Assistant Street Superintendent/Mechanic
City Of Big Rapids
USD 65,603-65,603 / year
Posted on Dec 16, 2025
Assistant Street Superintendent/Mechanic
The Position
The Assistant Street Superintendent/Mechanic is supervised at the pleasure of the Street Superintendent and holds the responsibility of supervising City Garage employees. The position is responsible for planning, directing coordinating and supervising the operation of the City's Motor Pool under the general direction of the Street Superintendent. Additionally, this individual is expected to possess knowledge of overall Public Works operations in order to assist the Street Superintendent and direct operations in his absence.
Other key responsibilities of this position include:
- Planning, coordinating and supervising the maintenance and repair of light and heavy equipment and machinery, including tractors, graders, bulldozers, front-end loaders and backhoes; maintains and manages the City's vehicle fleet including Police, Fire, and Dial-A-Ride vehicles. Develops long-range equipment and fleet replacement strategies.
- Facilitates effective working relationships among department employees and other City departments.
- Develops estimates for the repair and maintenance of equipment; maintains computerized records on equipment work orders, inventory, and equipment data; develops computerized preventative maintenance programs.
- Coordinates the development of specifications and the bidding process for the acquisition of supplies, parts, equipment, and services.
- Prepares written reports on Motor Pool activities, attends various meetings, and makes presentations as required.
- Prepares the operating Motor Pool budget and monitors budgetary expenditures. Ensures expenditures are maintained within the approved budget parameters. Assists the Street Superintendent with monitoring the overall department expenditures and budget.
- Collects the necessary date to develop recommendations for effective decision making.
- Confers with and advises subordinate staff to exchange information on and/or explain administrative and program objectives, safety operations, policies, procedures and standards, and to identify the characteristics and impact of work problems and formulate solutions.
- Negotiates and administers a variety of contracts and agreements. Arranges authorized warranty repairs and develops service agreements with vendors and private garages.
- Assists and participates in the hiring process of department personnel.
- Performs duties as directed by the Street Superintendent as his assistant in all operations of the Department of Public Works, including such things as may be necessary: planning, coordinating, and supervising street and park employees; responding to public inquiries and complaints; ensuring employees use proper safety precautions at their work sites, assisting in developing and monitoring the relative departmental budgets.
- Conducts performance evaluations and recommends disciplinary actions as needed.
- Plans, coordinates, and supervises the department's safety training program.
- Keeps abreast of changes in techniques, equipment manufacture, repair, and usage through continued education and professional growth. Attends conferences, workshops, and seminars as appropriate.
- Performs related departmental work as needed.
Qualifications
The minimum qualifications for this position include:
- A high school diploma with additional training in automotive mechanics or a related field. Additional education in accounting, business, public administration, system management or a related field is desirable.
- Minimum of five years' experience in supervision, fleet cost accounting, repair and maintenance of automotive, diesel, and heavy equipment is required.
- State of Michigan Heavy Duty Truck Master Mechanic Certification or equivalent is preferred.
- State of Michigan Brake Certification is preferred.
- Michigan State Driver's License, or equivalent, a time of hire and a commercial driver's license (CDL) with appropriate endorsements and a driving record acceptable to the City's risk manager is required.
- Extensive knowledge of principles, practices, procedures of automotive, diesel and heavy equipment repair and maintenance, skill in diagnosing and repairing mechanical, hydraulic, electronic and other automotive elated problems and the knowledge of equipment operational demands in the delivery of a full range of municipal services.
- Skill, experience and ability to plan, coordinate, organize, assign and supervise employees in the maintenance and repair of various City equipment and machinery.
- Ability to develop preventative maintenance programs and specifications for equipment acquisition and replacement.
- Extensive knowledge of fleet maintenance software applications, including Excel and word processing programs.
- Knowledge of applicable department, City, State and Federal laws and regulations.
- Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with fellow employees and the general public and use good judgement, initiative and resourcefulness when dealing with employees, vendors, manufacturers, contractors, other public works professionals, administrators, regulators and the public.
- Ability to work with vendors/suppliers courteously and tactfully.
- Ability to communicate, read, write and understand English at a level necessary to effectively communicate ideas and concepts orally and in writing.
- Ability to work effectively under stress and in emergencies, and to prioritize work.
- Ability to operate a wide variety of light and heavy equipment, and to train others in its usage.
- Ability to exercise sound judgement, decisiveness, and creativity in situations involving the direction, control and planning of multiple programs, such as procurement, leasing and outsourcing.
- Ability to establish comprehensive objectives and strategies for the division. Ability to consider all internal and external forces on division goals, guide planning for activities and continually review for effectiveness.
- Ability to perform complex data analysis. Ability to assimilate, modify or adapt existing methods to meet unusual conditions within context of established management principles.
We offer a beginning salary of $65,603 determined by experience and qualifications. Annual cost of living adjustments are made as adopted by the City Commission. This salary reflects our commitment to attracting and retaining outstanding talent.
In addition to salary, full-time non-bargaining employees enjoy a comprehensive benefits package, which includes:
- Medical coverage for you and your eligible dependents starting the first day of the month following your start date
- HSA contributions on eligible plans
- Dental and vision plans
- Life, AD&D, and Long-Term Disability benefits
- You will enjoy paid holidays that include: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve.
- Accrued Vacation and Sick Leave starting on your first day of employment.
- 4 personal days beginning after 90 days of employment
- Employee Assistance Program
- Longevity after the completion of 3 continuous years of service
- Retirement plan: You will be enrolled in the City's MERS (Michigan Employees Retirement System) Defined Contribution Plan. The City will contribute 10% of your compensation towards your retirement program and you will be required to contribute 5.5%. The City of Big Rapids also offers a supplemental 457 plan. When an employee contributes 3%, the City will contribute 1%.
- Optional Benefits: Voluntary life insurance and AD&D, Dependent Care, FSA option for eligible plan, and Aflac plans
A Note on Working Conditions
The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to communicate with others in person and on the telephone. The employee is frequently required to review and produce written and electronic documents; travel to other locations; and inspect and repair machinery and equipment. The employee is frequently required to perform work at various levels ranging from ground level to above head level. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move objects of moderate weight, utilize a computer and operate manual and power equipment tools.
While performing the duties of the job, the employee frequently works in an office setting and in a maintenance garage and occasionally works in the field. While performing the duties of the job, the employee frequently works near moving mechanical parts and/or heavy equipment. The employee is occasionally exposed to outside weather conditions, risk of electrical shock, vibration, fumes or airborne particles, and toxic or caustic chemicals. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate and can occasionally be loud.
The Application Process
To apply for this position, please fill out the full- time employment application, found here. To be considered for the position, you must provide a professional cover letter and resume.
For more information, please call (231)-592-4007 or email jaris@cityofbr.org.
Visit cityofbr.org to learn more about the City of Big Rapids, Michigan.
Copyright 2024 Hello West Michigan. All rights reserved.