Heavy Equipment Operator – Excavation, Retaining Walls & Septic (Full Time)
Company: Stone Fox Construction Location: North Idaho & Eastern Washington (jobsites vary — must be able to work in both states) Pay: $28–$36/hr depending on experience Schedule: Full-time — four 10-hour shifts per week, with overtime potential
About Us
Stone Fox Construction is a small, owner-operated excavation and septic company serving North Idaho and Eastern Washington. We're licensed and insured, and we run a tight crew that takes real pride in the work.
Our values center on integrity, teamwork, growth, and doing quality work that lasts — and on how we treat people along the way. You won't be a number on a crew of forty. You'll work directly alongside the owner, your work will be visible, and what you're good at will matter.
Read This Part First
This is a small crew. Everybody here does groundwork, including the operators and including the owner. You'll spend plenty of hours in the seat, but you'll also be on the shovel, pulling grade, setting pipe, and spotting from the ground while someone else runs a machine.
If you're looking for a job where you sit in a cab all day and someone else handles the dirty work, this isn't it — and we'd rather you know that now than find out in week two. If you take pride in running iron and you don't consider yourself above a shovel, keep reading. That's exactly who we're after.
The Machines
You should be comfortable running, or ready to get comfortable running:
- Mini excavator
- Midi excavator
- Skid steer
- Roller / compaction equipment
- Plate compactor and other small gear
Tiltrotator experience is a big plus — but not required. We run them, and we'll train the right person. If you've got time on one, tell us about it; it's worth real money to us.
What You'll Be Doing
Operating
- Run mini and midi excavators, skid steer, and roller safely and productively
- Dig to grade — trenches, footings, drainfields, building pads, access roads
- Work in tight-access residential sites, on steep and wooded ground, and around existing structures
- Load, place, and spread material accurately
- Work around and near existing utilities with appropriate care
Groundwork (a real part of this job)
- Shovel, hand-dig, and finish by hand where the machine can't reach
- Spot and direct a secondary operator — swing radius, utilities, trench walls, overhead lines
- Lay and glue pipe, set fittings, assemble distribution boxes and chamber runs
- Bed and cover pipe; shovel and level rock or sand to grade
- Rig and unhook loads; assist with tank setting and placement
- Site cleanup, backfill, and final grade work
Grade and layout
- Read and work from site plans and septic designs
- Run and shoot a rotary laser; set and check grade independently
- Pull tape, set stakes and string lines, verify depth and slope as you dig
Equipment care and hauling
- Daily walkarounds: grease, fuel, fluids, tracks, teeth, pins and bushings
- Report problems early — we'd rather fix it than replace it
- Load, secure, and haul equipment: chains, binders, straps, ramps, proper tie-down
- Keep the machines and the trailer clean and presentable
Jobsite conduct
- Follow trench safety and confined-space rules; no entry into an unprotected trench
- Respect Dig Line locate marks and hand-dig within the tolerance zone
- Communicate professionally with homeowners — on residential work you are the company
- Help with photos, daily notes, and material counts
What We're Looking For
- 1+ year of real seat time on excavators and/or skid steers (residential, site work, utility, or septic experience preferred)
- Able to hit and hold grade, or close enough that a short ramp-up gets you there
- Comfortable working from a plan and figuring out the approach yourself
- Willing and genuinely able to do groundwork alongside machine time
- Valid driver's license with a clean driving record, and a reliable vehicle
- Able to work in both Idaho and Washington
- Physically able to lift and carry 50–75 lbs repeatedly, and to shovel, bend, and kneel for extended periods
- Comfortable on uneven, steep, and wooded terrain in all weather
- Able to communicate clearly in English for jobsite safety
- Punctual, dependable, and respectful
Not required but valued: tiltrotator time, septic install experience, trailering experience, laser/grade layout, small equipment repair, CDL.
The Details, Straight Up
We'd rather you know exactly what you're signing up for:
- Schedule: Four 10-hour day shifts per week, with overtime available. Work slows down January through March — expect reduced hours during those months.
- Where you'll meet us: We meet at the jobsite or at a planned rideshare location, not at a shop. Jobsites are spread across North Idaho and Eastern Washington.
- Pay: $28–$36/hr depending on what you actually bring to the seat. Paid every other week.
- Benefits: We don't currently offer PTO or health benefits — we put that into the hourly wage instead. That's why our rate runs above what a lot of shops start operators at.
- Gear: You'll need your own steel-toe boots, a tape measure, and a utility knife. We provide branded work shirts and all jobsite PPE.
Why Work With Us
- Real seat time on good, well-maintained equipment — not a beat-up machine nobody's greased in a month
- Small crew, no bureaucracy, direct line to the owner. If something's dumb, say so and we'll change it
- Variety — no two jobs are the same, and you won't be doing the same 200 feet of trench for six months
- Wage growth tied to the skills you build, not just time on the payroll
- Work you can point at years later and know it's still doing its job
How to Apply
Apply through Indeed. Tell us what machines you've run, roughly how many hours, the kind of work you've done, and your availability. If you've got photos of work you're proud of, send them — we'd rather see a finished pad or a clean trench than read a polished resume.
Job Type: Full-time Pay: $28.00 – $36.00 per hour Expected hours: 40 per week Shift: 10-hour shift, day shiftExperience: Heavy equipment operation, 1 year (Required) Work Location: In person, multiple locations
Pay: $28.00 - $36.00 per hour
Work Location: In person
