Heavy Equipment Superintendent

Meridian Engineering Company; Tucson, Northern (AZ, KY); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Meridian Engineering in Tucson, AZ seeks an experienced Heavy Equipment Superintendent to lead mechanics and improve fleet reliability and readiness. This hands-on leadership role requires diagnosing complex failures, planning complete repairs, and driving safety and quality.

You will mentor mechanics, set priorities, and coordinate with Parts, Yard, and Operations to keep projects on track. Regional travel is expected as needed.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on heavy-equipment mechanical experience strongly preferred, including significant experience diagnosing and repairing construction equipment.
• Leadership experience as a Lead Mechanic, Shop Foreman, Equipment/Maintenance Superintendent, or comparable role.
• Strong knowledge of CAT, Deere, and/or comparable heavy-equipment platforms.
• Advanced troubleshooting capability across diesel engines, hydraulics, electrical systems, powertrain, undercarriage, and related systems.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, develop, and hold mechanics accountable.
• Strong understanding of preventive maintenance, inspections, diagnostics, and equipment repair practices.
• Ability to prioritize multiple equipment issues based on operational impact.
• Strong communication skills with mechanics, operators, project leadership, vendors, and management.
• Ability to work in both shop/yard and field environments and travel regionally as required.

Responsibilities

• Lead, direct, mentor, and develop heavy-equipment mechanics.
• Establish daily repair priorities and mechanic assignments.
• Set clear expectations for productivity, workmanship, safety, documentation, and completion.
• Review work in progress, remove barriers, and hold the team accountable for results.
• Coach mechanics on troubleshooting, repair techniques, and efficient work practices.
• Ensure equipment is properly inspected and triaged before repairs begin.
• Assist with complex troubleshooting and diagnosis when needed.
• Ensure mechanics identify the complete repair requirement, not simply the first failed component.
• Review significant or high-cost repairs and determine when dealer or specialty support is appropriate.
• Ensure completed repairs are tested and equipment is safe and fully operational before returning to service.
• Drive disciplined preventive-maintenance and inspection practices.
• Identify recurring failures and address root causes.
• Proactively identify developing equipment issues before they become major failures.
• Coordinate repair priorities with equipment status, operational needs, and parts availability.
• Provide sound technical input on major repair-versus-replace decisions.
• Support Superintendents and field teams with equipment problems and significant breakdowns.
• Conduct field inspections when equipment condition or recurring failures require additional review.
• Identify equipment abuse, improper operation, or maintenance concerns and address them with field leadership.
• Ensure repair activity, inspections, parts requirements and completed work are properly documented.
• Maintain high standards for shop safety, organization, tooling, and housekeeping.

Skills

Hands-on heavy-equipment experience

Leadership experience

CAT/Deere knowledge

Advanced diagnostics

Preventive maintenance

Communication skills

Shop/field leadership

Field travel capability

Job description

About the Opportunity

Meridian Engineering is a heavy civil and industrial contractor supporting projects throughout Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. Our fleet includes heavy earthmoving and construction equipment, trucks, trailers, and support equipment operating in demanding field environments.

Think Like a Mechanic. Lead Like a Superintendent.

• Can you walk up to a down machine and know where to start?
• Can you tell the difference between fixing the immediate problem and fixing everything needed to put that machine reliably back to work?
• Have you earned enough credibility in the shop that experienced mechanics will listen when you challenge the diagnosis or repair plan?
• Can you lead a team where “good enough” isn’t good enough—and where equipment doesn’t go back to the field until it’s truly ready?

If those questions sound like how you’ve spent your career, we should talk.

We are seeking an experienced Heavy Equipment Superintendent to lead our mechanics and improve the reliability, readiness, and performance of our equipment fleet.

This is a hands-on mechanical leadership role. We need a proven heavy-equipment mechanic who has developed into a strong leader—someone who knows how equipment fails, can diagnose problems correctly, understands what a complete repair requires, and can technically lead mechanics in safely and efficiently getting equipment back into service.

The Leader We’re Looking For

We want someone who has been a mechanic, understands mechanics, and knows heavy equipment—and has progressed into a leader who sets standards, develops people, and drives accountability.

This leader doesn’t simply ask, “Is the repair done?” They ask:

Was it diagnosed correctly? Was everything identified? Was it repaired correctly? Was it tested? And is it truly ready to go back to work?

That is the standard this position will establish across our mechanic team.

What Success Looks Like

• Reduced downtime and increased fleet availability.
• Preventive maintenance and inspections completed on schedule.
• Faster, more accurate diagnosis and repair.
• Fewer repeat failures, callbacks, and incomplete repairs.
• Equipment fully operational and ready when projects need it.
• Reduced unnecessary rental expense caused by equipment downtime.
• Clear mechanic priorities, assignments, and accountability.
• Strong coordination between Mechanics, Parts, Yard, and Operations.
• A productive, technically capable, safety-focused mechanic team.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the Mechanic Team

• Lead, direct, mentor, and develop heavy-equipment mechanics.
• Establish daily repair priorities and mechanic assignments.
• Set clear expectations for productivity, workmanship, safety, documentation, and completion.
• Review work in progress, remove barriers, and hold the team accountable for results.
• Coach mechanics on troubleshooting, repair techniques, and efficient work practices.

Drive Inspection, Diagnosis & Repair Quality

• Ensure equipment is properly inspected and triaged before repairs begin.
• Assist with complex troubleshooting and diagnosis when needed.
• Ensure mechanics identify the complete repair requirement, not simply the first failed component.
• Review significant or high-cost repairs and determine when dealer or specialty support is appropriate.
• Ensure completed repairs are tested and equipment is safe and fully operational before returning to service.

Improve Preventive Maintenance & Reliability

• Drive disciplined preventive-maintenance and inspection practices.
• Identify recurring failures and address root causes.
• Proactively identify developing equipment issues before they become major failures.
• Coordinate repair priorities with equipment status, operational needs, and parts availability.
• Provide sound technical input on major repair-versus-replace decisions.

Support the Field & Maintain Standards

• Support Superintendents and field teams with equipment problems and significant breakdowns.
• Conduct field inspections when equipment condition or recurring failures require additional review.
• Identify equipment abuse, improper operation, or maintenance concerns and address them with field leadership.
• Ensure repair activity, inspections, parts requirements and completed work are properly documented.
• Maintain high standards for shop safety, organization, tooling, and housekeeping.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of hands-on heavy-equipment mechanical experience strongly preferred, including significant experience diagnosing and repairing construction equipment.
• Leadership experience as a Lead Mechanic, Shop Foreman, Equipment/Maintenance Superintendent, or comparable role.
• Strong knowledge of CAT, Deere, and/or comparable heavy-equipment platforms.
• Advanced troubleshooting capability across diesel engines, hydraulics, electrical systems, powertrain, undercarriage, and related systems.
• Demonstrated ability to lead, coach, develop, and hold mechanics accountable.
• Strong understanding of preventive maintenance, inspections, diagnostics, and equipment repair practices.
• Ability to prioritize multiple equipment issues based on operational impact.
• Strong communication skills with mechanics, operators, project leadership, vendors, and management.
• Ability to work in both shop/yard and field environments and travel regionally as required.

Our expectation is straightforward: diagnose it right, fix it right, and return equipment to the field safe, reliable, and ready to perform.