Maintainer Boilermaker
Rio TintoBe part of a team that is safety‑driven and values inclusion
Join a supportive leadership group committed to your growth and development
Residential role – live and work in Weipa, Far North Queensland
About the role
We are seeking experienced and safety‑focused Boilermaker to join our Main Workshop maintenance team at Rio Tinto Weipa Operations.
In this residential role, you will support the reliability and availability of mobile and ancillary equipment through high‑quality fabrication, repair, and maintenance activities carried out within the main workshop environment.
You’ll be part of a welcoming and inclusive team, where leaders actively support development opportunities and encourage you to build a long‑term career while enjoying the unique lifestyle Weipa has to offer.
Reporting to the Maintenance Supervisor – Workshop, you will work on a residential roster of 4 days on, 5 days off, 5 days on, 4 days off, then 5 days on, 5 days off, averaging 42 hours per week, and return home to Weipa after each swing.
Key responsibilities include:
- Championing a strong safety culture and ensuring all work is completed in line with Rio Tinto’s safety standards and procedures
- Carrying out planned and reactive maintenance activities within the main workshop
- Fabrication, welding, and repair of components supporting mobile plant, attachments, and ancillary equipment
- Completing quality checking and quality control activities to ensure work meets specification, compliance, and safety requirements
- Reading and interpreting drawings, job scopes, and work instructions
- Performing cutting, gouging, welding, and fabrication across a range of material types
- Supporting continuous improvement initiatives within the workshop environment
- Maintaining accurate work records, inspection outcomes, and job documentation using SAP or similar work management systems
What you’ll bring
- A strong commitment to the safety of yourself and your team
- A recognised trade qualification in Boilermaking / Welding / Fabrication
- A current C‑class driver’s licence
- Experience working in mining, heavy industrial, or workshop maintenance environments
- The ability to communicate effectively and work collaboratively within a team
- Basic computer skills, including experience with Microsoft Word and Excel
- A sense of ownership over equipment and work quality, with a continual improvement mindset
It will be beneficial if you have:
- High Risk Licences such as Forklift, Dogging, Rigging, or Elevated Work Platform
- Confined Space and Working at Heights certifications
- Previous experience in a mine site or heavy maintenance workshop environment
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 permanent residential position working directly for Rio Tinto
- A work environment where safety is always our number one priority
- Competitive base salary reflective of your skills and experience, plus an annual incentive program
- Weipa accommodation benefit
- Remote area allowance
- Remote area holiday travel assistance
- Comprehensive medical benefits, including subsidised private health insurance for employees and immediate family
- Attractive share ownership plan and company‑provided insurance cover
- Extensive salary sacrifice and salary packaging options
- Career development and education assistance to support your technical or leadership ambitions
- Ongoing access to family‑friendly health, wellbeing, and medical support
- Leave for all of life’s reasons (annual, personal, parental, and cultural leave)
- Paid parental leave of up to 18 weeks for all parents, taken at a time that suits your family
- Exclusive employee discounts across banking, accommodation, vehicles, retail, and more
Where you’ll be working
Located on the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula, Weipa Operations includes three bauxite mines, processing facilities, ship loaders, an export wharf, ports, power stations, and supporting infrastructure. The operation produces more than 35 million tonnes of bauxite each year and is supported by a diverse workforce of around 1,900 people.
Living in Weipa offers a relaxed coastal lifestyle, strong community connections, and access to world‑class fishing, camping, and water‑based activities — all while working in a well‑supported, residential mining operation.
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.