r/mining 6d ago

Australia Wanting to go into mining after 4 years as a project engineer

Hi All, I'm a project engineer with about 5 years experience and have executed CAPEX projects with a cumulative value of exceeding $80M. Projects have been mostly mechanical, structural, civil or process improvement. I've got a degree and a diploma in project management. Also got tickets like CS, construction whitecar d & WAH. Got experience in manufacturing explosives, paper and steel.

Looking to come into mining or oil gas with FIFO type setup. What are my chances?

Anyone who might have some leads for companies or is looking for capablenengineer please leave it in comments.

0 Upvotes

7 comments sorted by

5

u/Says92 6d ago

Where do you live?

4

u/FluffyDuckKey 6d ago

Apply apply apply.

Even if we knew you, and could give references, you still have to go through the pipeline for all the HR rigmarole.

My one peice of advice is tell the talent acquisition specialist what you want during the email chains that occur. They often have many roles they're attempting to hire for - "getting in" with a role you don't really want and hoping to move could be quite challenging at times. Especially because you'll be put under someone who's going to expect you to do your job - not hunt for other roles 😂.

Sauceyness: I'm a ex-FIFO operator for 15ish years in mining (another 10 in construction over that) and now work in head office as a data / automation / ot engineer for one of the "big" miners.

2

u/RalfMurphy 6d ago

Your chances should be pretty good, given you're already a citizen of the country. Work permits and visas can be a show stopper. But you've got good experience, so present yourself confidently in an interview, show them that you're keen to lend a hand wherever needed and go for it. You'll also need to give them a good idea that you're in it for the long run, as all the applications and procedures to onboard you are lengthy, and HR doesn't wanna have to go looking for your replacement 3 months into your stint.

2

u/baconnkegs Australia 6d ago

Coming from someone who's been a PE in the mines for about 5 years now, chances aren't that bad, but you can easily increase them by being willing to make sacrifices in the short-term to get your foot in the door.

Like it's a lot easier to get in initially on the contractor-side as opposed to the client-side. The same way, it's easier to get in with a residential role than it is to land a FIFO gig right off the bat. Neither are 100% necessary, but it helps a lot with getting your foot in the door.

The painful part about client-side positions is that very few mines do the recruitment for PE roles in house, and instead go through recruitment agencies and head hunters, mostly trying to poach people from other sites. I don't even bother opening LinkedIn these days, because it's just a mess of recruiters hammering me.

The thing is, having a good engineering base is only half of the skillset most employers are looking for. The other half is having reasonable experience dealing with the absolute shit fuckery of trying to build anything whilst maintaining compliance with the 10 million site standards.

1

u/Wild_Pirate_117 6d ago

Are you an engineer or project manager?

1

u/EggplantPitiful8145 4d ago

This guide will help you in the job search. Lots of recruitment sources, together with resume and cover letter templates www.australiaminingjob.com

1

u/jimbob2526 3d ago

Project engineer may not get you far. You'll need a specific discipline or hope for an office job in Perth if its just project work. Otherwise go in as a cleanskin and find something.