Hydraulic Fitter / Machinist – $50+/hr | Leadership Pathway

Hydraulic Fitter / Machinist / Workshop Leader

Pacific Hydraulics Newcastle – PHN Industries
Mayfield North, Newcastle NSW
Full-time | From $50/hr + overtime + penalty rates
Monday–Thursday 6:00am–2:30pm | Friday 6:00am–12:00pm

Good trades. Good people. Interesting work. A genuine path into leadership.

PHN Industries is looking for experienced tradespeople to join our workshop team in Mayfield.

We are deliberately keeping this opportunity broad because the right person is more important to us than the exact job title.

You might be:

• an experienced Hydraulic Fitter who enjoys fault finding, cylinder work and mechanical repairs;

• a skilled Machinist or Fitter Machinist who enjoys one-off and repair machining rather than repetitive production work;

• a senior tradesperson or Leading Hand looking for the next step;

• or an experienced tradesperson who wants to develop towards Workshop Supervisor or Workshop Manager.

For the right senior candidate, we currently also have an opportunity available at Workshop Manager level.

If you're good on the tools, good with people and want more responsibility over time, we'd like to talk.

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About PHN

Pacific Hydraulics Newcastle is a Newcastle-based hydraulic, machining and engineering business supporting customers across industries including mining, drilling, rail, civil, marine, tunnelling and heavy industry.

Our Mayfield operation brings together a broad range of capability including:

• hydraulic cylinder repair and manufacture;

• pumps and motors;

• machining;

• hydraulic equipment repairs;

• drill equipment and specialised mining equipment;

• fabrication and engineering;

• reverse engineering;

• testing, fault finding and overhaul work.

That diversity is one of the things our people value most.

You are not doing the same job every day.

One day might involve diagnosing and rebuilding a hydraulic component, another manufacturing a replacement part, machining a damaged component back to specification or helping solve a problem on specialised mining or drilling equipment.

We have a team of approximately 20 people, and the workshop works closely across machining, cylinders, pumps and motors, stores and broader engineering activities.

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The Opportunity

We are looking for people who take pride in their trade and enjoy solving problems.

Depending on your background, we can shape the role around your strengths.

If you're a Hydraulic Fitter

Your work may include:

• stripping, inspecting and rebuilding hydraulic cylinders;

• diagnosing hydraulic and mechanical faults;

• repairing pumps, motors and hydraulic components;

• measuring and assessing worn components;

• assembly and testing;

• identifying the cause of failures rather than simply replacing parts;

• working with machinists to repair or manufacture components;

• supporting hydraulic equipment and specialised machinery repairs.

Experience with cylinders, pumps, motors, hydraulic systems, mining equipment or drill equipment would be highly regarded.

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If you're a Machinist or Fitter Machinist

Your work may include:

• manual turning and milling;

• CNC machining where appropriate;

• machining shafts, pins, bushes, sleeves, housings and hydraulic components;

• machining components from drawings, measurements or samples;

• repair machining;

• one-off and small-batch work;

• reverse engineering damaged or unavailable components;

• working to close tolerances using precision measuring equipment;

• collaborating with fitters and the workshop team to find practical repair solutions.

This is a good opportunity for someone who enjoys jobbing and repair machining, where you need to think about the job rather than simply load the next production run.

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Looking for the Next Step?

We are also interested in speaking with experienced tradespeople who want to move beyond a purely hands-on role.

You may currently be a:

• Senior Fitter

• Senior Machinist

• Leading Hand

• Workshop Supervisor

• Maintenance Supervisor

• Workshop Foreman

• Assistant Workshop Manager

Or you may simply be an experienced tradesperson who knows you're ready for more responsibility.

At PHN there is potential to progress through roles such as:

Tradesperson → Leading Hand → Workshop Supervisor → Workshop Manager / Operations Leadership

Leadership at PHN is still practical.

We want people who understand the work, can earn the respect of the workshop and can help others succeed.

That could include developing skills in:

• planning and allocating work;

• coordinating workshop priorities;

• mentoring apprentices and tradespeople;

• improving workflow;

• managing job progress and blockers;

• quality control;

• safety leadership;

• communicating with customers and other departments;

• helping develop the people around you.

We currently also have a Workshop Manager opportunity available, so if you already have strong workshop leadership experience, we'd be interested in discussing that with you as well.

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What We're Looking For

You don't need to tick every box.

We're interested in people with strong experience in one or more of the following:

• Hydraulic fitting

• Hydraulic cylinders

• Pumps and motors

• Mechanical fitting

• Manual machining

• CNC machining

• Fitter machining

• Heavy engineering

• Mining equipment

• Drill equipment

• Industrial maintenance

• Repair and overhaul

• Reverse engineering

• Mechanical fault finding

• Workshop supervision or leadership

Relevant trade qualifications are expected for trade positions.

More important than having experience in every area is being someone who:

• takes pride in their work;

• thinks through problems;

• works safely;

• communicates well;

• takes ownership of jobs;

• helps the people around them;

• is willing to learn;

• and wants to be part of a good workshop.

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Why Work at PHN?

From $50 per hour

Base rates start from $50/hr, with remuneration based on your experience, technical capability and the level of responsibility you can take on.

Overtime & Penalty Rates

Overtime is available, with applicable overtime and penalty rates providing the opportunity to increase your earnings.

Excellent Workshop Hours

Monday to Thursday:
6:00am – 2:30pm

Friday:
6:00am – 12:00pm

Finish at midday Friday and have your Friday afternoon back.

Variety

This is probably our biggest selling point.

PHN works on a wide range of hydraulic, mechanical and engineered equipment across several heavy industries.

If you enjoy figuring things out, repairing things others might replace and working on different jobs, you'll enjoy the variety here.

The People

The other big reason people enjoy PHN is the team.

We want a workplace where good tradespeople can work with good people, ask questions, share knowledge and get the job done without unnecessary drama.

Technical skill matters, but being a good person to work with matters as well.

Career Progression

If you want to stay on the tools and become an exceptional tradesperson, we'll support that.

If you want to lead people and eventually run a workshop, we want to help create that opportunity too.

We are actively looking to develop future leadership capability within the business.

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What Success Looks Like at PHN

The people who do well here tend to:

• take ownership of their work;

• produce work they're proud to put their name to;

• raise problems early;

• help solve problems rather than simply point them out;

• work well with other trades and departments;

• keep safety and quality front of mind;

• share their knowledge;

• and contribute positively to the workshop.

We don't expect people to know everything.

We do expect people to care about doing the job properly.

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Position Details

Location: Mayfield North, Newcastle NSW
Employment: Permanent full-time
Base rate: From $50/hr depending on experience and capability
Overtime: Available
Penalty rates: Applicable
Monday–Thursday: 6:00am–2:30pm
Friday: 6:00am–12:00pm
Team size: Approximately 20 people
Reporting: Workshop Foreman / relevant workshop leadership
Probation: 6 months

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Interested?

If you're a Hydraulic Fitter, Machinist, Fitter Machinist, experienced Leading Hand or workshop leader looking for a change, we'd like to hear from you.

Don't rule yourself out because your current job title doesn't exactly match the advertisement.

If you have strong trade skills, a good attitude and experience that could add value to PHN, send us your CV or get in touch for a confidential conversation.

And if you're already operating at Workshop Supervisor or Workshop Manager level, make that clear in your application — we currently have a leadership opportunity available as well.