Senior Corporate Counsel

• Join Resolution Copper at a pivotal moment following the successful completion of a long‑awaited federal land exchange and major legal milestone, enabling the project to advance into its next phase of development

• C​ontribute to a critical materials project that supports U.S. domestic supply chains and the global energy transition through copper development

• Excellent opportunity to work in-house in Arizona

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 Senior Corporate Counsel to help lead and coordinate the provision of legal support to Resolution Copper, a Rio Tinto-controlled joint venture with BHP that is simultaneously studying, developing and permitting the Resolution Copper Mine near Superior, Arizona.

This is a great opportunity for a seasoned, strategic, and commercially minded legal professional to lead and coordinate the provision of legal advice for Resolution Copper, working with direct and substantial interaction with business clients and cross‑functional stakeholders.

Reporting to the Chief Counsel, Copper, Americas and working in a collaborative, complex, and commercially focused in‑house environment within the Rio Tinto Legal function supporting Resolution Copper, you will be:

• Providing strategic and commercially pragmatic legal advice and support to Resolution Copper, including managing legal risks, setting the legal parameters for strategic business objectives and providing guidance as to compliance and reputational issues.

• Maintaining awareness of all material internal business and external legal developments that may lead to a need for legal advice.

• Drafting and negotiate various legal documents.

• Assessing the most appropriate means of providing legal advice for particular matters depending on business risk/opportunity and availability of resources.

• With other parts of the business, assist with the development and maintenance of external stakeholder relationships.

• Providing direct support for all operational and business matters for Resolution Copper including litigation, commercial, environmental compliance and permitting, communities, land use and regulatory issues, and compliance.

• Giving legal training for executives and other relevant Rio Tinto and Resolution Copper employees.

• Liaising, developing and maintaining close working relationships with operations personnel, members of Rio Tinto Legal, and Rio Tinto’s business units and functions, promoting collaboration and information sharing.

About you

• A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team.

• Networking skills that will enable you to develop relationships and collaborative approaches with other business functions and subject matter experts.

• Significant experience in either (1) industrial operations or the natural resources sector; or (2) administrative or regulatory counseling and litigation for industrial clients.

• Strong permitting experience, including permitting for large, complex infrastructure or natural resource projects such as mines, pipelines, powerlines, mining operations, oil & gas developments, or similar large-scale developments, with the ability to navigate multi-jurisdictional regulatory frameworks and stakeholder environments.

• Demonstrated leadership of legal or business teams or the potential to lead legal teams.

• A minimum of 10+ years of experience post qualification with a law firm or in-house as well as a minimum of 2+ years’ experience in-house.

• A license to practice law in Arizona, or the ability to obtain a license to practice law in Arizona via examination, admission on motion, or as licensed house counsel within one year of commencement of employment.