{"id":3319682,"url":"https://alion.io/job/rio-tinto-principal-hydrogeologist","title":"Principal Hydrogeologist","company":{"id":183,"name":"Rio Tinto","domain":"riotinto.com","url":"https://alion.io/company/rio-tinto","size_band":"1001-5000","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":{"grade":"A","score":100,"open_postings":6,"ghost_share":0,"stale_share":0.167,"repost_share":0,"time_to_fill_p50_days":17,"computed_at":"2026-10-28T05:59:10Z"}},"role":"Science & Research","role_family":"Science & Research","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Perth, Australia"],"countries":["AU"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":68000,"max_usd":128000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":54},"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-10-26T00:00:00Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-10-26","last_verified_at":"2026-10-28T13:04:21Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":2,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":2},"description":"Shape high-quality, defensible hydrogeology outcomes that support safe and sustainable water management across West Pilbara operations, studies and closure planning. \nLead technical direction, governance and capability development across a regional portfolio, with scope to influence long-term water strategy and emerging practices. \nPerth-based opportunity focused on the West Pilbara, combining collaboration in the Perth office with meaningful connection to our Pilbara sites and stakeholders. \nWe’re Finding Better Ways™ to provide materials the world needs, now and in the future. Our values - care, courage and curiosity - guide how we work and how we treat each other.\nAbout the role\nWe are looking for a Principal Hydrogeologist to provide technical leadership, direction and process governance for water resource planning and management across the West Pilbara. In this role, you’ll connect water resource planning and management across operations, studies, projects and closure to deliver consistent, fit-for-purpose and defensible hydrogeology outcomes across the mining lifecycle, while building capability and supporting sound, risk-based decisions. This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys solving complex groundwater challenges, building capable empowered teams to deliver at the right level and wants to influence regional strategy, technical standards and continuous improvement.\nWhat you’ll be doing\nReporting to the Manager Hydrogeology, you will be a member of the Hydrogeology leadership team and a trusted partner to operational, technical and business leaders across Rio Tinto Iron Ore, you will:\nLead a technical delivery team for regional hydrogeological and water management planning across the assigned portfolio, setting clear priorities, accountabilities and performance expectations. \nLead through influence to align competing priorities and ensure regional insights shape portfolio and business decisions. \nBuild team capability, capacity and succession through coaching, development pathways and effective allocation of work. \nApply scientific and technical excellence to hydrogeological investigations, assessments, decision-making and risk management. \nAct as the accountable technical leader for material groundwater risks: set assurance expectations, test whether work is fit for purpose, surface emerging issues early and escalate decision-ready recommendations at the right level. \nGovern hydrogeological compliance and assurance against regulatory obligations, environmental commitments and technical standards. \nTranslate hydrogeological constraints, opportunities and insights into mine planning, studies, operations and closure activities. \nDrive annual water resource & management planning routines, maintaining an integrated view of risk, value, capacity and dependencies to make portfolio trade-offs and translate long-term strategy into funded, sequenced action. \nBuild relationships and external partnerships needed to resolve shared water risks, challenge siloed decisions and accelerate the adoption of practices and technologies that improve whole-of-business outcomes. \nAbout you\nWe’re looking for an enterprise-minded technical leader who sees hydrogeology as a business-critical capability and takes ownership beyond organisational boundaries. You do not need to meet every “helpful for success” item to apply; if you bring relevant experience and are excited by the opportunity, we encourage you to submit an application.\nRequired for Success:\nA commitment to the safety of yourself and your team. \nDemonstrated technical expertise in hydrogeology and groundwater management within mining, resources or another large-scale, safety-critical industrial environment. \nExperience leading technical delivery, assurance or governance across a complex portfolio, including management of groundwater-related risk and compliance obligations. \nCapability to interpret and translate hydrogeological data, modelling outputs and uncertainty into decision-ready options, trade-offs and recommendations for studies, mine planning, operations and closure. \nExperience coaching technical professionals and building team capability, capacity and succession. \nAbility to build trust, influence and collaborate with operational, technical, regulatory, joint venture and Traditional Owner stakeholders, including communicating complex communicating complex issues simply and influencing decisions without relying on formal authority \nHelpful for Success:\nA tertiary qualification in hydrogeology, geology, geoscience, environmental science or a related discipline. \nExperience in strategic water planning, integrated portfolio leadership, mine closure, hydrogeological modelling practices or emerging groundwater technologies, including shaping investment priorities and cross-functional delivery. \nExperience managing work plans, budgets or schedules for a technical team or portfolio. \nWhat we offer\nBe recognised for your contribution, your thinking and your hard work, and go home knowing you’ve helped the world progress. \nA work environment where safety is always the number one priority \nA permanent position working directly for Rio Tinto \nA competitive base salary reflective of your skills and experience with annual incentive program \nComprehensive medical benefits including subsidised private health insurance for employees and immediate family \nAttractive share ownership plan \nCompany provided insurance cover \nExtensive salary sacrifice and salary packaging options \nCareer development and education assistance to further your technical or leadership ambitions \nOngoing access to family-friendly health and medical wellbeing support \nLeave for all of life’s reasons, including annual, paid parental, personal and cultural leave \nExclusive employee discounts across banking, accommodation, cars, retail and more\nPossible domestic relocation assistance\nWhere you’ll be working\nThis role is based in Perth and is specific to our West Pilbara portfolio. Our modern office in the Central Park tower provides an inspiring environment for collaboration and professional growth, with access to a modern gym, wellness programs and convenient amenities that support a healthy work-life balance. Situated in the heart of Perth, the office is close to public transport and several parking options.\nIn the Pilbara region of Western Australia, Rio Tinto operates an integrated network of mines, port terminals, rail and related infrastructure. From Perth, you will work closely with technical and operational teams supporting safe, sustainable water management across the West Pilbara through development, operations and into closure.\nAbout Rio Tinto\nRio 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.\nWe 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.\nRespect and Inclusion\nAt 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.\nWe 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.","description_format":"text","description_chars":8135,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Education assistance","Health insurance","Relocation assistance","Wellness"],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":true,"industries":["Mining","Iron Ore","Non-ferrous Metals"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-10-27T07:12:43Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":90,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.903,"p_room":1,"age_days":2,"expected_fill_days":17,"reasons":["conf:4","velocity","win:early","comp:brand"],"computed_at":"2026-10-28T05:59:10Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/rio-tinto-principal-hydrogeologist","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/rio-tinto-principal-hydrogeologist.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-10-28T16:27:17Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":22329,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-10-29T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":183},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=183"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Frio-tinto-principal-hydrogeologist"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"live","price":{"credits":1,"usd":0.1},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Frio-tinto-principal-hydrogeologist"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.02,"usd":0.002},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Frio-tinto-principal-hydrogeologist"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/rio-tinto-principal-hydrogeologist\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Frio-tinto-principal-hydrogeologist"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":3319682}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"riotinto.com","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":3319682},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. 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