How to hire a pit operator

How to hire a pit operator, step by step

Here's a step-by-step pit operator hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a pit operator job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new pit operator
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a pit operator, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a pit operator to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a pit operator that fits the bill.

   This list presents pit operator salaries for various positions.

   Type of Pit Operator	Description	Hourly rate
   Pit Operator	Material moving machine operators use machinery to transport various objects. Some operators move construction materials around building sites or excavate earth from a mine... Show more	$13-18
   Forklift	The primary job of a forklift operator is to operate and manage forklifts used for moving, locating, relocating, stacking, and counting merchandise in various settings, such as construction sites and warehouses. As a forklift operator, you will unload shipments properly and safely, and stack and store them in their designated areas... Show more	$12-18
   Machine Operator/Forklift Operator	A machine operator/forklift operator is responsible for operating industrial trucks to move merchandise around the warehouse facilities and other assigned areas. Machine operators/forklift operators also assist with inventory tasks by scanning orders and ensuring the correct merchandise for shipment... Show more	$12-18

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Pallets
   • Safety Policies
   • RF Scanner
   • Load Trucks
   • Safety Committee
   • Powered Industrial Trucks
   • Safety Regulations
   • Sit-Down Forklift
   • Customer Orders
   • Industrial Trucks
   • WMS
   • Walkie
   • Pit Equipment
   • Load Trailers

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.
   • Perform specialized production line and quality control duties in a professional production environment specializing in plastic extrusion.

   More pit operator duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your pit operator job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A pit operator salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a pit operator in Louisiana may be lower than in Alaska, and an entry-level pit operator usually earns less than a senior-level pit operator. Additionally, a pit operator with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average pit operator salary

   $16.40hourly

   $34,111 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level pit operator salary

   $29,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 20, 2026

   Average pit operator salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Illinois	$38,486	$19
   2	California	$36,126	$17
   3	Nevada	$35,958	$17
   4	New Jersey	$35,619	$17
   5	Missouri	$35,279	$17
   6	Utah	$35,030	$17
   7	Wisconsin	$34,312	$17
   8	Mississippi	$33,868	$16
   9	South Carolina	$33,418	$16
   10	Pennsylvania	$33,371	$16
   11	Tennessee	$33,245	$16
   12	Texas	$33,050	$16
   13	North Carolina	$29,331	$14

   Average pit operator salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Post Holdings	$39,074	$18.79	36
   2	Cargill	$38,912	$18.71	42
   3	International Paper	$38,468	$18.49	42
   4	XPO Logistics	$38,279	$18.40
   5	Fortune Brands Home & Security	$37,691	$18.12	3
   6	Reeb	$37,033	$17.80	5
   7	TalentBurst	$36,727	$17.66
   8	ICONMA	$35,516	$17.07
   9	B&H Photo Video	$35,119	$16.88
   10	Advance Holding Corporation	$34,991	$16.82	39
   11	ABM Industries	$34,952	$16.80	29
   12	Remedy Intelligent Staffing	$34,570	$16.62
   13	Geodis Wilson USA Inc	$34,556	$16.61	12
   14	Adidas America	$34,542	$16.61
   15	Staffing Resources	$33,972	$16.33	6
   16	Staffmark	$33,572	$16.14
   17	Automation Personnel Services	$33,292	$16.01	37
   18	Randstad North America, Inc.	$32,735	$15.74	8
   19	ManpowerGroup	$32,518	$15.63	178
   20	Terra Nova Technologies	$31,992	$15.38	2

4. Writing a pit operator job description

   A job description for a pit operator role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a pit operator job description:

   Pit operator job description example

   General Summary: This person is responsible for the orderliness and general cleanliness of section 5. Assists directs contractors and owners of non-receivables. Coordinates yard capacity's with disposal company dispatch. Primary operator of Burn Box and related components including minor maintenance and periodic machinery cleaning and ash hauling. Will provide general maintenance to Section five's seventy two acres encompassing rock and soil screening and pit materials organization. Position may also encompasses maintenance responsibilities for common areas, roads and bike paths, signs, lakes and streams, litter patrol, common area lawns, work order tasks and snow removal.
   Essential Functions/Major Responsibilities:
   
   * Primary operator of Burn Box and related components including minor maintenance and periodic machinery cleaning and ash hauling.
   * Direct homeowners and contractors of proper disposal locations and accepted materials.
   * Monitor disposal sites to ensure only authorized items are disposed of in the appropriate areas.
   * Ensure people have the proper authorization to dispose of loads in section 5
   * Common area lawn mowing, weeding, blowing, fertilizing.
   * Sweep, patch and shoulder dress roads. Thin shrubs in common areas and remove snow from roads and walkways.
   * Safely perform a variety of general grounds maintenance services.
   * Ability to professionally interact with guests, homeowners and employees.
   * Ability to provide timely response to after-hours emergency service calls
   
   Specific Job Skills:
   
   * Must have valid CDL Class B driver license in good standing.
   * Must be able to safely navigate over rough ground to inspect acreage.
   * Must be ability to follow oral and written directions.
   * Must be able to read and write the English language.
   * Speaking ability required to communicate with customers.
   * Physical ability to work for extended periods of manual labor.
   * Mechanical skills are needed to safely operate tractors, motor vehicles and a variety of mechanized small equipment.
   * Ability to work unsupervised and make minor decisions.
   * Ability to keep track of time and materials for daily time sheet reporting.
   * Ability to professionally interact with guests, homeowners and employees.
   
   Competitive Pay, Full Time Year Round Benefits- Medical, dental, 401k and more, along with use of resort amenities, employee events, Ranch discounts and great recognition perks makes this the place to be!

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find pit operators for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any pit operators they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level pit operators with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your pit operator job on Zippia to find and recruit pit operator candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting pit operators requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new pit operator

   Once you've found the pit operator candidate you'd like to hire, it's time to write an offer letter. This should include an explicit job offer that includes the salary and the details of any other perks. Qualified candidates might be looking at multiple positions, so your offer must be competitive if you like the candidate. Also, be prepared for a negotiation stage, as candidates may way want to tweak the details of your initial offer. Once you've settled on these details, you can draft a contract to formalize your agreement.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new pit operator. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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