Most people enter FIFO work looking for quick money or a short-term adventure. What many discover is that it can become a full career with progression, qualifications, and stability that rivals any trade or corporate path. On Go FIFO you can compare different FIFO cleaner jobs, broad utility roles and specialist trades like heavy diesel mechanic jobs before you even set foot on site.
From entry-level labourers and camp utility workers to site supervisors, maintenance planners, and HSE managers, the FIFO world offers dozens of clear pathways. The catch is that you must plan your moves carefully. With the right mix of training, experience, and attitude, you can move from basic site jobs to six-figure specialist or leadership roles in just a few years, whether that is as a camp manager or site supervisor, a logistics and materials coordinator or a dedicated health and safety coordinator.
This guide maps the main career routes across Australia’s major FIFO sectors in mining, construction, energy, and maintenance and shows exactly how workers progress from the tarmac to top-tier positions. You can then dive deeper into regional guides such as FIFO jobs in Queensland, FIFO jobs in Western Australia, the Bowen Basin or Kalgoorlie and the Goldfields to see exactly where your skills fit.
1. The Three Main FIFO Career Streams
Mining Operations Stream
This includes haul truck operators, plant operators, process technicians, and drill and blast crews. Most start as trade assistants or entry-level operators and gradually move into production or supervision. Many workers begin in general heavy equipment operator roles or combined crane and heavy equipment positions before specialising.
Typical employers: BHP, Rio Tinto, Fortescue Metals Group (FMG), Roy Hill, Glencore, Newmont, and Evolution Mining, with similar opportunities at Gold Fields Australia and Northern Star Resources.
Construction and Shutdown Stream
Focused on infrastructure and expansion projects, this stream includes labourers, scaffolders, riggers, electricians, and boilermakers. Workers often move between projects under contractors like CPB Contractors, Downer, Monadelphous, Clough, UGL, or BGC. If you have a trade ticket you can step into specialised roles such as FIFO rigger and dogman jobs, FIFO electrician positions, boilermaker and welder roles, or civil construction operator jobs.
Oil and Gas / Energy Stream
This stream includes roles on LNG plants, offshore platforms, and refineries. Pathways often begin with trade qualifications, then progress into instrumentation, commissioning, or control systems. Electricians can move into instrumentation technician roles, while mechanical trades may step into shutdown and maintenance work on major energy projects.
Major operators include Woodside, Chevron, INPEX, and Santos, along with engineering contractors like Ventia and Worley. Many of these roles are linked to large-scale projects covered in guides such as the Gorgon and Wheatstone and Onslow Iron project pages.
2. Entry-Level Pathways: Getting a Foot in the Door
You can begin a FIFO career without prior site experience if you have basic safety training and a positive work record. For most new starters that means getting your White Card training, completing a Standard 11 mining induction and short safety courses like Working at Heights or Confined Space Entry before applying for jobs.
Common Entry Roles
Trades assistant
General or civil labourer (often a stepping stone into civil construction operator roles)
Camp utility or FIFO utility worker or kitchenhand and catering assistant
Bus driver and site transport or broader transport and freight driver roles
Storeperson and warehouse assistant feeding into warehouse and inventory control positions
Requirements: At minimum a White Card, basic first aid, and core safety tickets such as Working at Heights or the advanced RIIWHS204E working safely at heights unit, Confined Space Entry or RIIWHS202E confined space entry, and in some roles Gas Test Atmospheres (MSMWHS217) or breathing apparatus training (MSMWHS216).
Pay Range: 80,000–110,000 per year depending on roster.
Common employers: Programmed, WorkPac, Chandler Macleod, Hays Resources, Sodexo, Compass Group, and ISS.
Many new workers start here, gain exposure to site operations, and use downtime to complete short courses or apply for apprenticeships. Popular options include a full Standard 11 mining induction, the Mining Supervisor S123 course and specialist emergency response and fire safety training that can move you into higher paying roles.
3. Trade and Technical Pathways
Trades remain the backbone of FIFO employment. Electricians, mechanics, fitters, and boilermakers make up the largest share of long-term FIFO careers, with strong demand for FIFO electricians, heavy diesel mechanics, mechanical fitters, auto electricians and boilermakers and welders.
Mechanical Path
Starting point: Trade assistant or serviceman, often supporting mobile plant or heavy equipment operators.
Next steps: Diesel fitter, plant mechanic, or heavy diesel mechanic.
Advanced roles: Leading hand, maintenance planner, or reliability engineer, sometimes transitioning into logistics and maintenance coordination roles.
Employers: BHP Iron Ore, Roy Hill, FMG, Komatsu, WesTrac, Thiess.
Electrical Path
Starting point: Electrical apprentice or TA, often supporting shutdown crews or camp infrastructure such as HVAC and air conditioning systems.
Next steps: A-grade electrician or industrial electrician, moving into full-time FIFO electrician jobs.
Advanced roles: Instrumentation technician, electrical supervisor, HV specialist.
Employers: Rio Tinto, Newmont, Woodside, INPEX, CPB Contractors.
Fabrication and Structural Path
Starting point: Boilermaker apprentice or labourer aiming for boilermaker and welder FIFO roles.
Next steps: Trade-qualified fabricator or welder on construction and shutdown crews.
Advanced roles: Pressure welder, coded welder, or fabrication supervisor.
Employers: Monadelphous, Downer, BGC, UGL, Civmec.
Instrumentation and Control
Starting point: Electrician with additional Cert IV in Instrumentation and Control, moving towards FIFO instrumentation technician roles.
Next steps: Process technician or commissioning tech on LNG or processing plants.
Advanced roles: Control systems engineer or site automation lead.
4. Professional and Technical Support Pathways
Many FIFO careers grow into planning, logistics, or safety support once workers gain experience and technical understanding. These pathways include safety officer and WHS coordinator roles, safety advisor and emergency response officer positions, logistics and materials coordinators, warehouse and inventory controllers, and site office administrators.
Safety and Health (HSE)
Starting point: Safety observer or HSE assistant, often supporting emergency response and fire safety teams.
Training: Certificate IV in Work Health and Safety (WHS), on top of core tickets like White Card, Standard 11 and emergency response training.
Advanced roles: HSE Advisor, Lead, or Superintendent, often moving into health and safety coordinator or WHS coordinator roles.
Planning and Coordination
Starting point: Storeperson or maintenance scheduler supporting warehouse and inventory control.
Next steps: Maintenance planner or project coordinator, often overlapping with logistics and materials coordinator positions.
Advanced roles: Planning superintendent or site logistics manager, working closely with transport and freight drivers and fuel and dangerous goods transport teams.
Training: Certificate IV in Project Management, SAP or Pronto systems, and often exposure to procurement and purchasing officer roles.
Environmental and Heritage
Starting point: Field assistant or sample technician.
Next steps: Environmental officer or compliance technician.
Advanced roles: Environmental advisor or superintendent.
Employers: Rio Tinto, FMG, Newcrest, and regional environmental consultancies.
5. Leadership and Management Pathways
Once you have years of site experience, moving into leadership is both achievable and financially rewarding. Many supervisors and managers come from trade or operations roles and eventually step into camp management and site supervisor positions or high-level safety and HSE leadership jobs.
Supervisor / Leading Hand
Usually promoted internally after 3–5 years of consistent performance. Requires leadership training and often the G1–G9 or S123 Mining Supervisor qualification, along with strong knowledge of site safety and WHS coordination.
Superintendent / Site Manager
Oversees crews, budgets, and production targets. Typically held by workers with 8–10 years of experience and qualifications in engineering, management, or safety. Many superintendents progress from camp management and site supervision on large operations in hubs like Karratha, Port Hedland, or Newman.
Project Manager or Operations Manager
A senior role responsible for multi-site operations, schedules, and safety compliance. Most reach this level after 10–15 years in the field or through degrees in engineering, business, or WHS management. Many oversee portfolios that include major assets covered in our company guides such as BHP Nickel West, Pilbara Minerals, Liontown Resources, or the Greenbushes Lithium Mine.
6. Pathways for Women in FIFO
Women now make up a growing portion of the FIFO workforce, particularly in trades, engineering, hospitality, health and leadership roles. Many start in laundry and housekeeping, kitchen and catering, or cleaning positions before progressing into operations, trades, or safety.
Operators: BHP, Rio Tinto, and FMG run Women in Mining programs that train female haul-truck and dozer operators, feeding into higher paid heavy equipment operator jobs.
Apprenticeships: The BHP FutureFit Academy and Rio Tinto’s Pathways Program offer equal training access for electrical, mechanical, and fabrication apprentices, many of whom move into FIFO electrician, mechanical fitter, or boilermaker and welder roles.
Support roles: Many women move into health, safety, and camp management, including FIFO nurse and paramedic jobs, safety advisor and emergency response officer roles, and camp management and site supervisor positions.
Women are also taking senior management roles, with examples such as site superintendents at Roy Hill and health and safety managers at INPEX and Woodside.
7. Education and Continuous Training
Long-term success in FIFO work comes from ongoing upskilling. Beyond on-the-job learning, structured training through tickets and short courses can quickly move you into higher paid roles or leadership positions.
Recommended qualifications:
Certificate II–IV in Resource Processing, Mining Operations, or Surface Extraction, often taken alongside a Standard 11 mining induction.
Trade certificates (Cert III or IV) aligned to roles such as heavy diesel mechanic, electrician, mechanical fitter, or boilermaker and welder.
Supervisor tickets (G1–G9 or S123 Mining Supervisor course).
Certificate IV in WHS or Project Management to support progression into safety officer and WHS coordinator or health and safety coordinator roles.
Diplomas in Leadership and Management or Engineering, especially if you want to move towards camp management or project management.
Employers like BHP and Glencore often reimburse training costs for approved courses, particularly where skills feed into safety critical or leadership roles.
Top training providers: TAFE WA, TAFE QLD, South Metropolitan TAFE, Site Skills Training, WesTrac Institute, and Komatsu Training Academy. You can combine these with core safety tickets from Go FIFO course guides for White Card, Working at Heights, Confined Space Entry, Gas Test Atmospheres, and Emergency Response and Fire Safety.
8. Long-Term Careers Beyond FIFO
Many FIFO professionals use their experience as a springboard into other fields. Common transitions include:
Consulting or inspection services for safety, mechanical, or electrical systems, especially for those who have worked with major operators like Gold Fields or IGO Limited.
Technical training with RTOs or OEM academies, teaching new cohorts of heavy equipment operators, crane operators, or riggers and dogmen.
Corporate roles in scheduling, logistics, or risk management, often building on experience from logistics and materials coordination or procurement and purchasing roles.
Small business ownership, such as equipment hire or trade contracting, especially for former boilermakers and welders, plumbers and carpenters.
Some even return to metro life with remote experience that makes them highly valuable in management roles, especially in industries linked to mining, construction, transport, or energy.
9. Salary Progression Across Pathways
| Stage | Typical Role | Average Annual Salary (AUD) |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level | Labourer, Utility, TA | 80,000–110,000 |
| Operator | Haul Truck, Loader, Dozer | 110,000–150,000 |
| Trade Qualified | Electrician, Fitter, Boilermaker | 130,000–180,000 |
| Supervisor | Leading Hand, HSE Advisor | 150,000–200,000 |
| Superintendent | Site or Maintenance Superintendent | 180,000–250,000 |
| Manager | Project, Operations, or HSE Manager | 200,000–300,000+ |
Rosters, allowances, and overtime can push total earnings even higher, especially in remote or offshore environments. To see what this looks like in real roles, compare our guides for entry-level cleaner and utility jobs, through to specialist positions such as auto electrician, rigger and dogman or nurse and paramedic roles.
10. Building a Career Plan
To make FIFO more than just a job, map your own pathway and use the detailed Go FIFO guides for each step.
Choose a stream (mining, construction, or energy) and check the relevant company or region pages such as BHP Iron Ore, Rio Tinto Iron Ore, Woodside Energy, Surat Basin, or Karratha.
Gain essential tickets and short courses using our training guides for White Card, Standard 11, Working at Heights, Confined Space Entry, Gas Test Atmospheres, breathing apparatus and emergency response and fire safety.
Build technical skills through apprenticeships or trade upgrades that align with specific job guides like heavy diesel mechanic, mechanical fitter, electrician, boilermaker and welder, HVAC technician, plumber, or carpenter.
Seek leadership and planning training after 3–5 years through the Mining Supervisor S123 course, WHS qualifications and pathways into safety officer and WHS coordinator, health and safety coordinator or camp management and site supervisor roles.
Stay consistent with safety and reliability. Roles such as safety advisor and emergency response officer, emergency response and fire safety roles or security and access control reward a strong safety culture and clean performance record.
Consistency and attitude matter as much as qualifications. FIFO careers reward those who show up, stay fit for work, and never stop learning. The more you use targeted resources like our job and training guides for specific regions, projects, and companies, the easier it becomes to plan a clear path from your first FIFO utility job to a long-term leadership or specialist career.
Conclusion: FIFO Can Be a Lifelong Career
FIFO work is not just fly in, fly out. It can be fly in, move up, and build a future. The people who last in the industry are the ones who plan ahead, keep their training current, and treat every site as a stepping stone. Whether you start in camp cleaning, operating heavy equipment, health and medical support or logistics and materials coordination, there is a clear pathway forward.
With clear pathways, national qualifications, and growing demand across mining and energy, there has never been a better time to turn FIFO into a serious and sustainable career. Use the Go FIFO guides for Queensland, Western Australia, major basins like the Surat Basin and North West Minerals Province, and detailed company pages for employers such as BHP, Rio Tinto, FMG, Chevron and Woodside to map out your next move and build a career that fits your lifestyle and income goals.
