Manager Software Asset Management (Global Technology Procurement)

Manager Software Asset Management (Global Technology Procurement)

• Lead our Software Asset Management function and team

• Impactful role with global remit

• Based in Brisbane, Australia

The Manager, Software Asset Management will lead the global strategy, governance and commercial optimisation of Rio Tinto’s software asset portfolio, reducing risk, improving licence compliance and unlocking value from enterprise technology investments.

This role serves as a leading authority on software licensing, software asset governance and enterprise software commercial management across a global technology landscape.

This is a permanent leadership role within Technology Procurement, accountable for shaping a globally consistent software asset management capability across a complex enterprise environment. The role requires a commercially astute leader who can use data, supplier insight and licensing expertise to influence senior stakeholders, strengthen governance and deliver measurable value from Rio Tinto’s software portfolio.

Key accountabilities include:

Strategy, Value and Governance

• Develop and execute the global Software Asset Management strategy and roadmap, aligned to business priorities, technology objectives and enterprise risk settings.

• Provide senior leaders with data-driven advice on software investment, licence optimisation, compliance exposure and value creation opportunities.

• Govern and optimise Rio Tinto's software estate following contract execution, ensuring licences, entitlements and software consumption are effectively managed throughout the contract lifecycle.

Commercial and Supplier Leadership

• Support and/or lead the software supplier strategy, demand management, sourcing approach and supplier engagement to maximise value from strategic software investments.

• Provide governance over major software negotiations, renewals, expenditure forecasts and commercial performance to ensure outcomes are risk-managed and business aligned.

Operational Excellence and Capability

• Establish best-practice software asset management disciplines, including licence compliance, entitlement management, usage optimisation, audit preparedness and software lifecycle governance.

• Lead the delivery and continuous improvement of global software asset management services, processes, controls and reporting capability.

• Drive automation, data quality and operating discipline to improve compliance, audit readiness and operational efficiency.

• Working closely with the Technology Procurement team, provide input into  enterprise software licensing models, including SaaS, cloud, subscription, consumption-based and perpetual licence arrangements.

Stakeholder and People Leadership

• Build trusted partnerships across Technology, Procurement, Finance, Legal and business functions to influence decisions and deliver outcomes through collaboration.

• Lead, mentor and develop a globally distributed team of approximately 22 professionals, fostering an inclusive, culturally aware and high-performing environment across multiple geographies and time zones.

What you will bring

To be successfully considered for this role, you must have significant experience leading Software Asset Management, software category management or technology commercial management in a large, complex organisation comparable in scale to Rio Tinto.

Essential experience includes: 

• Demonstrated cultural awareness and ability to influence and collaborate effectively across global stakeholder groups and cross-cultural teams.

• Significant experience leading Software Asset Management or software licensing functions within a large, complex global organisation.

• Deep expertise in enterprise software licensing, including SaaS, cloud, subscription-based, consumption-based and perpetual licensing models.

• Demonstrated experience managing commercial, contractual and compliance obligations across major enterprise software vendors.

• Demonstrated experience managing complex licensing arrangements involving major enterprise software vendors.

• Experience leading software audit readiness, licence optimisation and compliance programs.

• Strong commercial acumen, including financial management, contract negotiation, and supplier management.

• Demonstrated ability to influence senior stakeholders and deliver outcomes through collaboration and strategic thinking.

• Experience driving governance, operational improvement, and transformation initiatives.

• Strong analytical and decision-making skills, supported by a data-driven approach.

Desirable experience includes: 

• Experience in mining, resources or other asset-intensive industries.

• Exposure to large-scale technology transformation, enterprise software rationalisation or global operating model improvement.

This role is based in Brisbane and offers the opportunity to shape a globally important capability within Rio Tinto’s Technology Procurement function.

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 

• A permanent position working directly for Rio Tinto 

• A competitive base salary reflective of your skills and experience with annual incentive bonus 

• Comprehensive medical benefits including subsidised private health insurance for employees and immediate family 

• Attractive share ownership plan 

• Company provided insurance cover 

• Extensive salary sacrifice & salary packaging options 

• Career development & education assistance to further your technical or leadership ambitions 

• Ongoing access to family-friendly health and medical wellbeing support 

• Leave for all of life’s reasons (vacation/annual, paid parental, sick leave, cultural leave) 

• To better suit different family needs, our paid parental leave approach gives all parents the option to take 18 weeks of paid leave after a new child arrives – at a time that suits them 

• Exclusive employee discounts including hotel stays, banking, accommodation, cars, retail and more.

(Rio Tinto reserves the right to remove advertised roles prior to this date)

Please note, in order to be successfully considered for this role you must complete all pre-screening questions.

Rio Tinto does not accept unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles from recruiters or employment agencies. Rio Tinto will not consider or agree to payment of any referral compensation or recruiter fee relating to unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles. Rio Tinto reserves the right to hire those candidate(s) without any financial obligation to the recruiter or agency. Any unsolicited CVs or candidate profiles, including those submitted to hiring managers, are deemed to be the property of Rio Tinto.

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 LGBTQ+ 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.