Manager Area Construction | Adelaide

About BHP

At BHP we support our people to grow, learn, develop their skills and reach their potential. With a global portfolio of operations, we offer a diverse and inclusive environment with extraordinary career opportunities. Our strategy is to focus on creating a safe work environment where our employees feel strongly connected to our values and objectives, and where the capability of our people is key to our success.

Come and be a part of this success.

About the Role

We are seeking a highly experienced Manager Area Construction to lead construction delivery for the Smelter Refinery Expansion (SRE), a major capital project critical to increasing Copper South Australia processing capacity and enabling future growth. 

This role provides end-to-end leadership across construction readiness, planning and execution, ensuring safe, efficient and compliant delivery aligned with BHP standards and Australian regulatory requirements. 

Initially based in Adelaide, the role will support project readiness, planning, contractor mobilisation and stakeholder alignment. As the SRE progresses into execution, the position will transition permanently to site, leading onsite construction.

Key Accountabilities:

• Construction & Delivery Leadership 

  • Lead the planning and execution of construction activities across the SRE project lifecycle, embedding constructability from early design through execution
  • Define construction strategy, sequencing and critical path to ensure safe, predictable delivery
  • Drive disciplined execution aligned with the BHP Operating System (BOS), including planning, risk management and performance routines
  • Manage EPCM interfaces, ensuring clarity, accountability and integration with operations

• Safety, Risk & Performance 

  • Champion a strong, visible safety culture across all construction activities
  • Apply risk-based decision making to proactively manage hazards, constraints and delivery risks
  • Monitor execution performance and drive continuous improvement through structured problem-solving and learning cycles

• Stakeholder & Interface Management 

  • Lead integration across engineering, procurement, operations and site teams
  • Manage complex stakeholder relationships, ensuring alignment across project, operations and contractors
  • Oversee tie-ins, commissioning readiness and transition to operations to minimise disruption and protect value

About You

Experience 

• Significant experience in construction leadership within mining, minerals processing or heavy industry on projects greater than $1B
• Proven track record delivering large-scale capital projects through execution
• Strong understanding of end-to-end project lifecycle, governance and delivery risk
• Experience leading complex contractor environments
• Experience in ECPM projects highly desirable

Technical & Leadership Capability 

• Deep knowledge of construction methodologies, WHS legislation and industry best practice
• Strong capability in planning, scheduling, contractor management and performance control
• Ability to lead large, multidisciplinary teams in fast-paced execution environments

Why Join the SRE Project?

The Smelter Refinery Expansion is a flagship growth initiative within Copper South Australia, offering the opportunity to: 

• Play a critical leadership role in delivering a complex, high-value processing expansion
• Shape project execution from early readiness through to construction and commissioning
• Lead a major site-based workforce and influence safety, culture and performance outcomes
• Be part of a project that underpins long-term production capability and value delivery

Location: Adelaide (initially), Olympic Dam site (transition to full-time site-based role in late 2027) 

Roster: Adelaide-based with regular site travel, transitioning to site roster aligned with execution schedule 

Project Duration: Approximately 5 years, covering construction readiness, execution and commissioning phases

Applications are open until Wed, 15 July 2026.

About Our Process

At BHP, we are committed to employing individuals who align with the BHP Charter Values and meet the requirements of the role. As part of the recruitment process, there are a number of checks which may be conducted to demonstrate applicants suitability for a role including police / criminal background checks, medical, drug and alcohol testing, due diligence checks, right to work checks, and/or reference checks. 

If you are already employed directly by BHP, please log in using your BHP email address or apply via our internal jobs portal.

Supporting a Diverse Workforce

The size, stability and magnitude of our business not only provides significant opportunity for professional development, but also attractive salary packages with performance-based bonuses and a best-in-class employee share program. We know there are many aspects of our employees' lives that are important, and work is only one of these, so we offer benefits to enable your work to fit with your life. These benefits include flexible working options, a generous paid parental leave policy, other extended leave entitlements and parent rooms.  

At BHP, we know that we are strengthened by diversity. We are an Equal Opportunity employer that is committed to making BHP a safe and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive and be at their best every day. We are focused on creating a workforce that’s more diverse and represents the communities where we work and live. providing a work environment in which everyone is included, treated fairly and with respect. We are an Equal Opportunity employer and recognise that true diversity includes gender, age, race, disability status, sexual orientation, religion, neurodiversity, education levels, and many more aspects of your identity.

BHP is committed to providing a recruitment process that is fair, equitable and accessible for all. If you have a disability, we know that it may be helpful for us to adjust our process to make it equitable for your individual situation. If you would like to reach out to someone about your situation and our recruitment process, please email us at inclusion@bhp.com.