Principal Advisor - Fixed Equipment (Global Procurement)

Principal Advisor - Fixed Equipment (Global Procurement)

• Key role in influencing and supporting our FE category
• Work and collaborate with a gamut of stakeholders
• Position can be based in Perth, Salt Lake City, or Montreal

About the Role

An exciting opportunity has become available for an experienced procurement and commercial professional to join Rio Tinto's Global Procurement - Fixed Equipment team as Principal Advisor - Fixed Equipment.

Reporting to the Capital Procurement Manager - Fixed Equipment, this role plays a key role in supporting the development and execution of supplier, commercial & category strategies and major project engagement across the Fixed Equipment portfolio.

Working closely with Major Project teams, Product Groups, China Sourcing, suppliers and senior business stakeholders, you will leverage market intelligence, commercial expertise, supplier relationships and Rio Tinto’s global footprint to identify and deliver opportunities that improve competitiveness, strengthen supply assurance and create long-term value.

The role requires an individual who can operate comfortably at both strategic and operational levels, translating market insights and supplier engagement into practical actions that support business and project outcomes. You will act as a trusted advisor to procurement, project and operational stakeholders, helping shape decisions through deep market knowledge, commercial expertise and strong relationships.

Key Responsibilities

• Partner with Major Project teams to bring external market perspectives, supplier intelligence and commercial insights into key procurement, commercial and supplier engagement decisions.
• Influence Major Project procurement and supplier engagement strategies early in the project lifecycle, helping teams identify opportunities to improve competitiveness, strengthen supply assurance and maximise long-term value.
• Partner with project teams throughout project development and execution, helping shape procurement, commercial and delivery approaches that improve competitiveness, reduce risk and optimise project outcomes.
• Leverage Rio Tinto's global supplier relationships, existing commercial arrangements and portfolio demand to support project objectives, strengthen competitive tension and enhance Rio Tinto's negotiating position with strategic suppliers.
• Connect Major Project teams with relevant supplier capabilities, market innovations and learnings from across Rio Tinto's global portfolio to support better decision-making and reduce value leakage.
• Work collaboratively with Major Project leadership, Product Groups and suppliers to identify opportunities for standardisation, aggregation of demand, innovative delivery models and improved commercial outcomes.
• Own the ongoing commercial and operational management of strategic supplier agreements across the Fixed Equipment portfolio, ensuring contractual obligations, governance commitments and agreed value outcomes are effectively managed and realised.
• Coach and mentor team members and stakeholders, sharing supplier, market and commercial expertise to build capability and strengthen procurement outcomes.

What You Will Bring

• Extensive experience in procurement, category management, commercial leadership or supplier relationship management.
• Demonstrated ability to influence senior leaders and executive stakeholders across complex organisations.
• Strong experience developing and executing category strategies in capital-intensive industries.
• Exceptional stakeholder engagement and relationship-building capability, including experience operating across complex global organisations and supplier networks.
• Experience in complex commercial negotiations and strategic supplier partnerships.
• Experience managing strategic supplier relationships, governance programs and complex commercial agreements throughout the contract lifecycle.
• Experience supporting or working within major capital project environments is highly regarded.
• An engineering, project delivery or technical background would be advantageous, particularly where combined with procurement, commercial or supplier management experience.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively across technical, commercial and project stakeholder groups, translating market and supplier insights into practical business outcomes.

Why This Role Matters

This role sits at the intersection of Global Procurement, strategic suppliers and major projects. Through deep supplier relationships, market expertise and commercial insight, the role helps project teams access opportunities that may not otherwise be visible, enabling better procurement, commercial and delivery outcomes across Rio Tinto's portfolio.

The successful candidate will leverage Rio Tinto's scale, strategic supplier partnerships and portfolio demand to influence key project and commercial decisions, strengthen competitiveness and create value across some of Rio Tinto's most significant capital investments.

What we offer

• A work environment where safety is always the number one priority
• Flexible working from home arrangements as per operational requirements
• A competitive base salary reflective of your skills and experience with annual incentive program
• 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)
• Exclusive employee discounts (banking, accommodation, cars, retail and more);

Where you’ll be working

Rio Tinto Global Procurement ensures resilient supply chains that deliver value to the Rio Tinto Group through the strategic sourcing and buying of goods and services for our operations. Playing a fundamental role, value is achieved through effective supplier partnerships, innovation, easy and standardised processes, e-technology, corporate social responsibility and increased commercial advantage.

(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 LGBTQ+ 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.