Drill Operators- Fifo Various Sites

Riotinto; Western Australia; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Permanent position with Rio Tinto

Competitive base salary + annual bonus

Comprehensive medical benefits

Share ownership plan

Insurance cover

Salary packaging options

Career development & education support

Family‑friendly wellbeing support

Leave for life’s reasons

Employee discounts

Job summary

Rio Tinto is seeking Drill Operators to join our Drill and Blast teams across Pilbara mine sites in Western Australia. You’ll drive productivity in a safety‑driven environment and work with family‑friendly rosters (8:6 or 8:6/7:7) to balance life and work.

Reporting to the drill team supervisor, you will adhere to standards, promote safety, and operate/open pit drilling equipment with a focus on continuous improvement and teamwork.

Qualifications

• Commitment to safety and wellbeing of the team.
• Holds a valid Australian C Class manual driver’s license or higher.
• Possesses a Dangerous Goods License.
• Experience operating open pit drilling equipment (Atlas Copco, PV275, Reedrill, SK-F, Cubex QXR 1120, Sandvik DR540).

Responsibilities

• Adhere to Rio Tinto standards, policies and procedures.
• Foster and communicate a positive safety culture across operations.
• Identify and implement continuous improvement opportunities.
• Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to perform duties.
• Operate open pit drill rigs and related equipment as required.
• Inspect equipment for safe operation and compliance.
• Maintain safe drill laydown areas and optimize consumable use.
• Support site targets and contribute to productivity.

Skills

Safety mindset

Team player

Australian C Class license

Dangerous Goods License

Open pit drilling experience

Tools

Atlas Copco PV275

Reedrill

Sandvik DR540

Cubex QXR 1120

Job description

• Be part of a group that is safety driven and values inclusion.
• Permanent employment which includes a huge range of additional benefits.
• Balanced Work-Life Rhythm: Our lifestyle-friendly roster provides a harmonious balance between career and home life ensuring you spend more time with your loved ones and doing the things outside of work, that matter most to you.
• 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 Drill Operators to join our Drill and Blast teams across various Pilbara mine sites, helping to drive productivity and achieve operational targets.

These roles are an excellent opportunity for team-oriented and motivated individuals who thrive in a supportive and safety-driven environment. Achieve work-life balance with family-friendly rosters (8:6 or 8:6/7:7) that suit your ideal way of living.

Reporting to the Supervisor of the drill team and working in a challenging and exciting environment as a drill operator, you will:

• Adhere to all Rio Tinto standards, policies and procedures
• Actively foster and communicate a positive safety culture to
  promote safety awareness and compliance, encouraging
  prioritisation of safety in all activities and operations
• Foster a
• Be part of a group that is safety driven and values inclusion.
• Permanent employment which includes a huge range of additional benefits.
• Balanced Work-Life Rhythm: Our lifestyle-friendly roster provides a harmonious balance between career and home life ensuring you spend more time with your loved ones and doing the things outside of work, that matter most to you.
• 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 Drill Operators to join our Drill and Blast teams across various Pilbara mine sites, helping to drive productivity and achieve operational targets.

These roles are an excellent opportunity for team-oriented and motivated individuals who thrive in a supportive and safety-driven environment. Achieve work-life balance with family-friendly rosters (8:6 or 8:6/7:7) that suit your ideal way of living.

Reporting to the Supervisor of the drill team and working in a challenging and exciting environment as a drill operator, you will:

• Adhere to all Rio Tinto standards, policies and procedures
• Actively foster and communicate a positive safety culture to
  promote safety awareness and compliance, encouraging
  prioritisation of safety in all activities and operations
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement by identifying,
  evaluating and implementing improvement opportunities utilising
  a range of Rio Tinto best practices
• Collaborate closely with other functions and stakeholders in the
  performance of duties
• Operate open pit drill rigs and other equipment when required
• Inspect equipment to ensure the correct working order and safety
  requirements
• Maintain a safe standard of drill laydown areas
• Optimise consumable life and consumable life management

About you

• Have a commitment to safety—prioritizing the wellbeing of yourself and your team.
• Hold a valid Australian C Class manual driver’s license or higher.
• Possess a strong team mindset, with the ability to work safely and flexibly to meet business requirements.
• Hold a Dangerous Good License.
• Open pit drilling (Atlas Copco, PV275, Reedrill, SK-F, SK-F, Cubex QXR
  1120, Sandvik DR540 drills)

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)
• Where you’ll be working

In the Pilbara region of Western Australia, Rio Tinto operates the world’s largest integrated portfolio of iron ore assets with industry-leading margins. Our premium product suite, including our flagship Pilbara blend, drives strong customer relationships and is supported by technical and commercial marketing expertise. The iron ore business continues to be the world’s largest autonomous truck operator and a proud leader in automated mining technologies.

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.