Graduate Program 2027 – Pacific Operations – All Locations

Ready to drive meaningful change? We’re on the lookout for passionate individuals who are eager to join our team and help us tackle the challenges shaping our future. At Rio Tinto, we believe innovation thrives when diverse minds collaborate toward a common purpose – creating a better tomorrow. Let’s shape the future together. 

Finding better ways™ to move our people forward.

Start your career across Pacific Operations, where business, people and operations come together to support some of Rio Tinto’s most important assets. Roles may be based in Brisbane or at one of our operational sites across the Pacific. We’re looking for graduates with degrees in Business, Health and Safety, Environment and related disciplines who want real-life exposure to how a large, complex organisation operates. Across PacOps, you’ll work alongside experienced professionals, support leaders and frontline teams, and contribute to work that shapes culture, decisions and outcomes across the business. This is an opportunity to build strong professional foundations, develop transferable skills, and gain insight into how diverse functions work together to support safe, responsible and sustainable operations.

About the program

Our Graduate Program offers you the chance to help shape Rio Tinto from within. The Graduate Program extends over two years, focusing on developing both foundational and future-focused skills.

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 annual incentive program

Comprehensive medical benefits including subsidised private health insurance for employees and immediate family

Attractive share ownership plan

Company provided insurance cover

Extensive salary sacrifice & salary packaging options

Career development & education assistance to further your technical or leadership ambitions

Ongoing access to family-friendly health and medical wellbeing support

Leave for all of life’s reasons (vacation/annual, paid parental, sick leave)

Exclusive employee discounts (banking, accommodation, cars, retail and more)

Domestic relocation assistance

Where you will be working

Rio Tinto is a global leader in aluminium, one of the world’s most widely used metals.

Active in the sector for more than 110 years, today we operate large-scale, high-quality bauxite mines and alumina refineries and have the world’s most modern and competitive aluminium smelter portfolio.

Our Pacific Operations sites are located along the east coast of Australia, at the tip of the Northern Territory and in New Zealand’s south. With more than 6,000 employees, we operate a full value chain approach—mining, refining and smelting. Our portfolio includes four bauxite mines, two refineries, four smelters and one power station, and is supported by technical experts located in our Brisbane hub, including a fully operational Operations Centre for our bauxite mines.

Eligibility   

Graduate Program – final year of study/have recently graduated with less than 2 years of relevant work experience

Have the right to work in Australia or New Zealand (citizens, permanent residents, student or postgraduate work visa holders)

A current "C Class" Manual Driver’s License at the time of your Graduate Program commencement

Next steps   

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.

Please note, to be considered for this role, you must complete all pre-screening questions.    

Applications close 17 April 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 LGBTI+ 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.

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