Mining Recruitment — Bowen Basin & Beyond

The Right Person.
Every Time.

Most recruiters send you twenty candidates hoping two will stick. We send you the right ones from the start — because we've worked the sites, we know the culture, and we know what good looks like.

The FTG Difference

Recruitment From Someone Who's Done the Job

As an experienced production supervisor in the coal mining industry, I understand what it takes to perform — not just on paper, but on site, under pressure, in the real conditions of a working mine.

That means when I assess a candidate, I'm not reading a CV. I'm reading the person — their experience, their attitude, their fit for your specific operation and culture.

The result? Less time interviewing the wrong people. More confidence in the ones you bring on board.

Quality Over Volume

We don't flood your inbox with maybes. Every candidate we put forward is someone we'd personally vouch for on site.

Culture Fit Matters

Technical skills get someone hired. Culture fit keeps them there. We assess both — every time.

Industry Insider Access

Our network is built from years working in the Bowen Basin. We know where the talent is before it hits the job boards.

Services Built for the Industry

From placing the right candidate to getting under the bonnet of your operation — we offer a range of services designed around real mining environments.

⛏️

Recruitment

End-to-end placement of production, maintenance, and supervisory roles across mining operations. Quality candidates, properly vetted.

🦺

Relief Supervision

Experienced relief supervision to keep your operation running when your permanent supervisors are unavailable. Seamless, trusted, on-site.

🎯

Proficiency Training

Hands-on proficiency assessments and training for operators and crew. Real-world evaluation from someone who knows what good looks like.

📋

Training & Assessing

Structured training and formal assessment services to bring your crew up to standard and ensure compliance with site requirements.

🤝

Consulting

Operational and people consulting for mining businesses looking to improve performance, reduce turnover, and build stronger teams.

📊

People & Performance

Workforce planning, performance frameworks, and people strategy tailored to the demands of the mining environment.

Elite Package

The Site Assessment Package

This is recruitment done the way it should be done. Rather than assessing candidates from the outside, we come to you — working embedded within your crew for two full rounds, operating equipment, working alongside your people, and experiencing your site firsthand.

At the end, you receive a full written assessment of your operation — your team's strengths, the gaps, the culture, and a clear picture of exactly what kind of people you need to perform at your best.

The result isn't just better recruitment. It's a genuine understanding of your business that reduces your reliance on expensive, repeated recruitment by getting it right the first time.

  • Two full rounds embedded on site with your crew
  • Hands-on operation of equipment alongside your team
  • Full written site and people assessment delivered
  • Culture, capability, and gap analysis included
  • Tailored candidate brief based on real observations
  • Designed to reduce long-term recruitment costs

Built for Both Sides of the Industry

Mining Companies

Stop Wasting Time on the Wrong Candidates

If you've been through the revolving door of recruiters sending unsuitable candidates, we're a different conversation. We do the hard work so you don't have to.

  • Pre-screened candidates who match your operation
  • Culture and attitude assessed, not just qualifications
  • Fewer interviews, faster outcomes
  • Someone who understands your environment
Mining Workers

Find the Right Role, Not Just Any Role

We don't just place you somewhere to fill a number. We work to find the site and company that actually suits where you're at in your career.

  • Honest advice from someone who's been on site
  • Roles matched to your experience and goals
  • Support through the application process
  • Long term fit, not a quick placement

Recruitment | Consulting | People | Performance

Frontline Talent Group was built on a simple belief — that the mining industry deserves better recruitment. Not more of the same volume game, but a genuinely different approach from someone who has worked the sites and understands the industry from the inside.

Based in Mackay, Queensland, with deep connections across the Bowen Basin and beyond, we work with mining companies and workers across Australia to make better matches that stick.

QLD
Bowen Basin Based
100%
Industry Focused
FTG
Recruitment · People · Performance
RJ
Ryan Johnsen
Founder — Frontline Talent Group
Connect on LinkedIn

Built by Someone Who's Done the Job

Ryan Johnsen started where most people in this industry start — behind the wheel of a truck. Over the years he worked his way through the full range of heavy equipment, from truck operator to grader, dozer, excavator and eventually the 9800 — one of the largest machines on any Australian mine site.

That hands-on career led to becoming a qualified Trainer and Assessor, then a Production Supervisor managing large teams and multiple dig fleets. It was in that supervisory role that Ryan was exposed to the hiring and interview process — and what he saw frustrated him.

Recruitment had become a numbers game. Agencies were churning out high volumes of unsuitable candidates, hoping enough would stick to justify a placement fee. The client was an afterthought. The candidate was a commodity. And the industry kept paying for people who weren't right and didn't stay.

Ryan founded Frontline Talent Group to do it differently. Not more candidates — the right ones. Rigorously assessed, genuinely matched, and placed with the long term in mind. A recruitment company that actually puts the client first.

Started as a Truck Operator — worked up through grader, dozer, excavator to the 9800
Became a qualified Trainer and Assessor across heavy equipment
Production Supervisor — managed large teams and multiple dig fleets
Exposed to the recruitment process — and decided to fix it
Founded Frontline Talent Group — Mackay, Queensland

The FTG Assessment Framework

Most agencies tick boxes. We go deeper. Built from 16 years on the tools, our framework identifies the people who show up, perform under pressure, and make your crew better.

01

Production Mindset

Do they think in BCMs, cycle times and efficiency — or do they just show up and swing? We listen for the language of someone who cares about the number.

02

Technical Competency

Equipment knowledge, prestart discipline, breakdown response. A qualified operator and a competent operator aren't the same thing. We know the difference.

03

Environmental Fit

A contractor operator doesn't always thrive in an owner-operator environment — and vice versa. We match people to the culture they'll perform best in.

04

Culture Fit

Pride in the work. Crew minded. High personal standards. One bad hire can poison a crew. One great hire can lift it. We identify which one you're looking at.

05

Presentation Standards

How someone carries themselves tells you something about their attention to detail and pride in their equipment on site. It's not about appearance — it's about what it says about their standards across the board.

06

Scale Readiness

Have they operated at your scale before? Someone stepping up from a 20-man quarry to a Tier 1 open cut needs more than a ticket. We assess readiness, not just history.

PREMIUM SERVICE

The Site Assessment Package

Ryan embeds on your site, operates equipment alongside the crew, observes real performance under real conditions, and delivers a written assessment you can actually use. Not a resume review — a ground-level evaluation from someone who's been in that seat.

ENQUIRE ABOUT SITE ASSESSMENT →

Register Your Interest

Whether you're a company looking for the right person or a worker looking for the right role — tell us what you need and we'll be in touch within one business day.

Or reach us directly at admin@frontlinetalentgroup.com.au