Crawler Crane Workshop Foreman

Smith Crane & Construction; Christchurch; On-site; NZD 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive remuneration

Career development opportunities

Job summary

Smith Crane & Construction in Christchurch, New Zealand is seeking an experienced Crawler Crane Workshop Foreman. You will lead a skilled workshop team, coordinate maintenance, diagnostics and repairs across a crawler crane fleet, and ensure safety and quality.

The role involves travel across the South Island and between the Lower North Island to support major projects. You should have 2+ years in a foreman or senior mechanical role, strong crane maintenance experience, and a NZ Driver Licence.

Qualifications

• 2+ years’ experience in a workshop foreman, supervisor or senior mechanical role.
• Strong heavy machinery or crane maintenance experience.
• Experience diagnosing mechanical, hydraulic and electrical faults.
• Full New Zealand Driver Licence.
• Ability to pass a drug & alcohol test and pre-employment medical.
• Physically fit and able to work in varied environments.
• Able to travel for work as required.
• Strong communication and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate daily maintenance, servicing and repairs across the crawler crane fleet.
• Diagnose mechanical, hydraulic and electrical faults and assist with complex repairs and breakdowns.
• Plan preventative maintenance and work closely with Operations to minimise downtime.
• Lead, allocate work and provide technical support to mechanics and apprentices.
• Coordinate parts, materials and workshop resources to keep jobs moving.
• Inspect completed work and maintain high standards of quality and safety.
• Support fabrication and workshop activities when required.
• Maintain accurate timesheets, job cards, maintenance records and paperwork for compliance and auditing.
• Lead toolbox meetings, safety observations and corrective actions.
• Keep team training, competencies and certifications up to date.
• Drive continuous improvement across workshop processes and maintenance systems.

Skills

Workshop foreman experience

Heavy machinery maintenance

Crane maintenance

Fault diagnosis

Leadership

Travel for work

NZ Driver Licence

Health & safety awareness

Job description

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Smith Crane & Construction – Christchurch, South Island

Big machines. Big projects. Big responsibility. We’re looking for an experienced Crawler Crane Workshop Foreman to take the lead and keep our crawler crane fleet performing at its best. If you’re the person everyone calls when the machinery isn’t doing what it should, this could be the role for you.

This is a hands-on role where you’ll be working with some seriously impressive equipment, leading a skilled workshop team and tackling everything from preventative maintenance to complex fault-finding and repairs. You’ll keep the team moving, the cranes running and downtime to a minimum, all while making sure the job is done safely and to a high standard.

It’s not just a workshop role travel is part of the adventure. You’ll travel throughout the South Island and between the Lower North Island, supporting crawler crane maintenance and major projects wherever the fleet is working. If you like variety, big machinery and no two days being quite the same, we want to hear from you.

About Us:

Smith Crane and Construction is a family-owned business with over 30 years of experience, offering exceptional service across crane hire, civil construction (including marine civil and pre-cast manufacturing), transportation, and wind energy installation and maintenance. We pride ourselves on our strong team culture, commitment to safety, and continuing our family tradition of excellent customer focus and job execution

What You’ll Be Doing

Lead and coordinate daily maintenance, servicing and repairs across the crawler crane fleet.

Diagnose mechanical, hydraulic and electrical faults and assist with complex repairs and breakdowns.

Plan preventative maintenance and work closely with Operations to minimise downtime.

Lead, allocate work and provide technical support to mechanics and apprentices.

Coordinate parts, materials and workshop resources to keep jobs moving.

Inspect completed work and maintain high standards of quality and safety.

Support fabrication and workshop activities when required.

Maintain accurate timesheets, job cards, maintenance records and paperwork for compliance and auditing.

Lead toolbox meetings, safety observations and corrective actions.

Keep team training, competencies and certifications up to date.

Drive continuous improvement across workshop processes and maintenance systems.

What We’re Looking For

We’re looking for someone who is technically strong, organised and confident leading a team. You’ll ideally have:

2+ years’ experience in a workshop foreman, supervisor or senior mechanical role.

Strong heavy machinery or crane maintenance experience.

Experience diagnosing mechanical, hydraulic and electrical faults.

Full New Zealand Driver Licence.

Ability to pass a drug & alcohol test and pre-employment medical

Physically fit and able to work in varied environments

Able to travel for work as required

Strong communication and leadership skills.

The ability to prioritise work and remain calm under pressure.

A practical, hands-on approach with a strong focus on quality and safety.

Why Join Us?

A modern, fully equipped service vehicle (for work and commute use)

Competitive remuneration with time and a half after 40 hours

The chance to work on major infrastructure projects across New Zealand and overseas.

Exposure to complex, large-scale machinery and technically challenging work

Ongoing training, certification support, and career development

A supportive, experienced team that values skill, safety, and workmanship

Please note, successful candidates will be subject to pre-employment drug and alcohol testing, a pre-employment medical and police vetting.

You must also have the right to legally live and work in New Zealand to be considered for this position.