Quarries supply the aggregates and stone behind roads, housing and civil engineering across Northern Ireland, and they hire operatives, plant drivers, fixed-plant operators and maintenance staff. Quarry vacancies are fewer than in retail or healthcare, but they are specific and often well suited to people with plant, HGV or heavy-industry experience. Currently listed roles appear under construction jobs, engineering jobs and driving and warehouse jobs.
Typical quarry roles
- Quarry operative: general site work, loading, monitoring and maintaining plant.
- Fixed crushing plant operative: running the extraction, crushing and screening process. Breedon, a quarry operator with a site at Glenwherry near Ballymena, has advertised a role of this type.
- Mobile plant operator: dumpers, loading shovels and excavators.
- HGV driver: hauling aggregates to customers. See also driving and warehouse jobs.
- Maintenance fitter or electrician: keeping plant running, usually an engineering background.
Qualifications employers ask for
One Breedon quarry operative advert asked for previous experience in quarrying, construction, mining or similar heavy industry, an MPQC or NVQ Level 2 in Extractives Operations, and a first aid or health and safety certificate. Requirements differ between employers and roles, so read each advert, but the same few items come up:
- Relevant experience in quarrying, construction, mining or other heavy industry.
- MPQC (Mineral Products Qualifications Council) cards or an NVQ in extractives operations.
- First aid and health and safety certificates.
- Plant tickets or an HGV licence for driving roles.
Safety matters in this industry, so say clearly which tickets you hold and when they expire.
Pay
Quarry adverts often give pay as an hourly or annual figure that varies by site and role. We do not publish a typical figure here because there is no official figure we can cite for the trade. Compare the advert with the official NI median of £38,200 and with similar roles in our construction salary guide.
How to apply
Lead with your tickets and equipment experience, then the sites you have worked on and your safety record. Set a job alert for "quarry" on NIjobsearch, and check the employer's own careers page. See our CV guide for NI employers for layout.
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Browse Jobs on NIjobsearch →Frequently asked questions
What qualifications do you need for quarry work?
It depends on the role, but employers commonly ask for relevant experience, an MPQC card or an NVQ Level 2 in extractives operations, and first aid or health and safety certificates.
Where are quarry jobs in Northern Ireland advertised?
On employer careers pages and on job boards. Current listings appear under the construction, engineering and driving categories on NIjobsearch.