- Bring deep technical remuneration expertise to evaluate complex base pay challenges and develop practical, evidence-based solutions within Rio Tinto’s global reward frameworks.
- Work across markets and with regional Reward teams to assess salary structures, market positioning and internal equity, translating complex analysis into clear technical recommendations.
- Lead defined areas of technical work, designing and testing solutions and translating agreed approaches into practical methodologies, tools and guidance.
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 Principal Adviser Remuneration to bring deep technical expertise to complex base pay questions across Rio Tinto’s globally banded workforce. Working within our global Reward area of expertise, you will investigate business, market and workforce challenges, evaluate how global frameworks apply and design and test practical solutions within agreed enterprise direction.
You will lead defined areas of technical work, applying strong analytical capability and professional judgement to assess options, explain trade-offs and develop clear, evidence-based recommendations. Working with regional Reward teams, you will help ensure our global approaches remain effective across different markets and workforce contexts, identifying where refinement or further consideration may be required.
This is an opportunity to be a senior technical expert in base pay, solve complex remuneration challenges and influence outcomes through the quality of your judgement, analysis and recommendations.
What you’ll be doing
As a senior technical expert within our Reward area of expertise, you will lead defined areas of base pay analysis and solution development, working with Reward colleagues and stakeholders globally to:
- Evaluate complex base pay challenges, applying technical expertise and professional judgement to determine how global frameworks apply and where different solutions or refinements should be considered.
- Design, model and test solutions across salary structures, market positioning, pay ranges and positioning methodologies within agreed enterprise principles and governance.
- Assess existing base pay frameworks, methodologies and job architecture standards, identifying gaps and developing evidence-based recommendations for refinement.
- Partner with regional Reward and People teams to understand market, business and workforce requirements, test options and assess where local differentiation can be accommodated within global frameworks.
- Analyse remuneration data, external market insights and regional practices to assess market alignment and internal equity, explain trade-offs and develop clear technical recommendations.
- Provide expert technical advice on job architecture, job evaluation and role valuation matters affecting the globally banded workforce, applying agreed methodologies and professional judgement to complex cases.
- Contribute technical insight and evidence to the ongoing evolution of global base pay approaches, identifying recurring issues, emerging market practices and opportunities for improvement.
- Develop methodologies, tools and guidance that enable Reward and People teams to apply agreed base pay approaches consistently and effectively.
- Translate agreed base pay designs into clear business requirements, working with Reward Operations and HR Technology to support effective implementation across data, systems and reporting.
About you
We’re looking for a highly experienced reward professional with deep technical expertise, strong analytical judgement and curiosity about how complex remuneration problems can be solved. You will be comfortable working with ambiguity, interrogating evidence, testing different approaches and developing clear recommendations from complex technical questions.
You do not need to meet every “helpful for success” item to apply. If you bring relevant experience and are excited by the opportunity, we encourage you to submit an application.
Required for Success
A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team.
- Technical base pay expertise: Deep knowledge of base pay design, including salary structures, market benchmarking and positioning, job architecture and evaluation, internal equity and annual remuneration processes, with experience applying that expertise to complex remuneration questions.
- Technical solution design and judgement: Demonstrated ability to investigate complex remuneration issues, challenge assumptions, evaluate alternative approaches and develop robust, evidence-based solutions and recommendations.
- Application of global frameworks: Experience applying enterprise reward principles across different markets and workforce contexts, exercising judgement on appropriate local differentiation and identifying where existing approaches may require refinement.
- Analytical capability: Strong ability to interpret remuneration, market, workforce and financial data, model options and translate complex evidence into clear conclusions, trade-offs and recommendations.
- Technical influence: Ability to operate as a credible subject matter expert, constructively challenge different perspectives and influence outcomes through technical expertise, evidence and sound professional judgement.
- Collaboration: Ability to work effectively across regional Reward and People teams and specialist functions to solve complex issues and translate agreed approaches into workable solutions.
Helpful for Success
- Experience applying and developing remuneration approaches for globally banded, professional or managerial workforces across multiple countries or regions.
- Experience designing and modelling salary structures, market-positioning approaches, job architecture or other complex base pay solutions.
- Experience using external market practice and remuneration data to evaluate existing approaches and develop recommendations.
- Experience with Workday, Power BI, compensation survey platforms, remuneration modelling or comparable reward technology and analytics tools.
- Background in reward consulting, technical compensation design, market benchmarking, job architecture, job evaluation, regional Reward or enterprise base pay.
What we offer
Be recognised 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 permanent position working directly for Rio Tinto
- A competitive base salary reflective of your skills and experience, with an annual incentive program
- Comprehensive medical benefits, including subsidised private health insurance for employees and their immediate family
- Attractive share ownership plan
- Company provided insurance cover
- Extensive salary sacrifice & salary packaging options
- Career development and education assistance to further your technical or leadership ambitions
- Ongoing access to family-friendly health, medical and wellbeing support
- Leave for all of life’s reasons (vacation/annual, paid parental, sick leave)
- Exclusive employee discounts (banking, accommodation, cars, retail and more)
Applications close on 15th November 2026.
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
At Rio Tinto, we particularly welcome and encourage applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, women, the LGBTQ+ 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.
