Heavy Equipment Manager – Earthwork & Civil Construction
Company: PNK Group / MS Park Construction
Position: Heavy Equipment Manager
Employment Type: Full-Time
Industry: Heavy Civil / Earthwork / Site Development
Travel: Regular travel to active project sites required
Position Summary
PNK Group is seeking an experienced Heavy Equipment Manager to take ownership of the equipment fleet supporting our growing Earthwork & Civil Division.
This is a hands-on leadership position responsible for fleet readiness, preventive maintenance, repairs, utilization, rentals, dispatch, cost control, and equipment planning across multiple active construction projects.
We are looking for someone who understands heavy civil construction and knows that equipment availability directly affects production. The right candidate will be comfortable working with project leadership, superintendents, mechanics, operators, dealers, rental companies, and vendors to keep equipment productive and reduce unnecessary downtime and cost.
This is not strictly an office or shop management position. The Equipment Manager will regularly visit projects, inspect equipment, identify problems, coordinate repairs, and make decisions about whether equipment should be repaired, moved, rented, replaced, or removed from service.
Key Responsibilities
- Manage the company's heavy construction equipment fleet across multiple projects.
- Maintain accurate records of equipment location, hours, condition, utilization, maintenance, and repair history.
- Develop and enforce preventive maintenance schedules.
- Coordinate field repairs, shop repairs, dealer service, warranty work, and emergency breakdown response.
- Hold mechanics and service vendors accountable for repair schedules and quality.
- Monitor equipment utilization and identify underutilized or unnecessary equipment.
- Recommend when equipment should be transferred between projects, returned to a rental company, repaired, replaced, purchased, or sold.
- Manage rental equipment and prevent unnecessary rental costs.
- Coordinate equipment mobilization and demobilization between projects.
- Work with project superintendents and division leadership to forecast upcoming equipment requirements.
- Inspect equipment condition at active projects.
- Ensure operators are completing required daily equipment inspections.
- Track recurring equipment damage and identify operator, maintenance, or application issues.
- Establish equipment cleanliness and care standards.
- Maintain appropriate spare parts, filters, fluids, wear parts, and service materials.
- Coordinate equipment GPS/telematics and hour tracking.
- Develop equipment operating-cost information for estimating and project cost control.
- Assist management with annual equipment purchasing and replacement plans.
- Maintain relationships with Caterpillar, Komatsu, John Deere, Volvo, rental companies, dealerships, and other equipment vendors.
- Review repair and rental invoices for accuracy.
- Control equipment maintenance and repair costs while maintaining operational reliability.
- Support field operations during major breakdowns or production-critical equipment issues.
- Promote safe operation and ensure damaged or unsafe equipment is removed from service immediately.
Equipment Experience
Candidates should have strong experience managing equipment commonly used in heavy civil and earthwork construction, including:
- Excavators
- Bulldozers
- Motor graders
- Wheel loaders
- Articulated dump trucks
- Scrapers and scraper systems
- Compactors and rollers
- Skid steers and compact track loaders
- Water trucks
- Off-road trucks
- Pavers and grading equipment
- Utility construction equipment
- GPS/machine-control equipped equipment
- Support vehicles and attachments
Qualifications
- 7+ years of heavy equipment, fleet, maintenance, or equipment-management experience preferred.
- Strong background in heavy civil, earthwork, excavation, grading, utilities, mining, aggregates, or large-scale site development.
- Working knowledge of diesel equipment, hydraulics, electrical systems, undercarriages, drivetrain components, and preventive maintenance.
- Ability to evaluate equipment problems and determine the most practical repair solution.
- Experience managing mechanics, vendors, dealerships, and rental companies.
- Experience managing a geographically distributed equipment fleet strongly preferred.
- Strong understanding of equipment utilization and owning/operating costs.
- Ability to work directly with field superintendents and operators.
- Comfortable using fleet-management software, telematics, spreadsheets, and mobile reporting systems.
- Strong organizational and communication skills.
- Valid driver's license.
- Ability and willingness to travel regularly between active project locations.
What We Are Looking For
We want an equipment professional who takes ownership of the fleet.
The successful candidate should be someone who walks a project, sees an idle machine, and asks why it is there; sees a leaking or damaged machine and gets it corrected; recognizes when a repair is costing more than replacement; and understands that every hour of equipment downtime can affect an entire earthwork operation.
This individual must be able to balance production, reliability, safety, and cost rather than simply approving repairs or ordering equipment.
Leadership Expectations
The Heavy Equipment Manager will work directly with Earthwork & Civil Division leadership and will have meaningful authority over:
- Equipment assignments
- Equipment transfers
- Maintenance priorities
- Repair decisions
- Rental recommendations
- Vendor coordination
- Fleet utilization
- Replacement recommendations
- Mechanic workload and priorities
The position will play a key role in building a disciplined equipment-management system as PNK Group continues expanding its self-perform earthwork and civil operations.
Why Join PNK Group?
This is an opportunity to help build and improve the equipment organization supporting a rapidly growing heavy civil operation.
The right person will have the opportunity to influence how the fleet is maintained, utilized, standardized, tracked, and replaced while working directly with senior operational leadership.
Job Type: Full-time
Experience:
Heavy equipment/fleet management: 7 years preferred
Heavy civil or earthwork construction: 5 years preferred
Travel: Required
PNK Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
Pay: $150,000.00 - $175,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
Experience:
- Heavy equipment management: 5 years (Required)
Willingness to travel:
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Wilkes-Barre, PA 18701
