Racking Installer career path: from Level 1 to Site Manager

Racking Installer career path: from Level 1 to Site Manager

Career progression isn't one big jump. It happens as you learn the work, get better at it and become ready to take on more responsibility.

At BORACK, Racking Installers can progress through seven positions, from Installer Level 1 to Site Manager. Along the way, the work grows from basic tasks to operating equipment, leading a crew and managing whole projects.
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What BORACK's career progression looks like

Installer Level 1

Minimum completion time: 2 months

Hourly rate: $33/hr

Other benefits: $23.60 daily travel allowance and Project Profit Share.

Everyone starts here, and everyone starts the same way: not knowing what half the parts are called yet. You'll spend your first weeks preparing materials and helping build frames, with an experienced team member showing you the ropes and checking your work as you go. It's less about speed and more about getting it right — the frame you help build today is what the rest of the installation gets bolted onto. Alongside the hands-on work, you'll start on your scissor lift ticket, which is what gets you to Level 2.

Want a closer look at the work itself? Read What does a Racking Installer actually do?
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Installer Level 2

Minimum completion time: 3 months

Hourly rate: $34/hr

Other benefits: $23.60 daily travel allowance and Project Profit Share.

Scissor lift ticket in hand, you move into Level 2 — and the first time you take that machine up on your own is a different feeling to just handing tools to someone else. You're taking on more complex installation work now, and starting to own. You'll also start working towards your forklift licence here, which is what gets you to Level 3.
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Installer Level 3

Minimum completion time: 4 months

Hourly rate: $35.50/hr

Other benefits: $23.60 daily travel allowance and Project Profit Share.

By the time you've got your forklift licence, something's shifted: the crew is relying on you to have materials staged and ready, rather than the other way around. That's Level 3 — one of the more experienced installers on site, still building your skills, but trusted with more of the job's moving parts.
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Installer Level 4

Minimum completion time: 6 months

Hourly rate: $37/hr

Other benefits: $23.60 daily travel allowance, Project Profit Share and eligibility for a full-time contract.

At Level 4, you'll notice the questions start going the other way — a newer Installer asking you how something's done, the way you once asked someone else. You're guiding a small group within the larger project now, and this is usually the point where a full-time contract becomes a real possibility.
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Leading Hand

Minimum completion time: 1 year

Hourly rate: $39/hr

Other benefits: A full-time contract, fuel card and Project Profit Share.

As a Leading Hand, you're not just doing the work anymore — you're starting each day working out who's doing what, checking it before it moves to the next stage, and being the first person someone asks when something doesn't look right. Racking is still part of it. People are now too.
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Site Supervisor

Minimum completion time: 2 years

Hourly rate: $42.50/hr

Other benefits: A full-time contract, fuel card and double Project Profit Share. A company car may also be available, subject to eligibility.

Step up to Site Supervisor and your focus moves from one crew to the whole project. The client's site contact deals with you directly. If part of the job falls behind, you're the one reallocating people to fix it. If something needs to stop for safety, that call is yours to make. A delay in one part of a job affects everything after it, so you need to see the entire picture clearly — and catch problems before they grow.
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Site Manager

Minimum completion time: 3 years

Hourly rate: $45/hr

Other benefits: A full-time contract, company car, fuel card and double Project Profit Share.

Site Manager is the top of BORACK's pathway — the biggest, most complex jobs, with crews of ten or more. You might not have your hands on a single piece of racking on any given day, but the job's success runs through the decisions you make: sequencing multiple stages at once, managing the client relationship at a senior level, and keeping a large, multi-week project on schedule.

The pay grows with the pathway, but the hourly rate is only part of the picture. See how it breaks down at each stage in How much do construction workers earn in Australia?, and what the wider benefits look like across the whole career in What are the benefits of building a career in the racking industry?
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What helps you move to the next level?

Each level has a minimum time, but the next step is based on what you can do, not just how long you have been there. You need to pass the relevant assessment, meet training requirements and show you are ready for more responsibility. Senior roles have further experience requirements.

If you want to keep moving, ask your Leading Hand or Site Supervisor what you need to demonstrate next. That gives you a clear goal to work on during the projects you are doing now.
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Can this become a full-time role?

It can. Installer Levels 1 to 3 are casual. Most weeks offer three to five days of work, depending on current projects and where you are based. A full-time contract may become available from Level 4, but it isn't automatic.

If steady hours matter to you, ask what work is available in your city when you apply. That will give you a clearer picture of what to expect.
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What if you’re not sure where you want to end up?

You don't need to decide that before you start. You may find that you enjoy hands-on installation, teaching newer team members or coordinating a whole project.

Start with the next skill in front of you. The pathway gives you room to work out where you wish to go as you gain experience with the Field Crew.
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Ready to start at Level 1?

If you want practical work, a crew that will teach you properly and a role you can build a career out of, apply for a Racking Installer role with BORACK.