Production Manager (Mining)

A Production Manager in mining oversees the day-to-day extraction, processing, and delivery of ore or mineral products from a mine site. They plan and coordinate production schedules, manage workforce deployment, monitor equipment performance, and ensure compliance with safety regulations and environmental standards set by state mining regulators and Safe Work Australia. The role involves optimising throughput, controlling costs, and liaising with site management to achieve production targets.

Schedule daily, weekly and monthly production runs across mining operations, including drilling, blasting, loading and hauling activities. Monitor production metrics including tonnes extracted, ore grade recovery, and equipment utilisation rates against targets. Conduct pre-start safety meetings and toolbox talks with mining crews covering site hazards and Safe Work Australia requirements. Inspect mining equipment such as excavators, haul trucks, and processing plant machinery to identify maintenance requirements. Coordinate with the maintenance team to schedule preventive servicing and minimise unplanned downtime of critical equipment. Manage shift rosters and workforce allocation to ensure adequate staffing for production operations. Review incident reports and near-miss data to identify safety trends and implement corrective actions. Prepare daily production reports documenting ore tonnage, grade, waste removal, and equipment availability for site management.

The standard entry pathway requires a bachelor degree or higher (ABS Skill Level 1). Specific qualification requirements vary by employer and state. Some employers may accept equivalent experience. Check yourcareer.gov.au for available courses and dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe for subsidised training options.

The job demands split-second decisions under pressure when equipment fails or safety issues arise. Most positions require FIFO (fly-in, fly-out) rosters, so you're away from home 2 to 3 weeks at a time. Getting your foot in the door usually means starting as a supervisor or coordinator first, which takes years.

Remote work isn't an option. Major employers cluster around major mine operations rather than in cities. Most positions are held by people willing to do extended FIFO.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 1335, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

• Goal Setting and Planningcore
• Incident Reportingcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Problem Solvingcore
• Process Improvement Identificationcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Report Writingcore
• Reporting and Analyticscore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Stakeholder Communicationcore
• Team Collaborationcore
• Time Management and Prioritisationcore
• Verbal Communicationcore
• Workflow Prioritisationcore
• Written Communicationcore
• Address problems critically
• Conflict Resolution
• ERP and Inventory Systems
• Inventory Tracking
• Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency
• Negotiation
• Process Documentation
• Quality Assurance Monitoring
• Research and Analysis
• Supplier Communication
• Workload Self-Management

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.
• ABS, 2021 Census of Population and Housing based on usual place of residence (Custom Report). OSCA Experimental Estimates.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

What Production Manager (Mining) workers move into, from ten years of tax records.

Last updated: 30 October 2026