Operators - Boyne Smelters

Riotinto; Gladstone Regional; On-site; AUD 65,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Safety-first culture

Permanent Rio Tinto position

Competitive base salary

Medical benefits

Share ownership plan

Insurance cover

Salary packaging options

Paid leave

Job summary

Rio Tinto is seeking Operators for Boyne Smelters in Australia. Expressions of interest welcome for roles involving the safe operation of cranes, mobile equipment, and plant processes across our aluminium production site.

Successful candidates will join a safety‑driven team, work a 12‑hour lifestyle roster, and participate in full training and development within a permanent Rio Tinto role. Applicants should be prepared for labour‑intensive work in demanding conditions.

Qualifications

• Current valid driver’s licence.
• Ability to function as part of a team and manage workload autonomously.
• Willingness to work in labour‑intensive roles in confined spaces, at heights and in hot environments.
• Experience with mobile equipment is preferred but not essential.
• Willingness to work a lifestyle roster with 12‑hour shifts (days and nights).

Responsibilities

• Operate cranes to set anodes and tap metal and other tasks to tend the cells.
• Process operations including cell dressing, raising beams, filling cell ore hoppers, tapping and transferring bath.
• Drive mobile equipment as required (including forklifts).
• Process control using panels, casting hot metal and operating fixed plant equipment.
• Handle metal casting, product inspection and dross handling.

Skills

Teamwork

Autonomy

Safety awareness

Willing to learn

12-hour shifts

Job description

Job Description

Operators at Boyne Smelters – Expressions of Interest for our talent pool

• Great opportunity to gain skills for a new career and qualifications, no previous experience required, full training and support provided
• 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
• Join our friendly teams, who look after each other because your safety and wellbeing are always our priority

We are seeking expressions of interest from people interested in starting a new career and learning new skills at our Boyne Smelter. We have upcoming vacancies across our three key operating areas and are looking for energetic and safety driven people to join us! If you have any experience in the heavy industry – apply today!

About the role

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.

The role of an Operatoris vital to the success of our business. Working in a strong team environment you will be responsible for supporting our operational departments to ensure the safe and sustainable production of aluminium through the operation of mobile and fixed plant equipment in conjunction with manual duties.

Some of the key responsibilities include:

• Operating cranes to set anodes and tap metal and other tasks to tend the cells
• Process operations including cell dressing, raising beams, filling cell ore hoppers, tapping and transferring bath
• Driving mobile equipment as required (including forklifts)
• Process operations – examples include process control using control panels, casting hot metal, operating fixed plant equipment, using scabble guns, equipment isolation and de-isolation, process sampling and housekeeping
• Metal transportation using specialised equipment, furnace preparation, casting pit operation, ingot machine operation, product inspection and quality control, operation of cutting saws, fabrication of M-straps fabrication and dross handling

About you

To be successfully considered for this role, you will have:

• Current valid driver’s licence
• Demonstrated ability to function effectively as part of a team and to autonomously manage your workload
• A willingness and ability to work in a labour-intensive role, in confined space, at heights and in hot environments
• Operating mobile equipment experience which could include forklift, elevated work platform (EWP), overhead gantry crane, bobcat or dozer (preferred, but not essential)
• A willingness and ability to work on a lifestyle roster, 12-hour shifts including days and nights

If you have previous experience in auxiliary fire service, rural fire service, SES or previous industry ERT membership, Surf Life saver, current first aid you may also be eligible to join our ERT team and access additional benefits.

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

Where you’ll be working

Opened in 1982, Boyne Smelters Limited is Australia’s second largest aluminium smelter with a 1,000-person strong workforce. Located approximately 20 kilometres southeast of Gladstone at Boyne Island on the Central Queensland coast, BSL produces around 500,000 tonnes of aluminium per annum.

Activities at BSL include manufacturing carbon anodes in the carbon plant, aluminium production (smelting) in reduction lines, and casting of molten material into aluminium products ready to ship. The smelter is connected via a conveyor belt to the Queensland Alumina Limited refinery for the supply of alumina.

Along with Yarwun Operations and Queensland Alumina Limited, BSL supports the local community in a wide range of initiatives through Here for Gladstone.

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.