Principal Advisor Technical Marketing

• Based in Shanghai – China

About the role

U.S. Borax is a global leader in the supply, science, and innovation of refined borates, with a history dating back to 1872. From our world-class mining and refining operations in Boron, California, we supply approximately 30% of the world's refined borates and support customers across more than 90 countries.

Our integrated global network includes processing, shipping, warehousing, commercial, and technical operations throughout North America, Europe, and Asia, helping ensure reliable supply and responsive customer support. U.S. Borax products enable essential applications in glass and fiberglass, ceramics, agriculture, fire retardancy, energy storage, pharmaceuticals, metal processing, and numerous other industries. Our business is built on product quality, technical expertise, research and innovation, customer partnership, and supply reliability, helping customers solve complex technical challenges and develop new applications for borates

This role is an opportunity to contribute to the growth strategy of U.S. Borax’s business in China.  Reporting to the Senior Manager, Technical Marketing Global, you will:

• Provide technical guidance to customers in China, working with Sales to understand customer needs, troubleshoot technical issues, and identify opportunities to create value.
• Initiate, lead, and influence strategic technical projects and customer collaborations that support market development, product adoption, and business growth
• Develop and commercialize new borate products and applications through structured technical and commercial project work.
• Produce technical market analyses to strengthen understanding of relevant end uses, including market drivers, alternative materials, substitutability, customers and suppliers, technical trends, legislation, regulatory developments, and customer requirements.
• Build relationships with customers, universities, research institutes, industry associations, and other technical partners in China.
• Identify innovation opportunities and contribute to idea-generation workshops, customer training, and technical workshops.
• Monitor external research and market developments that could affect demand for borates and other U.S. Borax products.
• Collaborate closely with Sales, Marketing, Product Stewardship, Quality, Production, and global Technical Marketing colleagues.
• Represent and advocate for our brand by participating in and presenting at relevant conferences and industry events.
• Develop broad knowledge of U.S. Borax products and applications through structured onboarding, mentoring, independent study, customer engagement, and project experience.

About you 

To be successfully considered for this role, you will have:

• A master's degree or PhD in materials science, ceramics engineering, glass science, chemistry, chemical engineering, metallurgy, applied physics, or a related technical discipline.

• At least 7 years of professional experience in the relevant materials sector. Experience with boron-containing glasses including fiberglass, specialty glass, borosilicate glass, ceramics, enamels, refractories, or related inorganic materials is strongly preferred.

• A solid foundation in materials characterisation, formulation, processing, structure-property relationships, or failure analysis relevant to industrial materials.

• Strong analytical and practical problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate technical findings into clear recommendations for customers and commercial colleagues.

• Demonstrated ability to independently lead complex technical projects and influence outcomes across functional, regional, and cultural boundaries.

• Commercial awareness and an ability to consider customer value, market attractiveness, and practical implementation when evaluating technical opportunities.

• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills in Mandarin Chinese and English, with the confidence to communicate with both technical and non-technical audiences.

• Learning agility and curiosity. Prior knowledge of every borates application is not expected; the successful candidate will build broader expertise through training and experience in the role.

• Proficiency in data analysis and standard software tools such as MS Office. Experience with design of experiments or inferential statistics would be beneficial.

• Willingness to travel domestically and internationally approximately 30-40% of the time, depending on business needs and customer engagement opportunities.    

About us 

We’re on a mission to become the world’s most valued metals and mining business – for the people who invest in us, the people we work and partner with, and the communities around us. 

We operate across 35 countries and 6 continents, where our 61,000+ employees are working to find better ways to provide the materials the world needs. Our core products – iron ore, copper, aluminium and lithium – are the building blocks of a cleaner, smarter future.  To meet growing demand, we’re focused on keeping our people safe, while running and delivering world‑class operations and projects. And we’re committed to doing it responsibly – delivering lasting positive impact through deep expertise, strong social licence and long‑standing partnerships. Together, we’re solving global challenges and creating shared success. 

China is Rio Tinto’s largest market, and home to our biggest shareholder, customers and important strategic partners. Rio Tinto shares a long, fruitful history of partnership with China. Our collaboration today ranges from trade, exploration, project development, and digital innovation to R&D and talent development. China also serves as an important source of goods and services that support our global operations. We are also working together to address significant challenges such as climate change and sustainable development to shape a collective future. 

Our values

Our people, culture and values create an environment where everyone feels safe, respected and empowered, so we can continue to find better ways together.     

• Care: Care about the safety of ourselves and others, creating an environment of trust, and the impact we have on our colleagues and others, communities and the environment.
• Courage: Courage to show vulnerability, speak up and challenge when we can do better, and take ownership of our actions and outcomes to drive performance.
• Curiosity: Curiosity to learn and grow in our fields of expertise, look for opportunities to solve problems with everyday innovation, and be open to different perspectives.

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 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.