Person in a high-visibility yellow work shirt and white hard hat stands with their back to the camera, looking across a red dirt mining site toward a large haul truck in the distance under a partly cloudy sky.

This is mining

What careers in mining look like today.

Mining today looks different than many expect. Across our operations, people are working in roles that...From XX to YY, these are the roles shaping how mining works today and the people behind them. 

A job in mining looks like this

From people starting out to leading teams producing the materials the world needs, these roles show the range of careers in mining today and the different ways people build experience across our operations.
A mining employee wearing high visibility vest and blue helmet carrying a walkie-talkie.

Narangerel

Open pit supervisor – Oyu Tolgoi, Mongolia
More
What I do:  “As an open pit supervisor at Oyu Tolgoi, I help lead the safe movement of ore and waste in the open pit.” 
What might surprise you:  “I get to work around 320-tonne haul trucks – they move through the pit like buildings on wheels!” 
Why it matters:  “I supervise one of the mine’s key production areas. Every well-planned shift, every safe road, and every clear instruction helps keep the mine running smoothly.” 
How my role has evolved:  “I started at Oyu Tolgoi straight out of high school as a kitchen assistant. Today, I supervise a diverse team of operators to dedicated to safe and productive mine operations.” 
  • wave

Narangerel

Open pit supervisor – Oyu Tolgoi, Mongolia

What I do: 

“As an open pit supervisor at Oyu Tolgoi, I help lead the safe movement of ore and waste in the open pit.” 

What might surprise you: 

“I get to work around 320-tonne haul trucks – they move through the pit like buildings on wheels!” 

Why it matters: 

“I supervise one of the mine’s key production areas. Every well-planned shift, every safe road, and every clear instruction helps keep the mine running smoothly.” 

How my role has evolved: 

“I started at Oyu Tolgoi straight out of high school as a kitchen assistant. Today, I supervise a diverse team of operators to dedicated to safe and productive mine operations.” 
  • wave

Narangerel

Open pit supervisor – Oyu Tolgoi, Mongolia

What I do: 

“As an open pit supervisor at Oyu Tolgoi, I help lead the safe movement of ore and waste in the open pit.” 

What might surprise you: 

“I get to work around 320-tonne haul trucks – they move through the pit like buildings on wheels!” 

Why it matters: 

“I supervise one of the mine’s key production areas. Every well-planned shift, every safe road, and every clear instruction helps keep the mine running smoothly.” 

How my role has evolved: 

“I started at Oyu Tolgoi straight out of high school as a kitchen assistant. Today, I supervise a diverse team of operators to dedicated to safe and productive mine operations.” 

What mining looks like today 

Mining is changing — not just in the types of roles available, but in how the work is done. 

Across our operations, technology plays a bigger role in how decisions are made. Data, automation and remote systems help teams monitor performance, manage risk and respond in real time. 

At the same time, the scale of the work remains. Decisions made on site or in control rooms can influence large, complex systems — from how material moves through an operation to how energy and resources are used. 

As a result, many roles now bring different skills together, combining hands-on experience with technical knowledge and problem-solving. 

Building a career in mining

Careers in mining aren’t one-dimensional. Many roles evolve over time, with opportunities to build new skills and take on different challenges. 

People often start in one area like operations, engineering or technical roles, and develop experience across sites, commodities or functions. That can mean moving into remote operations, specialising in a technical area, or taking on broader responsibilities. 

For many, that means working on problems that have real impact — from improving safety and reliability to finding more efficient and responsible ways to operate. 

Explore careers at Rio and see how you can build experience, develop new skills and grow your career in mining.