Superintendent Reduction
Join our global leading business offering outstanding personal development Lead a critical production team in one of the world's most modern aluminium smelters, with the opportunity to influence operational performance and the development of future leaders.
This permanent, full-time, role is based in Kitimat, BC. The perfect place to live and work, combining the tranquility of a small community with an unrivaled love for the great outdoors. 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 an Operations Superintendent to lead the safe, reliable, and efficient operations of our Reduction Department. Leading a team of six supervisors and an organization of approximately 50 operators, you will drive operational excellence while managing budgets, resources, and business performance across a critical area of our smelting operation.
The Reduction Department is the heart of the aluminum smelter, where the aluminum reduction process, called “smelting”, occurs. The smelting process dissolves alumina in a cryolite bath within carbon-lined cells called pots. By passing a strong electric current through the bath, this process separates aluminum metal from the chemical solution, allowing the metal to be siphoned off.
While the environment is unique, many of the skills required are highly transferable from other industrial and operational settings. This role is a great opportunity for a driven and innovative leader to oversee a key area in the aluminum production process, with the opportunity to elevate operational excellence in a fast-paced and impactful environment.
While we don’t offer fly-in-fly-out arrangements, we do offer domestic relocation assistance, to help you settle in and thrive. Join us and become an integral part of our vibrant community. Located on British Columbia, Canada's northwest coast, Kitimat is a welcoming, family‑friendly community set between the mountains and the sea.
Known for its strong local economy, modern amenities, short commutes, and endless opportunities for outdoor adventure, it’s an ideal place to build both a career and a life. Reporting to the Manager Reduction and working in a collaborative community within the Reduction Department, you will be working Monday to Friday and: Creating an environment where safety and wellbeing are valued above all else, ensuring teams operate in accordance with Rio Tinto's health, safety, and environment standards and regulatory requirements.
Leading and developing a team of Operations Supervisors, providing direction to a unionized operational workforce of approximately 50 employees. Delivering departmental performance targets across safety, production, quality, and cost through effective collaboration with teams across the site.
Driving operational excellence by identifying and implementing continuous improvement initiatives, technical advancements, and best practices. Developing workforce capability by coaching leaders, supporting employee development, and building organisational effectiveness.
Managing capital and operating budgets, ensuring resources are aligned with business priorities and performance objectives. Applying business evaluation techniques and risk assessment principles to optimize operations and service delivery. Acting as a trusted link between leadership and front-line teams through active engagement, effective communication, critical incident support, and participation in the leadership on-call rotation.
About you A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team Post-secondary education, trade qualification, or equivalent leadership experience in a technical or industrial setting. Demonstrated leadership experience within mining, manufacturing, maintenance, or another complex operational environment, with a visible and engaging approach to coaching, mentoring, developing, and empowering teams.
Experience leading in a unionized setting is considered an asset. Proven success leading production teams while driving accountability, culture change, continuous improvement, and change management initiatives; experience with Lean, Kaizen, Six Sigma, or similar methodologies is considered an asset.
Strong business and operational acumen, including the ability to develop and manage budgets, analyse data, make informed strategic and operational decisions, and drive issues through to resolution. Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills Experience using business systems and software (e.g., SAP, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) to support budgeting, reporting, and performance management.
If you are excited about the role and think you have what it takes but your experience doesn't align 100%, we still want to hear from you. Training and support are provided to help you build smelter‑specific knowledge. We encourage women and Indigenous Peoples to apply, as we advance our business to more accurately reflect the world around us.
Applications close on Sunday the 16th of August 2026 (Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date). What we offer Be recognized for your contribution, your thinking and your hard work, and go home knowing you’ve helped the world progress.
The base salary range for this role is $131,360 - $197,040 CAD in addition to allowances, bonus, equity, health or retirement benefits, and any other discretionary benefits offered at Rio Tinto. Our base salary ranges are based on role, level, and location.
Within the range, individual pay is determined by the skills, experience, and impact you bring to the role. Our talent acquisition partners can share more during the hiring process. At Rio Tinto, we offer a competitive reward package that reflects the value that each person brings to our business.
As part of our pay philosophy, we believe equity represents fairness, and is rooted in our values and aligns with what we stand for. A work environment where safety is always the number one priority Career development & education assistance to further your technical or leadership ambitions Leave for all of life’s reasons (vacation/annual, paid parental, sick leave) Exclusive employee discounts Domestic or International relocation program if eligible Where you’ll be working Rio Tinto’s BC Works is a part of the Atlantic Operations of the Aluminium product group and has been operating in British Columbia for over 70 years.
With industry leading new technology and four generations of employee expertise, as well as our hydropower facility at Kemano and the Nechako Reservoir, the Kitimat smelter is one of the world’s most competitive aluminium smelters, producing aluminium with one of the lowest carbon footprints in the industry.
Rio Tinto is proud to operate in BC alongside our 1,000 employees, partners, community stakeholders and First Nations, and we look forward to the next 70 years. 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 Indigenous Peoples, women, the LGBTQIA2 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. À propos de Rio Tinto Rio Tinto est un chef de file mondial du secteur des sociétés minières et des matériaux.
Nous sommes établis dans 35 pays où nous produisons du minerai de fer, du cuivre, de l’aluminium, des minéraux critiques et d’autres matériaux nécessaires à la transition énergétique mondiale et à la prospérité des personnes, des communautés et des nations.
Nous exerçons nos activités depuis 150 ans, en nous appuyant sur les connaissances accumulées au fil des générations et sur les différents continents. Notre mission – trouver de meilleures façons de fournir les matériaux dont le monde a besoin – nous guide dans notre quête d’innovation et d’amélioration continue, dans le but de fabriquer des produits à faibles émissions et répondant aux bonnes normes environnementales, sociales et de gouvernance.
Mais comme nous ne pouvons pas y arriver seuls, nous nous attachons à créer des partenariats nous permettant de résoudre des problèmes, de créer des situations mutuellement avantageuses et de saisir des occasions. Respect and Inclusion Chez Rio Tinto, nous accueillons favorablement et encourageons les candidatures d’Autochtones, de femmes, de membres de la communauté LGBTQ2S+, de travailleurs âgés, de personnes handicapées et de représentants d’origines diverses.
Nous sommes déterminés à créer un milieu inclusif où les employés se sentent à l’aise d’être eux-mêmes. Nous souhaitons de plus que chacun ait l’impression que sa voix compte, que toutes les cultures sont respectées et que les points de vue, aussi variés soient-ils, sont non seulement bienvenus, mais également essentiels à notre succès.
Nous nous traitons mutuellement avec équité et dignité, sans égard à la race, au genre, à la nationalité, à l’origine ethnique, à la religion, à l’âge, à l’orientation sexuelle ou à tout autre aspect distinctif.