Communities & Social Performance Manager at Rio Tinto

About the role  

• We are looking for a Communities & Social Performance (CSP) Manager in the Africa-Eurasia Region (AER) to focus on management oversight and provision of technical advice to RTX’s exploration operations.
• This is a great opportunity and involves overseeing a small team of professionals, providing CSP technical expertise to project sites with a focus on delivering advice and crafting pragmatic solutions on CSP matters, particularly at the intersection between land access, relations with host communities, cultural heritage protection, and generating local development benefits.

Reporting to the General Manager – CSP and working in a challenging and exciting environment within CSP, you will be:

• Representing and advising on CSP-related matters within the AER senior leadership team (SLT).
• Providing advice and strategic planning to exploration teams within the region on CSP matters, including identification and management of social risks across a broad spectrum of countries and issues, particularly land access, dialogue and agreement-making with host communities, community benefits, security and human rights, and other issues at the intersection of social and environmental performance such as water or tailings management.
• Furnishing technical advice and management support for CSP personnel working with the AER Generative and Technical Team and country/project team leadership including Exploration Managers and Project Leads throughout the region, particularly with regard to reconciling project timelines with CSP-related objectives.
• In conjunction with the Exploration Director for AER and the global GM for CSP, developing a regional CSP strategy and providing oversight and support for country- and project-level CSP planning to ensure alignment with project goals and bring realistic, risk-based considerations for CSP-related elements to project planning/timelines.
• Identifying and implementing innovative approaches to ensure that promoting CSP-related objectives are shared throughout RTX, particularly among non-CSP personnel. Developing and maintaining the CSP technical community and working closely with other regional CSP managers and the global GM on knowledge-sharing more broadly within RTX and Rio Tinto as a whole.
• Leading and/or supervising any New Country Entry and screening/due diligence processes on issues related to CSP in AER.

What you’ll bring

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team
• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in a relevant discipline
• A minimum of 8-10 years of relevant CSP experience, coupled with 3-4 years of experience in roles managing others.
• Relevant experience in CSP-related issues in the Africa-Eurasia, ideally with a particular emphasis on both community-level operational roles and headquarters or group-level roles related to CSP matters in sub-Saharan Africa.
• First-hand experience working on CSP issues in multiple settings in the region is essential, and expertise in working with rural or traditional, land-connected communities is considered highly desirable.
• Demonstrated experience in leading multicultural/ multilingual teams (especially CSP teams) at both strategic and operational levels.
• Strong communication skills in English, both written and spoken, are required. Professional fluency in Portuguese and/or French is considered advantageous.
• Exposure to managing social risks and performance through a structured management system is considered valued and beneficial.
• Commitment to safety, sustainability, and Rio Tinto’s core values of care, courage, and curiosity.