Laboratory Manager

Rio Tinto; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual incentive bonus

Health & wellbeing programs

Retirement plan with company match

Employee share ownership plan

Paid time off & parental leave

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Job summary

Rio Tinto is seeking a Laboratory Manager for Nuton in Salt Lake City to lead laboratory operations, oversee testwork programmes, and drive pilot activities. You will work with technical specialists to advance beneficiation and leaching technologies while ensuring safe, high‑quality results.

Reporting to the Technology Development Manager, you will guide multidisciplinary teams, manage budgets and schedules, and promote best practices across partner sites and labs to deliver innovative

Qualifications

• Leadership experience managing technical, operational or laboratory teams and resources.
• Commitment to safety of yourself and your team.
• Ability to lead multi-functional and multidisciplinary teams and deliver measurable operational outcomes.
• Experience managing laboratory operations, budgets, equipment reliability and continuous improvement activities.
• Demonstrated experience designing and managing laboratory testwork programmes, pilot plant trials or comparable processing technology programmes.

Responsibilities

• Lead laboratory teams to safely deliver testwork programmes, pilot trials and operational objectives.
• Drive safety, industrial hygiene and environmental standards while maintaining relevant certifications and compliance requirements.
• Ensure test plans, procedures and quality standards are followed to meet customer requirements for quantity, quality and delivery timelines.
• Improve laboratory performance through continuous improvement, Lean management systems and benchmarking of operational efficiency.
• Manage operating and maintenance budgets while ensuring equipment availability and the reliability of laboratory results.
• Optimise workforce capability, flexibility and resource planning to build an inclusive and high-performing team environment.
• Collaborate with internal technical specialists and external laboratories on sample selection, preparation, testing and blending strategies.
• Represent Nuton at partner sites and test facilities while protecting intellectual property and promoting best practices.

Skills

Leadership experience

Safety commitment

Multidisciplinary team leadership

Laboratory operations management

Budget & equipment reliability

Testwork programme design

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or related discipline

Job description

• Lead Nuton laboratory teams that deliver critical testwork and pilot programme outcomes that support technology deployment and innovation.
• Collaborate with global stakeholders, external laboratories and partner sites while gaining exposure to diverse projects and test facilities.
• Grow your leadership impact by guiding multidisciplinary technical teams and shaping safe, high-performing laboratory operations based in Salt Lake City, Utah

• Lead Nuton laboratory teams that deliver critical testwork and pilot programme outcomes that support technology deployment and innovation.
• Collaborate with global stakeholders, external laboratories and partner sites while gaining exposure to diverse projects and test facilities.
• Grow your leadership impact by guiding multidisciplinary technical teams and shaping safe, high-performing laboratory operations based in Salt Lake City, Utah

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 Laboratory Manager to help the Nuton team deliver safe, reliable and high-quality laboratory testwork programmes. In this role, you will lead laboratory operations, oversee testing and pilot activities, and work with technical specialists to advance beneficiation and leaching technologies. This is a great opportunity for someone who enjoys leading multidisciplinary teams, improving operational performance and influencing the successful delivery of innovative technology programmes.

What You’ll Be Doing

Reporting to the Technology Development Manager and working in a collaborative technical environment within Nuton, you will

• Lead laboratory teams to safely deliver testwork programmes, pilot trials and operational objectives.
• Drive safety, industrial hygiene and environmental standards while maintaining relevant certifications and compliance requirements.
• Ensure test plans, procedures and quality standards are followed to meet customer requirements for quantity, quality and delivery timelines.
• Improve laboratory performance through continuous improvement, Lean management systems and benchmarking of operational efficiency.
• Manage operating and maintenance budgets while ensuring equipment availability and the reliability of laboratory results.
• Optimise workforce capability, flexibility and resource planning to build an inclusive and high-performing team environment.
• Collaborate with internal technical specialists and external laboratories on sample selection, preparation, testing and blending strategies.
• Represent Nuton at partner sites and test facilities while protecting intellectual property and promoting best practices.

About You

We’re looking for someone whose experience aligns with the key requirements below. 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.
• Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering or a related discipline, or equivalent practical experience.
• Demonstrated experience designing and managing laboratory testwork programmes, pilot plant trials or comparable processing technology programmes in a technical or industrial environment.
• Leadership experience managing technical, operational or laboratory teams and resources.
• Ability to lead multi-functional and multidisciplinary teams and deliver measurable operational outcomes.
• Experience managing laboratory operations, budgets, equipment reliability and continuous improvement activities.

Helpful for Success

• Experience working with metallurgical processing, geochemistry, geometallurgy, leaching or related disciplines.
• Ability to travel regularly, including visits to partner sites and external laboratories.

What We Offer

Be recognized 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
• Competitive base salary reflective of your skills and experience with an annual incentive bonus
• Access to top-tier family-friendly health programs including medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, life insurance coverage, and various voluntary benefits
• Excellent retirement plan including up to 6% defined company contribution; Generous 401k matching program
• Attractive share ownership plan
• Comprehensive leave policies which cover all the moments that matter in life PTO (paid time off), paid holidays, and paid bereavement leave
• A generous parental leave policy, which ensures you’re able to spend quality time with your new family
• Discount programs for leisure purposes and access to Personify Health with incentives supporting your wellbeing
• Access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which provides confidential counselling or expert guidance for you and your family to help get through life’s challenges

Where you’ll be working

Nuton® is an innovative venture helping to grow Rio Tinto’s copper business by unlocking new value from low‑grade copper resources, waste, and tailings. Built on nearly 30 years of research and development, Nuton® combines proprietary copper leaching technologies with strong environmental performance supporting more efficient water use, lower carbon emissions, and the reclamation of mine sites through reprocessing. Learn more about Nuton here Our Technology - Nuton

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, we’re focused on creating partnerships to solve problems, create win‑win situations and meet opportunities.

Respect and Inclusion

Rio Tinto is committed to equal employment opportunity. All qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, sex, age, religion, national origin, disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

We are committed to an inclusive environment where people feel safe, respected and valued. We want our people to feel that all voices are heard and that a variety of perspectives are not only welcome but are essential to our success. We treat all our people fairly and with dignity.

Rio Tinto participates in E- Verify to confirm work authorization. Please visit http //www.ucis.gov/ for more information.