Corporate Counsel

Corporate Counsel, Strategy & Development

• Opportunity to work for a global mining organization
• Regional responsibilities working with a dynamic team
• Role based in Canada or USA

All progress begins with pioneers. At Rio Tinto, it begins with you.

We are looking for a Corporate Counsel who will provide legal support and strategic advice to the Rio Tinto Exploration and Rio Tinto Closure teams based in North America. This role is part of the Strategy & Development Legal team, which provides support to business units globally including Rio Tinto Exploration, Rio Tinto Closure, Strategy and Corporate Development.

Rio Tinto Legal plays a key role in executing core business strategy and provides legal services and expertise of the highest standards to the Rio Tinto Group, at a corporate level as well as in support of activities on the ground.

We are an open, connected global team that includes some of the industry's best and brightest minds. We offer competitive, performance-focused remuneration and a wide range of benefits to reward your contribution. With a global reach, the opportunities to develop and grow your career are broad and exciting

What the role entails

This role is a great opportunity for a highly motivated individual, reporting to the General Counsel Strategy & Development and involves:

• Provision of timely and commercially focused advice and assistance in managing the legal aspects and risks of the regional Closure and Exploration teams' business objectives, including country entry and stakeholder engagement strategies, new projects or legacy sites, joint ventures or partnerships, acquisitions/divestments, changing government regulation, anti-bribery legislation, critical incidents;
• Drafting and negotiation of:
• For Exploration, arrangements with third parties including joint venture agreements, earn-in agreements, sale and purchase documentation, access arrangements and corporate structuring;
• For Closure, arrangements with third parties including correspondence and agreements with regulators, other commercial parties and relevant stakeholders;
• Support with permitting, tenure, approvals and access issues;
• Pro-actively leading or supporting in disputes resolution or litigation (major litigation will be handled by the Rio Tinto Litigation team);
• Cost effective management of external legal resources, to the extent engaged
• Awareness of material internal business developments relevant to legal issues affecting Exploration or Closure
• Maintaining awareness of, and advising on, relevant external legal developments
• Developing and maintaining close working relationships with the Regional Exploration and Closure team members, Strategy & Development legal team, members of the Rio Tinto Legal, Governance and Ethics team globally as well as related functions.

What you'll bring

• Minimum of 7 years post qualification experience as a legal practitioner in a relevant area of law or industry in the US and/or Canada
• Language: English. Additional Spanish language capability would be an advantage
• Strong problem solving, strategic and analytical capability, as well as commercial acumen
• Effective time management and personal organizational skills
• Demonstrated ability to develop strong relationships
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• Strategic decision making with a demonstrated ability to influence and negotiate
• The ability to work independently and to use your internal and external network to supplement your own skills and expertise where needed.

What we offer

• Be recognized for your contribution, your thinking and your hard work, and go home knowing you've helped the world progress.
• A work environment where safety is always the number one priority
• A competitive salary package with annual cash incentive awards for eligible employees
• Career development & education assistance to further your ambitions
• Access top tier family-friendly health and medical programs and pension plan
• Wellbeing benefits
• 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 Rio Tinto

Every idea, every innovation, every little thing the world calls 'progress' begins with
a first step, and someone willing to take it: explorers, inventors, entrepreneurs. Pioneers.

For nearly 150 years, Rio Tinto has been a company of pioneers generations of people spanning the globe, all with the grit and vision to produce materials essential to human progress.

Our iron ore has shaped skylines from Shanghai to Sydney. Our aluminium the world's first to be certified "responsible" helps planes fly and makes cars lighter. Our copper helps wind turbines power cities and our boron helps feed the world, and explore the universe.
Our diamonds help us celebrate the best parts of life.

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.