The posting
- Be the trusted adviser our Commercial leaders turn to when people matters get complex.
- Build your expertise alongside People Partners, Legal, Ethics & Compliance and specialist HR teams.
- Shape a fair, compliant and people-centred employee experience, and help us keep getting better at it.
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
This is a role for an HR professional who thrives on judgement, not just process. As Senior Adviser People in our Chicago office, you’ll be the go-to expert for our Commercial business, guiding leaders and employees through escalated and non-standard matters across employee relations, performance, conduct, policy and workforce change. You’ll work hand in hand with HR Analysts, People Partners and specialist teams, turning complex situations into clear, fair and compliant outcomes, and balancing best practice with local regulatory and business needs.
What you’ll be doing
- Advise with confidence: give leaders and employees clear, practical guidance on performance, conduct, disciplinary matters, workplace investigations and employee concerns, helping them make sound, risk-aware decisions.
- Resolve what matters most: take ownership of case intake, triage and fact gathering, and resolve medium-level Workplace Respect matters, escalating high-risk or sensitive issues to the right specialists.
- Guide people through change: support restructures, redeployment, exits and organisational change with fairness and care.
- Be the point of escalation: partner with HR Analysts and Administrators, and be the expert they rely on for complex, judgement-based cases.
- Protect and improve: keep accurate, audit-ready records, manage risk and compliance, and use the trends you see to simplify processes and improve how we serve our people.
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.
Required for Success
- A commitment to the safety of yourself and your team.
- Strong experience in HR advisory, employee relations and operational HR service delivery within a complex organisation, with a solid understanding of employment legislation, HR policies and compliance frameworks.
- Sound judgement and problem-solving skills, and a proven record of handling complex, sensitive cases with professionalism and confidentiality.
- Strong stakeholder management and coaching skills, with the ability to balance operational practicality, governance, compliance and employee experience.
- Proficiency with HR systems and case management platforms such as Workday, ServiceNow or similar tools.
- The ability to manage multiple priorities and high volumes.
Helpful for Success
- Experience working within SLA-driven operational or shared services environments.
- A continuous improvement mindset with a focus on service quality and operational consistency.
- Previous experience with Workday
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.
- Competitive base salary is 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 Virgin Pulse 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
Join our downtown Chicago office. Easily accessible and close to decision‑makers across our key markets, it’s a great base from which to support our Commercial business, its leaders and employees, and help deliver value for customers and suppliers across the Atlantic market.
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
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.
