Lead Heavy Equipment Operator & Grading Foreman

Edwards Construction Group; Arroyo Grande (CA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Dental/vision insurance

Education bonus

Career growth

Job summary

Edwards Construction Group is seeking an experienced Operator Foreman to lead a small crew while operating heavy equipment in earthwork, grading, and underground utilities across California. The role blends hands-on operation with leadership, safety, and mentoring responsibilities for the next generation of operators.

You will run multiple machines, read blueprints and grade plans, and ensure production stays on schedule.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of heavy equipment operating in earthwork and underground utilities.
• 1+ year as lead operator, foreman, or crew lead preferred.
• Proficient on multiple machines (excavator, dozer, loader, grader).
• Hands-on GPS machine control experience and ability to read grade stakes/elevations.

Responsibilities

• Operate heavy equipment daily across excavators, dozers, loaders, graders, scrapers, backhoes, skid steers, and compactors.
• Lead a crew of 2–4 operators and laborers on excavation, grading, and underground utilities.
• Perform mass excavation, trenching, backfilling, and grading per plan and specs.
• Run GPS machine-control grading; verify grades, elevations, and cut/fill using site plans.
• Interpret blueprints, site plans and elevations for daily work.
• Plan daily equipment work and coordinate deliveries to keep on schedule.
• Train and mentor operators on safe operation and production targets.
• Perform pre-shift inspections and schedule major repairs.
• Enforce OSHA safety protocols, trench safety, and utility locates.
• Monitor soil and compaction with inspectors; load/unload between sites.
• Maintain daily logs and submit timesheets; communicate with foreman/superintendent.

Skills

Heavy equipment

Crew leadership

GPS machine control

Blueprint reading

Safety compliance

CDL/driver license

OSHA training

Communication

Tools

GPS machine control systems (Trimble/Topcon/Leica)

Job description

Edwards Construction Group is seeking an experienced Operator Foreman to lead a small crew while operating heavy equipment in earthwork, grading, and underground utilities across California. The role blends hands-on operation with leadership, safety, and mentoring responsibilities for the next generation of operators.

You will run multiple machines, read blueprints and grade plans, and ensure production stays on schedule.