diff --git a/internal/controller/scheduler/scheduler.go b/internal/controller/scheduler/scheduler.go
index 1041c1ed..81b3be2d 100644
--- a/internal/controller/scheduler/scheduler.go
+++ b/internal/controller/scheduler/scheduler.go
@@ -456,7 +456,7 @@ func (w *worker) Build(podSpec *corev1.PodSpec, skipCheckout bool, inputs buildI
 		Image:           w.cfg.Image,
 		WorkingDir:      "/workspace",
 		VolumeMounts:    volumeMounts,
-		ImagePullPolicy: corev1.PullAlways,
+		ImagePullPolicy: corev1.PullIfNotPresent,
 		Env: []corev1.EnvVar{
 			{
 				Name:  "BUILDKITE_KUBERNETES_EXEC",