Rio Tinto's national leadership ranks have been reshuffled, prompting the departure of the company's managing director of Australian operations, Phil Edmands.
The managing director position has been made redundant. Mr Edmands is understood to have left the company last week. 
The position, which did not oversee mining operations, was focused on domestic policy. Mr Edmands' public comments were typically on industrial relations and tax issues.
Rio's iron ore boss, Andrew Harding, looks set to have an enhanced position and will absorb the managing director's role into his own.
Rio confirmed the departure on Monday.
"With Rio Tinto iron ore chief executive Andrew Harding assuming country responsibility for Australia, he will also take over the key functions of the managing director Australia role," a spokesman for the mining company said.
The extra duties will reinforce perceptions that Mr Harding is among the favourites to become Rio chief executive when incumbent Sam Walsh moves on.
After a stint as Rio's copper boss, Mr Harding took charge of the flagship iron ore division when Mr Walsh moved up to the chief executive role in   February 2013.
He is chief executive for iron ore, China, South Korea and Japan.
Mr Edmands, who spent seven years as the general counsel for Rio's iron ore business, could not be contacted on Monday.
He had held the managing director role since   February 2014 when he replaced David Peever, now chairman of Cricket Australia.
He caused a stir with his first speech in   May 2014 when he complained that miners were seeking bereavement leave for the death of pets, and their actions were threatening jobs.
Mr Edmands' last appearance for Rio was at the Northern Australian Investment Forum in Darwin on   November 9.
The move continues the stream of departures and redundancies from the big miners over the past three years as sliding commodity prices force cost cuts.
In   February 2011, Rio said it had 77,000 workers globally. However, that figure had fallen to 60,000 by   February 2015.
Mr Edmands was based in Rio's Melbourne office.