Small Equipment Operator
Be Real-Better Everyday-Be a pillar of our community
The short version
We're a team with character — the kind who look out for each other and everyone around them. What we're missing is someone who's happiest with a set of controls in their hands. You'll run our stump grinders and mini skid steers on residential and light commercial jobs — grinding, hauling brush and rounds, and cleaning up sites.
This isn't a climbing job. You don't need a saddle or a chainsaw certification to apply. What you need is a feel for machines, patience for slow and careful work, and the judgment to know when to stop and think instead of pushing through.
What you'll run
- Stump grinders — walk-behind and self-propelled units
- Mini skid steers / compact track loaders with grapple, forks, and bucket attachments
- Chipper — feeding and basic operation
- Truck and trailer — loading, strapping, and towing equipment between sites
- Small/Medium Excavators with grapple and bucket attachments
- Ground saw work, blowers, rakes, and everything else that comes with a cleanup crew
A typical day
You roll out with the crew in the morning, hit two to three sites, and work through the list. On a stump job, that means walking the site, confirming utility locates, laying protection on turf and hardscape, grinding to spec, backfilling or hauling out chips, and leaving a clean edge. On a removal job, you’re skidding rounds and brush out of a backyard through a gate with four inches to spare, without touching the fence.
Between jobs you’re greasing machines, checking hydraulic lines, rotating and swapping grinder teeth, and topping off fluids. Equipment that gets looked after runs. We take that seriously.
You’ll also talk to homeowners. Not a sales pitch — just being the person who explains what’s about to happen in their yard and answers the question about whether the grass will come back.
Who thrives here
The best operators we’ve had share a few things:
- They're mechanically inclined. They hear a machine start to labor and back off before something breaks. They don’t force a cut.
- They're patient. Grinding a 30-inch maple stump is slow work. Rushing it dulls teeth, throws debris, and costs more time than it saves.
- They have spatial awareness. Threading a mini skid through a gate, off a slope, or around a septic field without leaving ruts is a real skill.
- They're self-directed. Once you know the job, you shouldn’t need someone standing over you.
- They take utility locates seriously — every time. Gas lines, irrigation, invisible fence, septic, fibre. There is no stump urgent enough to skip a locate.
- They own their mistakes. Everyone puts a track through a flower bed eventually. We want to hear about it from you, not the customer.
What we're looking forRequired
- Unrestricted class 5 driver’s licence with a clean abstract
- Comfortable towing and backing a trailer
- Physically able to work outdoors year-round in heat, cold, and rain
- Reliable transportation to the shop and a track record of showing up on time
- Willingness to work safely and wear PPE without being reminded
Strongly preferred
- 2+ years running stump grinders, skid steers, mini skid steers, or comparable compact equipment
- Tree care, landscaping, excavation, forestry, or agricultural background
- Basic small-engine and hydraulic troubleshooting
- Chainsaw experience for ground cutting
- First aid / CPR
Nice to have
- Traffic control ticket
- Experience quoting or measuring stump jobs
- Air brake endorsement for our larger trucks
- We’ll train the right person on our specific machines. We can’t train someone to care about the work.
Physical requirements
Long periods standing, walking on uneven ground, bending, and operating controls. Working around loud equipment, dust, and flying debris. Full-day outdoor shifts.
Pay and benefits
- $32–$36 plus per hour, based on experience and what you can run on day one
- Extended benefits after 90 days
- All PPE and safety gear provided
- Boot allowance
- Four-day work week — 10-hour days, three days off every week
- Steady year-round work
Pay: $32.00-$36.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Company events
- Dental care
- Extended health care
Work Location: In person
