in large-scale underground mine ramp-ups and production expansions.
•    Strong operational and commercial acumen.
•    Experience within Owner's Teams managing contractors and service providers.
•    Experience developing national workforces through structured mentoring and capability-building programs.
•    Experience working and living in developing countries with strong cross-cultural leadership capability.

What we offer
•    A work environment where safety is always the number one priority
•    International relocation and visa assistance  
•    Competitive package including annual incentive and living allowance
•    Career development to further your ambitions
•    Access top tier family-friendly health and medical programs
•    Generous Rio Tinto employee share program 
•    Employee Assistance Program 
•    Ongoing individual wellbeing support for you and your family for personal and professional matter 
•    Leave for all of life’s reasons (vacation/ annual, paid parental, sick leave) 

About us
Joining the Rio Tinto Oyu Tolgoi Underground Project team is a great opportunity to be part of one of the most exciting developments in copper and gold mining for several decades. The mine contains reserves and resources that make it one of the world’s largest copper-gold deposits.  
This mega project is expected to be a major contributor to Mongolia’s development. As part of the Rio Tinto Oyu Tolgoi Underground Project team, you have the ability to contribute to something significant and learn and develop both personally and professionally. We offer a collaborative, high performing environment where success is achieved by working together.

Discover more about Mongolia and Oyu Tolgoi  
Mongolia is increasingly becoming a destination for tourism and expatriate residents. As a rapidly developing city, Mongolia's capital Ulaanbaatar is seen as a comfortable, yet exciting place to live. With an array of cultural and social activities available and a growing network of international schools, housing options, and leisure facilities, its home to a growing community of international expatriates.
Located in the South Gobi Desert, just 80 kilometres from the Chinese border, the Oyu Tolgoi open pit mine and camp is a large, well-run and comfortable site with multiple amenities including recreational and sports facilities, a cinema, shops, restaurants and bars catered to a growing community. For more information about OT site, please check out this video. 

Where you’ll be working
Oyu Tolgoi is an operating Copper / Gold open pit mine with a brownfields underground mining project. The site is located in the Gobi Desert region of Mongolia. The reserves case for the underground project is in the order of 0.5 billion tonnes of ore to be mined from the 95,000 tonnes per day Hugo North Lift 1 (HNL1) panel cave mine with a 20-year operations life. There is also the potential for 3 further block cave districts to increase mine life beyond 100 years. 

Every Voice Matters
At Rio Tinto, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, women, the LGBTQIA+ 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.

Job application closes on August 7, 2026
#GTS

Respect and Inclusion

At Rio Tinto, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, women, the LGBTQIA+ 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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