Regional Queensland
Regional recruitment specialist for Queensland employers, from Cairns to Toowoomba and Mount Isa. See how hard each region is to hire in, and how we help.
Planner and scheduler recruitment for regional employers
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We help mines, processing plants, manufacturers, utilities, ports and contractors across regional Australia hire maintenance planners, schedulers, shutdown planners and project planners, from people stepping up from a trade or engineering role to experienced lead planners. We match your plant, your maintenance system and your roster.
Planner hiring at a glance
Maintenance planning follows mining, processing and heavy industry, and its job ads are more regional than average.1
- of maintenance planners work in mining
- 34.9%
- Plus 17.9% in manufacturing. 2021 data.1
- of maintenance planners live in Western Australia or Queensland
- 60.0%
- 5,400 of about 9,000 nationally in 2021.1
- of job ads in the occupation group that includes planners are outside the major cities
- 32.2%
- 196 of 608 ads a month, three months to September 2026, against 29.2% of all job ads.2
What does a maintenance planner or scheduler do?
Maintenance planners develop maintenance planning strategies, then schedule, coordinate and monitor maintenance of plant and equipment. Maintenance scheduler, shutdown coordinator and shutdown planner are recognised alternative titles for the same occupation.5
In manufacturing, the award treats production planning, scheduling, work study and estimating materials as technical work, separate from the trade.4 Project planners and schedulers on construction and resources projects build and update the program for a construction or resources project and report progress against it.
Do planners and schedulers need a licence or certification?
No licence applies to planning and scheduling itself. Site access is what usually decides the checks a planner needs.
Licences, certifications and checks that apply to planning and scheduling roles, by jurisdiction. Checked 1 November 2026.
| Jurisdiction | Licence, registration or certification | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| All states and territories | No occupational licence or registration1 | Maintenance planning and scheduling work itself |
| All states and territories | AACE Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP): eight years of experience, or four plus a degree, and an exam6 | Voluntary; sometimes asked for in project controls roles |
| All states and territories | General construction induction (White Card)7 | Planners working on construction sites |
| Queensland | Coal mine worker health assessment8 | Planners working at Queensland coal mines |
What does a maintenance planner or scheduler earn?
In manufacturing, the Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 classifies production planners by competency. The weekly minimum from 1 July 2026 runs from $1,119.10 at C10 to $1,513.70 at C2(b).4 Outside manufacturing, the award or agreement depends on the employer's industry.
No median is published for maintenance planners alone. For the wider group of other building and engineering technicians, which also includes mine deputies and metallurgical technicians,5 median full-time earnings were $2,954 a week in May 2025, against $1,852 for all occupations.9
Where are planners in demand?
Maintenance Planner is not rated in shortage nationally in 2026.10 Ads in the occupation group that includes planners rose to 624 a month nationally in the three months to September 2026, from 574 a year earlier, with Western Australia and Queensland well ahead of the other states.3
Outside the major cities there were 196 ads a month, up from 182, and Northern Australia had 81, up from 57.2
Online job ads a month for the group that includes maintenance planners, by state, three months to September 2026 and a year earlier (rounded), and maintenance planners employed in 2021.1,3
| State or territory | Ads a month (group) | A year earlier | Maintenance planners employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Western Australia | 231 | 186 | 3,100 |
| Queensland | 158 | 133 | 2,300 |
| New South Wales | 116 | 124 | 1,700 |
| Victoria | 68 | 84 | 1,100 |
| South Australia | 33 | 33 | 540 |
| Tasmania | 5 | 6 | 150 |
| Northern Territory | 9 | 6 | 130 |
| Australian Capital Territory | 3 | 1 | 40 |
| Australia | 624 | 574 | 9,000 |
What should you tell us about a planning role?
The plant and assets (fixed processing plant, mobile fleet, rail, port or utility networks), the maintenance system (SAP PM, Pronto, Ellipse or another CMMS) and scheduling tools (Primavera P6, MS Project), and whether the role covers routine work, shutdowns or capital projects.
Also the roster, the site inductions and medicals the person must complete, who they work with day to day, and whether a trade background or a certification such as the PSP or PMI-SP is essential.
How we help you hire planners and schedulers
You make the hiring decision and employ the person directly. We handle the search and the organising in between.
Can you recruit planners for FIFO, DIDO and shutdown rosters?
Yes. Many planners work fly-in fly-out or drive-in drive-out rosters at mines and processing plants, and shutdown planners may move between sites. Tell us the roster, where the person flies or drives from, the accommodation and any relocation support, and we build them into the search and talk them through with candidates.
Queensland coal mine workers complete health assessments under the Coal Mine Workers' Health Scheme, so allow for the medical in your start date.8 If the right person needs a visa or sponsorship, our sister business Australian Immigration Agency can advise.
Looking for planning work in the regions?
If you plan or schedule maintenance, shutdowns or projects, register with Hire Australia. Tell us the plant and systems you have worked with, the shutdowns you have planned, your roster preferences and where you would like to work, and we will talk with you about roles that fit.
Talk to us about your next planner hire
Tell us the role, the plant and systems, the roster and when you need the person to start.
Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment.
A FEW PRACTICAL QUESTIONS
Good to know.
Which planning and scheduling roles does Hire Australia recruit?
Hire Australia is a regional recruitment specialist. We recruit maintenance planners, maintenance schedulers, shutdown planners and project planners for mines, processing plants, manufacturers, utilities and contractors. We search for people stepping up from trade or technical roles through to experienced lead planners, and build your plant, maintenance system and roster into the search.
What does a maintenance planner earn?
Pay data isn't published for maintenance planners alone. The wider group of other building and engineering technicians, which includes planners, had median full-time earnings of $2,954 a week in May 2025.9 In manufacturing, award minimums run from $1,119.10 to $1,513.70 a week.4 Hire Australia discusses your pay range with candidates early.
Are maintenance planners in shortage?
Maintenance Planner is not rated in shortage nationally in 2026.10 The difficulty is location: 60.0% of planners lived in Western Australia or Queensland in 2021, many tied to mining rosters.1 Hire Australia searches beyond local applicants, including planners open to a roster or a move.
Do planners need a licence or certification?
No licence applies to planning and scheduling.1 Some employers ask for AACE's Planning and Scheduling Professional, which needs eight years of experience, or four plus a degree.6 Site access brings its own checks, such as the White Card. Hire Australia builds the certifications and checks you need into the search.
Does Hire Australia supply labour hire or temporary staff?
No. Hire Australia recruits people you employ directly, in permanent roles. We don’t supply labour hire or temps, and candidates never work on our payroll. We search for and screen people for your vacancy, introduce the ones who fit, and you make the offer and employ them. That keeps the working relationship between you and your new employee from day one.
What does it cost to use Hire Australia?
Employers pay nothing until the successful candidate has started and stayed two months. Candidates never pay for recruitment. You employ the person directly, and we agree the terms with you in writing before the search begins. The same terms apply whether Hire Australia recruits a maintenance scheduler or a lead shutdown planner.
Sources (10)
- Jobs and Skills Australia, OSCA Occupation data - 2021 Census. Released July 2026. Data: 2021 Census. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, ANZSCO 4-digit occupations by JSA remoteness and Northern Australia classification, September 2026. Released October 2026. Data: three months to September 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Internet Vacancy Index, ANZSCO 4-digit occupations by state and territory, September 2026. Released October 2026. Data: three months to September 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Fair Work Commission, Manufacturing and Associated Industries and Occupations Award 2020 [MA000010], clause 20.1. Data: from 1 July 2026. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO 2022, unit group 3129 Other Building and Engineering Technicians (includes 312911 Maintenance Planner). Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- AACE International, Planning and Scheduling Professional (PSP) details. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Safe Work Australia, Working on a construction site (White Card). Accessed 28 October 2026. Back to text ↑
- Resources Safety and Health Queensland, ResHealth: Coal Mine Workers Health Scheme health assessments. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, Occupation data - February 2026. Released March 2026. Data: May 2025. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑
- Jobs and Skills Australia, 2026 Occupation Shortage List (6-digit ANZSCO and OSCA). Files dated October 2026. Data: 2026 ratings. National ratings; S = shortage, R = regional shortage. Accessed 1 November 2026. Back to text ↑