Principal US Legal

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!

Work Location

Tucson, AZ office. 40 hours per week. Hybrid working (flexible, shared workstations and a combination of office and work from home) is standard for BHP. 

BHP offers relocation assistance to support the successful incumbent in transitioning, if required. Benefits offered as part of the relocation program include (but are not limited to) new home purchase assistance, temporary accommodations, home finding trip and a relocation allowance.

About the Role

The role covers two key areas:

Resolution Copper - supporting BHP’s Non-Operated Joint Ventures (NOJV) team

Resolution Copper is a major copper project in Arizona, being developed by a joint venture which is majority (55%) owned and operated by Rio Tinto.  BHP owns a non-controlling 45% stake. 

In this role you will provide advice and support BHP’s senior management in respect of:

• legal developments relating to litigation, permitting, and tribal rights impacting Resolution Copper - this also requires maintaining a relationship with Rio Tinto Legal and liaising with BHP external counsel, and providing inputs to BHP corporate documents and reporting; and
• joint-venture related matters, including advising on any strategic JV issues that may arise, maintenance of competition/anti-trust and joint privilege protocols. and attending BHP NOJV leadership team meetings and Resolution Copper Management Committee meetings.

General US legal advice and employment advice covering BHP’s broader business

In addition to the work supporting BHP’s interest in Resolution Copper, you will be responsible for:

• advice on US legal developments with strategic implications for BHP’s broader business interests in the US and globally; and
• employment law advice and support covering all BHP’s ~180 US-based employees.

About You

• Admitted to a US Bar and currently qualified to practice as a lawyer in the US.
• 10+ years PQE, with at least 5 years in-house, preferably in a resource-sector company.
• Critical to have strong executive communication and influencing skills, experience working with senior leadership teams.  The role will require synthesising and analysing complex court documents and information from Resolution and Rio Tinto, to provide succinct advice to senior BHP executives.
• Desirable to have experience in US major project development and associated permitting, and permitting litigation.
• Desirable to have experience with resource joint ventures.
• Desirable to have some employment law experience.

Application Deadline

This posting will be active until 11:59pm CST on November 10, 2025. 

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.  The outcome of these checks is not determinative of whether or not BHP decides to make an offer of employment.

Supporting a Diverse Workforce

At BHP, we know that we are strengthened by our 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 is 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 recognize 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.

At BHP, we aim to unlock the enormous potential that diverse and inclusive teams bring to the workplace, to leave a strong legacy within and beyond our operations for the generations to come.