Heavy Equipment Operator

Beacon Recycling; Muskegon (MI); On-site; USD 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Beacon Recycling in Grand Rapids is seeking a Heavy Equipment Operator to keep material flowing through our outdoor yard. You will move between machines and duties, loading, sorting, and loading outbound material while staying safety-conscious.

Ideal candidates have 3–5 years of related equipment experience, familiarity with railcars, and the ability to troubleshoot minor issues. This full-time, first-shift role offers an active outdoor environment and opportunities to grow with the team.

Qualifications

• Experience operating material handlers, wheel loaders, excavators, forklifts, and skid steers.
• Metal recycling or scrap yard experience preferred.
• Railcar loading experience is a plus.
• Strong mechanical aptitude and ability to troubleshoot minor equipment.

Responsibilities

• Operate material handlers, wheel loaders, excavators, forklifts, skid steers, and other heavy equipment.
• Load, unload, sort, and position scrap metal and other materials.
• Load and unload railcars and prepare material for shipment or processing.
• Perform daily pre-start inspections and maintain records.
• Identify equipment concerns and communicate with maintenance for repairs.
• Keep the yard safe, clean, and organized.

Skills

Safety-conscious

Mechanically inclined

Dependable

Independent worker

Strong work ethic

Tools

Liebherr

CAT

Fuchs

Railcar loading

Job description

Move Material. Run Heavy Equipment. Keep the Yard Moving.

At Beacon Recycling, our Heavy Equipment Operators are the people who keep material flowing through our Grand Rapids facility. They operate material handlers, loaders, excavators, forklifts, skid steers, and other equipment to unload customers, sort and process metals, load outbound material, and keep the yard moving safely and efficiently.

If you're an experienced equipment operator who is comfortable around large machinery, has good mechanical instincts, and enjoys staying busy in a fast-moving outdoor operation, you'll fit right in.

This isn't a job where you'll sit in one machine doing the same thing all day. You'll move between equipment and responsibilities, work throughout the yard, interact with customers and coworkers, and play a direct role in keeping the entire operation productive.

This position reports directly to the General Manager of our Grand Rapids facility.

What You'll Do

No two days are exactly the same. You may find yourself:

• Operating material handlers, wheel loaders, excavators, forklifts, skid steers, and other heavy equipment
• Loading, unloading, moving, sorting, and positioning scrap metal and other materials
• Loading and unloading railcars and positioning material safely for shipment or processing
• Safely handling material around trucks, customers, coworkers, equipment, and processing areas
• Performing daily pre-start inspections and maintaining required records
• Identifying equipment concerns before they become larger problems
• Performing minor equipment troubleshooting and communicating mechanical issues to maintenance when repairs are needed
• Learning to identify and properly sort different grades of ferrous and non-ferrous metals
• Helping customers safely unload material when needed
• Communicating professionally with customers regarding material, inventory, deliveries, or other basic questions
• Keeping the yard, traffic areas, and work areas clean and organized
• Identifying and immediately reporting safety hazards
• Supporting other areas of the operation when needed to keep material moving efficiently

What Success Looks Like

Our best Heavy Equipment Operators are:

• Highly safety-conscious
• Dependable and consistent
• Alert and aware of their surroundings
• Comfortable making decisions while operating equipment
• Productive without sacrificing safety
• Self-motivated
• Detail-oriented
• Mechanically inclined
• Comfortable working independently
• Willing to jump in wherever the operation needs help
• Proud of taking care of their equipment and work area

You'll Thrive Here If You...

Enjoy operating heavy equipment

Like working outdoors and staying active

Are comfortable working around trucks, machinery, customers, and moving material

Take safety seriously every time you climb into a machine

Can stay focused in a busy industrial environment

Have good mechanical instincts and can recognize when something isn't operating correctly

Don't mind getting dirty

Like variety instead of doing the exact same task all day

Take pride in being dependable and showing up ready to work

Can work independently without someone constantly looking over your shoulder

Enjoy being part of a hardworking team

What We're Looking For

We're more interested in your ability, work ethic, and equipment experience than having the perfect résumé.

Ideal candidates will have experience with:

• Safe operation of material handlers, wheel loaders, excavators, forklifts, and skid steers
• Previous metal recycling or scrap yard experience
• Heavy equipment used in industrial, recycling, construction, aggregate, or material-handling environments
• Railcar loading experience
• Strong mechanical aptitude and the ability to perform minor equipment troubleshooting
• Welding or torch-cutting experience
• Forklift certification
• Liebherr, CAT, Fuchs, or similar heavy equipment
• Loading and unloading trucks, trailers, and material
• Working safely around moving equipment, vehicle traffic, customers, and pedestrians
• Performing equipment inspections and identifying basic mechanical problems
• Material sorting and handling
• Working independently in an active outdoor environment

Approximately 3–5 years of related equipment experience is preferred, but we will consider candidates with strong transferable heavy equipment experience.

Previous scrap metal or recycling experience is helpful, but not required. We'll teach you the metals. You need to bring the ability to operate equipment safely, learn quickly, stay productive, and take care of the equipment you're trusted with.

Schedule

This is a full-time, first-shift position at our Grand Rapids facility.

Typical Schedule: 5:30 AM – 3:30 PM Monday-Friday

Employees in this role generally average 45–50 hours per week, depending on workload and operational needs.

Dependability is extremely important. Our operation relies on everyone being here, ready to work, when the day starts.

Work Environment

This position is primarily outdoors in an active scrap metal recycling facility.