Newcastle Operations Manager

Spent the past few years carrying an underperforming service department on your back? Well sometimes the grass really is greener.

Most service departments fall apart because no one wants to take ownership. This one's already got the people, the pipeline, the product. Now it just needs a dedicated leader.

Hunter MLA's Newcastle branch is stacked with good techs (about 15-20 of them), a strong admin duo, and a Branch Manager who doesn't just sit in an office throwing out KPIs. The Branch Manager is in the trenches with you. He listens. He builds. He backs his people. You'll report to him and help him push this already strong branch even further.

But this isn't a corporate "transformation" job with endless strategy decks and no budget. It's a hands-on leadership role where your decisions actually shape performance. Revenue, customer service, workshop standards – it's all yours to own, grow, and lead.

The gig:

Hunter MLA sells, hires, and services Mitsubishi forklifts. They're the Exclusive Dealer in Australia. That means no cheap knock-offs, no badge engineering, and no waiting three weeks for a part that should've been on the shelf.

They keep things simple: sell solid machines, rent them out, and back it all up with service that doesn't disappear once the invoice is paid. The client base? Heavy hitters where forklifts don't sit around looking pretty – they work hard and they need to be up and running.

You'll run Service, Parts, and Rental Maintenance out of Beresfield – plus an offsite client operation – with a team of technicians and the usual daily curveballs. The machinery's heavy-duty, the margins are tight, and the expectations are high because MLA's reputation is first-class.

This isn't a sit-behind-a-desk role. You'll be on the ground, managing jobs, solving problems, coaching blue-collar techs with big personalities, and making sure things run smoother than they did the day before. You'll manage a budget, but it's more about action than spreadsheets: growing parts and service revenue, improving turnaround times, lifting buy-in.

You'll be in front of major clients too. Think Tomago Aluminium, Molycop, BlueScope. But don't worry – The Branch Manager handles most of the heavy lifting there. You'll be supporting from a service perspective. And adding new tools to your belt along the way.

What's in it for you:

• A business that actually wants to get better. And is backing it up.
• Autonomy to run the department like it's your own.
• Support from a Branch Manager who wants results, not reports.
• A stable, full-time role with solid pay, achievable incentives, a strong team, and no fluff.

What you'll need:

• Mechanical background. You've been a tech, or worked close enough to them to know how they think (and how to get the best out of them).
• Experience leading a service or operations team. Ideally in forklifts, heavy equipment, automotive, or something that makes noise and breaks occasionally.
• Not afraid of pressure, shifting priorities, or having a tough conversation in the yard when things go sideways.
• Previous P&L responsibility.
• Someone who works with people, not above them.

Why now?

The industry tripled after COVID. Hunter MLA captured a big chunk of the growth and is now picking up business from competitors. You know the ones.

This is a rare chance to walk into a well-resourced team with a Branch Manager focused on culture, improvement, and setting you up to succeed. You'll even have a clear path to progress into more senior management if that's where you're headed.

What next?

Click 'Apply' to be immediately considered. For more information, reach out to me, Mitch McCormack, via email:

If you're tired of patching up broken teams with no support, this one's built to last. It just needs the right operator at the wheel.