Workshop Manager – Farm (Hillston)
Salary – $110,000 + company vehicle + free accomodation + super annuation
Type – Full Time, Permanent
Company – Leading Food Manufacturer

Role Overview

This role is suited to a hands on Workshop Manager who can diagnose issues, carry out minor repairs in house, and coordinate external contractors for larger or specialised work. The focus is on problem identification, fleet reliability, maintenance standards, and strong administration, rather than heavy rebuild work.
Fleet & Equipment Overview

• 12 tractors
• 7 engine-driven spray rigs
• 87 frost fans (diesel engines)
• 44 machines on the ground (mix of hydraulics and electronics)
• Equipment includes tractors, R2Vs, spray rigs, frost fans and associated plant

Maintenance & Repairs

• Major servicing outsourced to:
  • John Deere
  • Hutchinson & Pierce
  • Kadimo (Griffith) – tractors & R2Vs
  • Local contractors for spray rig engines
• Workshop Manager to:
  • Diagnose faults accurately
  • Fix smaller issues in house
  • Coordinate external contractors for major repairs
  • Arrange transport of machinery when required

Harvest Period Responsibilities

• Highly hands on during harvest
• Performing and coordinating:
  • Preventative and reactive maintenance
  • Bearing replacements
  • Hydraulic hose repairs (in-house)
  • Managing breakdowns and minimising downtime
• Ensuring the entire fleet is maintained to a high standard during peak periods

 
Administration & Systems

• Responsibilities include
  • Detailed maintenance record keeping
  • Allocating costs to individual machines
  • Ordering parts
  • Budget management
  • Reviewing quotes and querying costs
  • Ensuring work completed aligns with quoted scope
• Internal purchase orders managed through the warehouse 

Team & Leadership

• Managing a small workshop team (currently two mechanics) no management experience is required!
• Existing team members are strong mechanically but weaker on administration
• Candidate must:
  • Be comfortable leading and supporting the team
  • Be willing to teach and learn
  • Not operate with an “ego” or sit on a pedestal
  • Work collaboratively, especially during harvest
• Personality fit:
  • Strong communicator preferred
  • Sociable or independent personalities both acceptable
  • Talking without delivering outcomes will not be well received

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Workshop Manager mindset
• Strong fault-finding and decision-making ability
• Comfortable managing contractors and budgets
• High level of organisation and admin capability
• Practical, grounded, and team-oriented
• Willing to learn crop-specific and harvest equipment processes