Rio Tinto

Senior Byproducts Engineer - Technical Projects

Rio Tinto$110K — $130K *
Energy & Utilities
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, or related discipline.
  • Minimum of 7 years in engineering and operations, focused on sulfuric acid or related byproducts processing systems.
  • Experience leading process improvements and technical projects in continuous processing environments.
  • Strong knowledge of acid plant operations, process control, and gas handling.
  • Proven ability to influence cross-functional teams without direct authority.
  • Analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Responsibilities

  • Lead process improvement initiatives for better safety and efficiency in byproducts processing facilities.
  • Provide technical leadership for improvement and capital projects in various processing plants.
  • Act as technical owner for projects from definition to implementation and realization of benefits.
  • Drive structured problem solving and ensure sustained performance improvements.
  • Evaluate existing practices to optimize performance and reduce operating costs.
  • Collaborate with teams to develop project scopes, technical evaluations, and business cases.
  • Oversee engineering and ensure projects meet intended outcomes and compliance requirements.
  • Mentor process engineers and contribute to capability development within the team.

Benefits

  • Safety and wellbeing prioritized within a supportive team culture.
  • Encouraging leadership committed to growth and development of employees.
  • Work location in Salt Lake City, Utah, near a world-class mining operation.
Full Job Description
Senior Byproducts Engineer - Technical Projects
  • Our friendly teams look after each other because your safety and wellbeing are always our priority
  • Join an encouraging leadership group, committed to your growth and development
  • Role based in Salt Lake City, Utah


We'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.

About the role

We are looking for a Senior Byproducts Engineer - Technical Projects to join our Technical Projects team. This is great opportunity to be in a senior technical role driving process improvements and delivering sustaining and capital projects across the Acid Plant, Powerhouse, Filter Plant, Slag Mill, and Hydromet plant.

The role provides focused technical leadership for defect elimination, reliability improvement, cost reduction, and HSE compliance. This position complements day-to-day process engineering by leading initiatives that require cross-functional coordination, senior technical judgment, and sustained focus.This position supports both routine operations and shutdown activities, balancing hands-on service coordination with governance oversight, continuous improvement, and strong engagement with internal teams and external contractors.

Reporting to the Superintendent, Technical Projects, you will:
  • Lead process improvement initiatives to eliminate recurring defects and improve safety, reliability, efficiency, and metal recovery across byproducts processing facilities.
  • Provide senior technical leadership for short term improvement projects and sustaining capital projects within the Acid Plant, Powerhouse, Filter Plant, Slag Mill, and Hydromet plant.
  • Act as technical owner for improvement and capital projects from problem definition through implementation and benefit realization.
  • Drive structured problem solving, including root cause analysis, development of permanent solutions, and verification of sustained performance improvement.
  • Identify, evaluate, and challenge existing practices to optimize acid plant process performance, energy efficiency, and variable operating costs.
  • Develop project scopes, technical evaluations, and business cases in collaboration with operations, maintenance, environmental, and Projects and Engineering teams.
  • Provide technical oversight during detailed engineering, commissioning, startup, and performance testing to ensure projects deliver intended outcomes.
  • Coordinate cross functional stakeholders to ensure improvements are integrated, operable, safe, and environmentally compliant.
  • Provide technical input to management of change, hazard reviews, and risk assessments related to process changes and project execution.
  • Mentor and provide technical guidance to day-to-day process engineers, contributing to capability development within the byproducts area.
  • Support development and maintenance of technical standards, best practices, and long-term plant knowledge.
  • Track and report improvement outcomes to ensure benefits are sustained and aligned with site objectives.


What you'll bring

To be successfully considered for this role, you will have:
  • Bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, Metallurgical Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
  • Minimum of 7 years of engineering and operations experience, primarily focused on sulfuric acid plant process or closely related byproducts processing systems.
  • Demonstrated experience leading process improvements, defect elimination initiatives, or technical projects in complex, continuous processing operations.
  • Strong understanding of acid plant operations, process control, gas handling, energy recovery, and environmental performance drivers.
  • Proven ability to lead cross functional teams and influence outcomes without direct authority.
  • Strong analytical, problem solving, and communication skills.


Where You'll Be Working

Our Kennecott mine is a world-class, fully integrated copper mining operation, including a concentrator, smelter, and refinery, located just outside Salt Lake City, Utah, in the United States. We produce copper, precious metals including gold and silver, molybdenum, and sulfuric acid. Kennecott has been mining and processing minerals from the rich ore body of the Bingham Canyon Mine since 1903 and is one of the top producing mines in the world, comprising approximately 11 percent of U.S. annual copper production.

About Rio Tinto

Rio Tinto Group is a British-Australian multinational mining and metals corporation. The company was founded in 1873 and is headquartered in London, England. Rio Tinto operates in over 35 countries and is one of the largest mining companies in the world. The company produces a wide range of commodities, including aluminum, copper, diamonds, gold, iron ore, and uranium. Rio Tinto is committed to sustainable mining practices and has been recognized for its efforts in this area. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange and the Australian Securities Exchange.
Learn more about Rio Tinto
Size
49,000 employees
Market Cap
$116.2 billion
Industry
Net Income
$9.7 billion
5 Year Trend
+13.5%
Revenue
$44.6 billion
NASDAQ

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