Lead Mechanic

Type: Field & Shop-Based | Full-Time, Permanent | Hourly
Location: Grande Prairie, Alberta
Travel: Limited travel, estimated at 10% or less, including occasional travel to Drayton Valley.

About Our Client

Our client operates in the natural gas and energy sector, with manufacturing, repair, and field operations in Canada and the United States. The organization is seeking an experienced Lead Mechanic to take ownership of the maintenance, reliability, and readiness of its fleet and field equipment.

Based at the organization’s Grande Prairie facility, the Lead Mechanic will inspect and repair equipment returning from the field, completing repairs locally where possible before the equipment is safely returned to service. This is initially a stand-alone, senior hands-on position with the opportunity to help establish consistent maintenance practices and provide leadership as the function grows.

Key Responsibilities

As the Lead Mechanic, you will take ownership of mechanical maintenance, equipment reliability, and operational readiness. You will work directly on equipment while establishing disciplined maintenance processes, prioritizing work, coordinating external resources, and ensuring equipment is ready when Operations requires it.

Maintenance & Reliability

• Lead day-to-day mechanical maintenance activities for company equipment and fleet.
• Perform preventative, predictive, and corrective maintenance.
• Diagnose mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical/control, and equipment issues.
• Identify potential failures before they become operational problems.
• Establish and maintain preventative maintenance schedules.
• Ensure scheduled maintenance is completed on time and properly documented.
• Conduct post-job inspections and ensure equipment is returned to service in a safe and reliable condition.
• Troubleshoot breakdowns and coordinate emergency repairs when required.
• Perform root-cause analysis on recurring equipment failures.
• Develop equipment-specific maintenance procedures and checklists.

Equipment Readiness

• Maintain a clear understanding of the condition and availability of critical equipment.
• Establish daily and weekly equipment-readiness priorities with Operations.
• Identify equipment that is unavailable, at risk, or approaching required maintenance.
• Ensure equipment is properly inspected, maintained, repaired, and released before deployment.
• Work closely with Operations and Manufacturing to coordinate equipment availability.
• Inspect and repair equipment returning from the field, completing repairs at the Grande Prairie facility where possible.

Leadership & Coordination

• Coordinate vendors and external maintenance resources.
• Establish clear expectations for workmanship, safety, documentation, and productivity.
• Help develop standardized maintenance practices across the organization.
• Allocate maintenance resources based on equipment criticality and operational requirements.
• Support and mentor additional mechanics or technicians as the function grows.
• Promote accountability for completing work correctly and on schedule.

Parts & Vendor Management

• Identify critical spare parts and establish appropriate inventory levels.
• Work with Purchasing to ensure parts are available when required.
• Manage relationships with outside repair facilities and maintenance vendors.
• Obtain quotes and assist with repair-versus-replace decisions.
• Reduce unnecessary external maintenance costs by developing internal capabilities where practical.
• Ensure warranty opportunities are identified and pursued.

Safety & Compliance

• Perform all work in accordance with company safety policies and applicable legislation.
• Ensure equipment is maintained in a condition suitable for safe operation.
• Maintain accurate maintenance and inspection records.
• Participate in safety investigations and corrective actions where equipment is involved.
• Support QHSE and equipment-compliance programs.

Qualifications

To succeed in this role, candidates should demonstrate the following:

Experience & Qualifications

• Ideally 10+ years of industrial or heavy-equipment mechanical experience, preferably within energy, oil and gas, transportation, utilities, construction, or a similar environment.
• Journeyperson Heavy-Duty Mechanic certification or a comparable mechanical qualification is preferred.
• Experience maintaining heavy equipment, trailers, trucks, pumps, compressors, generators, or similar industrial equipment.
• Demonstrated experience with preventative maintenance programs.
• Valid driver’s licence with a clean driving record.
• CVIP experience or certification is considered an asset but is not required.

Technical Skills

• Strong mechanical troubleshooting and diagnostic abilities.
• Strong understanding of hydraulics, pneumatics, mechanical systems, and basic electrical/control systems.
• Ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings, manuals, and technical documentation.
• Experience using computerized maintenance management systems is considered an asset.
• Strong computer skills and the ability to maintain accurate digital maintenance records.
• Experience with compression equipment, natural gas equipment, piping, pressure vessels, tanks, turbines, or related systems is considered valuable.

Leadership Competencies

• Ability to coordinate maintenance activities and external resources.
• Strong organizational and planning skills.
• Ability to prioritize competing maintenance requirements.
• Strong communication skills when working with Operations, Manufacturing, and Management.
• Ability to establish structure where maintenance processes may be inconsistent.
• A proactive approach focused on identifying issues before equipment fails.
• Ability to make sound decisions under operational pressure.
• Strong accountability and pride in equipment condition, workmanship, and documentation.
• Leadership capabilities to support the future growth of the maintenance function.

Additional Requirements

• Ability to work in both field and shop environments.
• Ability to perform hands-on mechanical work.
• Willingness to work overtime or weekends and respond to emergency equipment issues when required.
• Flexibility to travel occasionally to Drayton Valley or other operational locations as required.

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