Engineer- Tailings & Water

Location: Boron

Tailings & Water Engineer – Rio Tinto Borates and Lithium Join our global leading business offering outstanding personal development & global career opportunities

Permanent employment which includes a huge range of additional benefits

Be part of a group that is safety driven and values inclusion – Boron, California For California based roles the expected annual salary range is $92-240 - $126,830

About the role

We are looking for a Tailings & Water Engineer to join our team. Working with site operations and having access to Rio Tinto Experts, you will be responsible for providing technical support to site and project teams ensuring the safe and efficient operation of tailings and water storage facilities. You will collaborate with site leadership teams to ensure tailings storage facility integrity is maintained and the operations of tailings storage facilities is in accordance with the design intent and operational plan.

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 onas 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.  

For more information about Borax and its world-class operations, please visit This role is a great opportunity for a self-motivated Engineer to see immediate results in plant efficiency, output and quality improvements as well as project implementation improvements.  Reporting to the Process Principal Advisor, you will be:

Managing day-to-day operations of the Tailings Ponds Operating/managing the facilities in accordance with the design intent

Conducting drone-based photogrammetry, thermal, and LiDAR scans, with willingness to obtain a UAV FAA Part 107 certification

Develop and maintain Gold Sim models for tailings and water management

Keeping D5 Nominated Manager and Responsible Dam Engineer informed of the performance of the facilities

Reporting on all D5 Standard related incidents

Upkeep of OMS (Operations, Maintenance, and Surveillance) Manual Accountable for arranging collection, evaluation, and reporting of monitoring data as per the OMS Manual Responsible, alongside the Responsible Dam Engineer, for liaising with the Engineer of Record, Designer of Record, Projects, HSEC, legal, communities and social performance and regulatory affairs and environment teams

Responsible for the monitoring system and communication of the results to the EoR, including performance reviews

Responsible for the implementation of a change management system

Support with compliance with Rio Tinto’s Standards with an emphasis on Tailings and Water Storage Facility Risk Management Have experience, knowledge, and competencies appropriate to the complexity of the facility and consequence classification

Have experience undertaking scoping of studies, site investigations and risk management for tailings facilities

Routinely communicate with the site management team on important tailings pond safety matters

Work with fixed plant personnel to reduce tailings and conserve water

Responsible for short-term planning of facilities by use of a quantitative model and weekly maintenance meetings

Supporting medium-, and long-term planning with Responsible Dam Engineer Participate in internal and external Tailings Audits Participate in regulatory visits and inspections to…