Senior Strategic Planning Engineer

• Opportunity to develop your career and work for a global company
• Contribute to the success of Rio Tinto by applying your technical and professional expertise.
• Join a company with a world class reputation for safety and a culture that supports inclusion and diversity –Boron, CA
• For California based roles the expected salary is $125,440-$172,480

About the role

We are looking for a Senior Strategic Planning Engineer This position will provide technical and strategic leadership in the development of long-range mine plans and business strategies that maximize the economic value of mining assets while ensuring safe, sustainable, and efficient operations. The role serves as a critical link between technical planning and business execution, supporting informed decision-making and long-term operational success.

The Senior Strategic Planning Engineer is responsible for developing, maintaining, and optimizing long-range mine plans that support the organization's strategic, operational, and financial objectives. This role provides technical leadership in life-of-mine (LOM) planning, resource utilization, reserve optimization, capital planning, and strategic project evaluation. The position works closely with geology, operations, process engineering, finance, environmental, and commercial teams to ensure sustainable and economically optimized extraction of mineral resources.

The Senior Strategic Planning Engineer serves as a key technical advisor to management by delivering robust mine plans, economic analyses, and strategic recommendations that support business growth, operational excellence, and long-term value creation.

Key Responsibilities

Safety Environment

• Compliance with safety standards, complete weekly safety observations, CRM activities, attend safety meetings, be proactive in all safety issues, and carry out housekeeping inspections

Strategic Mine Planning

• Develop and maintain Life-of-Mine (LOM) plans aligned with business strategy and business objectives.
• Optimize pit designs, production schedules, haulage requirements, and mining sequences to maximize asset value
• Evaluate and recommend strategic opportunities to improve resource recovery, operational efficiency, and project economics.
• Support development of mine expansion, pushbacks, and capital investment strategies.

Technical Analysis and Optimization

• Conduct scenario analysis, trade-off studies, and sensitivity evaluations to support strategic decision-making.
• Develop and maintain strategic planning models using industry-standard mine planning software.
• Evaluate mining alternatives considering technical, operational, environmental, and economic constraints.
• Identify opportunities to enhance productivity, reduce costs, and improve mine value.

Economic Evaluation

• Perform economic analysis including NPV, IRR, cash flow forecasting, and project valuation.
• Develop business cases for capital projects and major operational initiatives.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and long-range business planning processes.
• Provide recommendations based on financial and operational impacts.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Collaborate with Mine Operations, Geology, Processing, Environmental, Finance, and Commercial teams.
• Present planning results and strategic recommendations to senior leadership.
• Support regulatory and permitting requirements through technical planning support.
• Coordinate with consultants and external stakeholders as required.

Leadership and Mentoring

• Provide technical leadership to mine planning engineers and other technical personnel.
• Mentor junior engineers and contribute to workforce development.
• Establish and promote planning standards, best practices, and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Lead cross-functional teams on strategic projects and studies.

Reporting and Governance

• Prepare technical reports, presentations, and executive summaries.
• Maintain planning assumptions, documentation, and planning databases.
• Ensure compliance with company standards, safety requirements, and regulatory obligations.
• Support reserve reporting and technical audits.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in mining engineering or related engineering discipline required.

Experience

• Minimum 8–10 years of progressive mining engineering experience.
• Extensive experience in strategic mine planning and life-of-mine planning.
• Experience in open-pit mining operations is preferred.
• Demonstrated expertise in mine optimization and economic evaluation.
• Proven experience leading technical studies and cross-functional projects.

Technical Skills

• Advanced proficiency with mine planning software such as Deswik, Vulcan, Whittle, RPM Mine Planner
• Strong knowledge of:
  • Resource and reserve estimation
  • Mine design and scheduling
  • Economic evaluation
  • Risk analysis
  • Production planning
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and data analytics tools.

Leadership Competencies

• Strategic thinking and business acumen.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and presentation abilities.
• Ability to influence decisions at multiple organizational levels.
• Project leadership and stakeholder management.

What we offer

Here is just a glimpse of our industry leading rewards package:

• A safety-focused and inclusive working environment
• A competitive salary package with annual cash incentive awards (STIP) for eligible employees
• Career development & education assistance to further your ambitions
• Access to top tier family-friendly health and medical programs
• Excellent retirement plan
• A comprehensive leave policy that covers all moments that matter in life (vacation/annual, paid parental leave, short term sick leave, paid holidays)
• Ongoing individual wellbeing support for you and your family for personal and professional matters
• Generous Rio Tinto employee share program

Where you will be working

This role is located in Boron; CA. Rio Tinto Borates is a global leader in industrial mineral supply and science. We provide 30 per cent of the world's supply of refined borates; remarkable minerals that are essential to life and to modern living.

Also known for its 20 Mule Team Borax brand, Rio Tinto Borates traces its roots to California’s Death Valley, where borate deposits were discovered in 1872.

The twenty-mule teams Borax used to haul ore out of the remote desert live on as a symbol of our commitment to innovation. Rio Tinto Borates distinguishes itself through world-class safety, environmental and community practices, and a commitment to constant innovation and improvement.

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

Rio Tinto is committed to equal employment opportunity. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

We are committed to an inclusive environment where people feel safe, respected and valued. We want our people to feel that all voices are heard and that a variety of perspectives are not only welcome but are essential to our success. We treat all our people fairly and with dignity.

Rio Tinto participates in E- Verify to confirm work authorization. Please visit http://www.ucis.gov/ for more information.