Residential Site Work Lead / Equipment Operator
Company: Whitis Contracting LLC
Location: Central Kentucky
Job Type: Full-Time
Pay: Based on character, experience, ability, and overall fit
Schedule: Monday–Friday, with occasional overtime or weekend work depending on project needs
About Whitis Contracting LLC
Whitis Contracting LLC is a custom home building and general contracting company based in Central Kentucky. We build premium custom homes and manage residential construction projects from start to finish.
We are looking for a Residential Site Work Lead / Excavator Operator who can take ownership of residential excavation and site work. This person will be responsible for helping install and complete the site-work portion of our projects to the Whitis standard.
Most of this work will be for Whitis Contracting LLC projects, but we will also provide site-work services for homeowners, other builders, and outside clients when it fits our schedule and standards.
This is not a position for someone who only wants to sit in a machine. We need someone who understands residential construction, takes pride in clean and accurate work, communicates well, and can be trusted to make sure the job is done right.
Position Overview
The Residential Site Work Lead / Excavator Operator will be responsible for residential site work including house foundations, shop foundations, utilities, driveways, drainage, rough grading, final grading, and all other related excavation work.
The right person must be able to own the role, understand the full scope of the work, communicate clearly, operate equipment safely, manage the site-work process, and make sure each phase is completed properly.
This position requires someone who can look ahead, identify problems, protect the schedule, understand costs, and take responsibility for the quality and completion of their work.
Right now, this work is primarily residential. The main focus will be Whitis Contracting LLC custom home projects, but this role may also include work for homeowners, other builders, and outside residential clients.
Key Responsibilities
Responsibilities may include:
- Taking ownership of residential excavation and site-work responsibilities
- Installing and preparing house foundations
- Installing and preparing shop foundations
- Excavating for footers, crawlspaces, basements, pads, and related foundation work
- Coordinating and completing utility trenching and utility preparation
- Installing and preparing driveways, driveway entrances, stone bases, and access areas
- Managing drainage, swales, culverts, water flow, and site water management
- Performing rough grading around homes, shops, driveways, and residential lots
- Prepping areas for sidewalks, porches, patios, garages, and concrete flatwork
- Operating excavators, skid steers, loaders, compactors, and other site-work equipment
- Reading and following site plans, layouts, elevations, stakes, and project instructions
- Working around house corners, setbacks, utility markings, survey stakes, and finished work
- Loading, moving, grading, spreading, and compacting dirt, rock, gravel, and other materials
- Keeping jobsites clean, safe, organized, and accessible
- Communicating with management, project leaders, homeowners, builders, concrete crews, utility crews, subcontractors, and other team members
- Identifying site issues early and helping solve problems before they delay the project
- Understanding how time, labor, materials, trucking, equipment use, rework, and poor planning affect job profitability
- Helping track job-related needs, materials, and work completed so projects stay organized and profitable
- Performing daily equipment checks and basic maintenance
- Reporting equipment issues, safety concerns, material needs, or jobsite problems quickly
- Helping with general labor when needed to complete the job
- Representing Whitis Contracting LLC professionally when working with outside clients, homeowners, and builders
- Protecting the quality, reputation, and standards of Whitis Contracting LLC
Financial Understanding
This role requires someone who understands that site work is not just about getting dirt moved. It is about getting the work done correctly, efficiently, and profitably.
The right person needs to understand that every decision affects the job. Time, labor, fuel, equipment hours, trucking, material quantities, gravel, stone, drainage pipe, callbacks, rework, and poor planning all impact the bottom line.
We are looking for someone who can think ahead, avoid waste, protect materials, plan equipment use, communicate needs early, and help keep jobs on schedule and within budget.
This person does not need to be an accountant, but they do need to understand job cost, efficiency, productivity, and profitability. We need someone who treats the company’s money, equipment, materials, and reputation like they matter.
What We Are Looking For
We are looking for someone who is:
- Experienced in residential excavation and site work
- Skilled with excavators, skid steers, and related equipment
- Able to take ownership of the work from start to finish
- Responsible for getting the job done correctly without needing to be chased
- Knowledgeable in foundations, driveways, utilities, drainage, grading, and site prep
- Able to understand grades, elevations, water flow, and jobsite layout
- Comfortable communicating with homeowners, builders, subcontractors, and internal team members
- Careful around stakes, utilities, structures, concrete, and finished work
- Financially aware and able to understand how job decisions affect cost, schedule, and profit
- Dependable and consistent
- Positive, professional, and respectful
- Hardworking and willing to help wherever needed
- Able to follow directions and communicate clearly
- Able to work independently while still being part of a team
- Willing to take care of equipment, tools, and company property
- Focused on quality, safety, efficiency, and doing things the right way
Required Qualifications
The ideal candidate should have:
- Experience operating an excavator
- Experience operating a skid steer
- Experience with residential foundation excavation
- Experience with driveway prep and grading
- Experience with utility trenching and site drainage
- Basic understanding of job cost, efficiency, material use, and productivity
- Valid driver’s license
- Reliable transportation
- Ability to lift, carry, shovel, rake, and perform physical labor when needed
- Basic understanding of jobsite safety
- Ability to show up consistently and work a full schedule
- Positive attitude and strong work ethic
Preferred Qualifications
Preferred experience includes:
- New home foundation excavation
- Shop foundation preparation
- Basement, crawlspace, slab, and footer excavation
- Utility trenching and backfill
- Driveway installation, grading, and stone base preparation
- Drainage, culverts, swales, and water management
- Rough grading and lot preparation
- Sidewalk, porch, patio, and flatwork prep
- Reading basic site plans, grades, and elevations
- Working around pins, stakes, setbacks, utility markings, and inspections
- Residential construction site prep
- Equipment maintenance
- Experience working directly with homeowners or builders
- Understanding of estimating, job costing, material quantities, or production tracking
- CDL is a plus, but not required unless specifically needed
The Whitis Standard
At Whitis Contracting LLC, we care about quality, communication, accountability, organization, profitability, and doing what we say we are going to do.
This position is for someone who understands that site work is one of the most important parts of a residential construction project. Poor excavation, bad drainage, improper grading, weak driveway prep, careless foundation work, or poor financial awareness can create major problems later.
Whether the work is for a Whitis project, a homeowner, another builder, or an outside client, the expectation is the same: do the work correctly, communicate clearly, protect the schedule, protect the budget, and represent the company well.
We are not looking for someone who cuts corners, abuses equipment, ignores drainage, wastes materials, brings a bad attitude, or needs to be chased down every day.
We are looking for someone dependable, skilled, positive, careful, financially aware, and willing to own the role.
Compensation & Growth Opportunity
Pay will be based on character, experience, ability, equipment skills, work ethic, responsibility, financial understanding, and overall fit.
This is a long-term opportunity for the right person. As the company grows, there may be additional opportunities for leadership, higher pay, more responsibility, and performance-based growth.
The better you do, the better you do. We believe in rewarding people who add value, solve problems, take care of equipment, work safely, protect the schedule, protect profit, and help move projects forward.
Work Environment
This role includes outdoor residential construction work in a fast-moving environment. Work may include dirt work, mud, rock, heat, cold, tight areas, active jobsites, and changing daily priorities.
The right person must be comfortable working around equipment, materials, subcontractors, homeowners, inspectors, builders, concrete crews, utility crews, and other team members.
Custom home building and residential site work require strong site preparation, clean excavation, proper drainage, accurate grading, financial awareness, and attention to detail. Details matter here.
How to Apply
Please submit your resume or work history and a short message explaining your excavation, foundation, driveway, utility, drainage, grading, equipment, and job-cost experience.
We are looking for someone who is dependable, skilled, positive, hardworking, financially aware, and capable of owning the residential site-work role from start to finish.
If you take pride in clean, accurate, profitable site work and want to be part of a growing construction company, we would like to hear from you.
Pay: $23.00 - $42.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- Paid time off
Work Location: In person
