Senior Backfill Engineer

Senior Backfill Engineer

• Career opportunity to provide technical leadership for a complex mining project
• Make a tangible impact, delivering real value to the business
• Work in a diverse, collaborative and fast paced environment - Bingham Canyon Mine

About the Role

We are looking for aSenior Backfill Engineerfor the Underground Geotechnical Engineering team who will lead in all technical aspects of the mine backfill program and work closely with Mine Operations in ensuring efficient operation of the Cemented Aggregate Fill (CAF) plant and verify the quality of the CAF product.

The successful candidate will possess technical expertise in the design of backfill products for use in underground open stoping mines, as well as, operational experience with with planning and execution of backfilling programs. Design and specification of backfill products, management of the QA/QC programs, binder optimization initiatives and responsibility for the Backfill Management Plan will be major components of the role. With the anticipated of adoption of paste backfill as our primarily fill product, knowledge in the technical aspects of paste fill and operational experience in the same would be highly beneficial.

This role is an excellent opportunity to influence and shape the current and future backfilling strategies while the program is in its initial stages. Efficient backfilling of mine excavations and high quality of backfill products is a critical component of a safe and productive mine. This role will be instrumental in achieving those goals ensuring a successful mining operation. The role is critical to ongoing mine operations and future expansions. Reporting to the Principal Advisor for Geosciences, you will:

• Work in a safe manner and promote safety culture through company programs.
• Develop and implement backfill designs tailored to site-specific geotechnical requirements.
• Ensure adherence to the Backfill Management Plan is met, and all QAQC tasks are completed.
• Design and update fill strategies and ensure correct backfill material mix to optimize operational efficiency and material usage.
• Coordinate with underground and open pit teams to oversee the production, transport of aggregate, and placement of CRF materials underground.
• Monitor and troubleshoot the performance of backfill systems including and batching plants and aggregate sources from open pit crushing sources.
• Ensure quality control of backfill materials through regular sampling and laboratory testing.
• Work closely with geotechnical engineers, mine planners, and underground operations teams to align backfill activities with production schedules.
• Aid in the preparation of technical reports, including the monthly geotechnical report focusing on backfill performance.

What you will need for this role

To succeed in this role, you will have:

• Degree qualification in Mining or Geotechnical Engineering (Bachelor's degree or equivalent) or similar experience.
• Strong commitment to safety and promotion of a safety culture.
• At least 5 years in underground mining environments utilizing placed cemented backfill materials.
• Strong organizational skills to manage data to stay current of deliverables in Operational workflows.
• Ability to work in cross-functional and multi-disciplinary teams to ensure backfill plans are communicated and integrated across the business.
• Strong communication skills, including preparation of technical reports and presentations to peers from other mine disciplines and senior management.
• Ability to solve and communicate technical problems with practical solutions.

It will also be beneficial if you have:

• Experience with paste backfill
• Experience with mining software (Deswik, Deswik MDM)

What we Offer

We are committed to providing our employees with a generous benefits package. Be recognized for your contribution, your thinking, your hard work, and go home knowing you've helped the world progress, we provide:

• A safety-focused and inclusive working environment
• Advantageous salary package with annual cash incentive awards (STIP) for eligible employees
• Access to top-tier family-friendly health programs including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life insurance coverage, and various voluntary benefits.
• Excellent retirement plan including up to 6% defined company contribution; Generous 401k matching program
• Generous Rio Tinto employee share program, which allows you to purchase Rio Tinto Company shares.
• Comprehensive leave policies which cover all moments that matter in life: PTO (paid time off), paid holidays, and paid bereavement leave.
• A favorable child-caregiver leave program (Up to 100% salary top-up)
• Discount programs for leisure purposes and access to Virgin Pulse with incentives supporting your wellbeing
• Ongoing Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for you and your family; to help in addressing educational opportunities, addiction treatment, depression, stress, domestic issues, financial management, and legal concerns.
• Our team and industry experts are here to support and work with you to explore your learning potential and career goals

Where you will 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 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.

Every Voice Matters

At Rio Tinto, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Indigenous Peoples, women, the LGBTQ+ community, mature workers, people with disabilities and people from different cultural backgrounds.

Equal Opportunity Employer M/F/D/V
Rio Tinto participates in E-Verify to confirm work authorization. Please visit http://www.uscis.gov/ for more information.

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.