Drilling-only recruitment. Australia-wide.

Built around the rig.
Backed by the guarantee.

Permanent drillers, offsiders and support crews for FIFO and non-FIFO drilling operations across Australia. Screened by people who know the work. Replaced inside 12 weeks if they do not fit.

Drillers, offsiders, blast crew, geo support.
RC, diamond, blast hole, sonic, geotech, water bore.

Why DownHole Recruitment

Drilling-only. Always has been.

We do not do general mining. We do not do labour hire. Every placement we make is on a rig, RC, diamond, blast hole, sonic, geotechnical, water bore.

12
Weeks

Replacement guaranteed.

If a placement does not fit the rig or does not last 12 weeks on roster, we replace them at no extra cost. The only guarantee like it in drilling recruitment.

We call the supervisor.

Not the HR contact. We call the rig supervisor who actually worked alongside them. Peer-to-peer verification, the kind hiring managers actually trust.

What we cover

Every method drilling contractors actually run.

FIFO and non-FIFO. Australia-wide. If it is on a rig, we staff it.

Surface

RC Drilling

Reverse circulation for mineral exploration. Fast, high-volume coverage across WA, QLD, SA and NT.

Core

Diamond Drilling

Underground and surface core. Drillers and offsiders experienced in HQ, NQ and PQ across hard-rock and soft-rock programmes.

Production

Blast Hole Drilling

Open-pit production drilling. Rotary and DTH. Experience with major Tier 1 open-cut sites.

Specialty

Sonic Drilling

Continuous core recovery for environmental, geotech and remediation programmes. Smaller candidate pool. We know who to call.

Civil

Geotechnical Drilling

Geotechnical investigation drillers and offsiders for civil, infrastructure and mine-site programmes.

Water

Water Bore Drilling

Pastoral, agricultural and town-water bore drilling across regional Australia. Air, mud and cable tool.

Underground

Underground Drilling

In-fill, grade-control and long-hole underground drilling. Tight spaces, tight schedules.

Environmental

Environmental Drilling

Monitoring wells, site investigation and remediation. Candidates certified and experienced in compliance drilling.

For drilling contractors

Hire drillers who finish the swing.

Drilling contractors call us when they are tired of the revolving door. Generic recruiters send people who walk off mid-swing. We screen for the rig, the roster and the work, then back it with a 12-week replacement guarantee. If they do not fit, we find someone who does.

Talk to us about hiring

How we work

  1. You brief us

    Roster, method, rig type, site conditions. We listen for what matters on the ground, not just what is on the job description.

  2. We screen

    Tickets, fitness, supervisor-level references. Crew fit, not just resume fit.

  3. We mobilise

    Compliant, ready-to-work people. We handle the paperwork so you can focus on the rig.

  4. We back it

    12-week replacement guarantee. If they do not last on roster, we find someone who will at no extra cost.

For drilling candidates

Looking for drilling work?

Whether you are getting started as an offsider or you have years of swings behind you, we place people in FIFO and non-FIFO drilling operations across Australia. Browse what is live now, or get on our list and we will come to you when something fits your method and roster.

Currently hiring for

Live jobs feed coming via JobAdder integration

Drillers Offsider
RC Pilbara WA 2:1 roster
Diamond Driller
Underground Mt Isa QLD 8:6 roster
Blast Hole Driller
Production Hunter Valley NSW DIDO
Geotechnical Offsider
Geotech Sydney metro Local hire
Senior Driller
RC Goldfields WA Even-time

Built by drilling people

We have been on the rig. That is why we screen for it.

Photo
Billy
Hughes

Billy Hughes

Founder, DownHole Recruitment. Melbourne, Australia.

DownHole Recruitment was started by Billy Hughes. [Placeholder: Billy's drilling background, the contractors he worked for, how many years he spent on the tools, and the specific moment he decided to start his own agency. This paragraph should be in Billy's own words.]

We focus on permanent placements only. No labour hire, no short-fill contracting. The right people on the right rig, backed by a guarantee that we have to live up to every single time.

Real founder bio, photo and placement numbers to be supplied by Billy before go-live. Include: years on the tools, contractors worked for, total placements to date, retention rate.

Get in touch

For drilling contractors

Need to hire?

Tell us what you are running and what you need on the rig. We will come back to you inside one business day.

Design preview. Form is not connected in Phase 1.

For drilling candidates

Looking for work?

Browse live roles on our job board or submit your resume and we will keep you in mind when something comes up that fits your method and roster.

Permanent placements only. No casual labour hire.

FIFO and non-FIFO. RC, diamond, blast hole, geotech, water bore and more.

We match you to a rig that fits your method, tickets and roster preference.

Not seeing the right role? Get on the list and we will come to you.

Or reach Billy directly

billy@downholerecruitment.com.au