Director of Fleet & Tooling Management (Bird Electric)

Why Bird Electric

Join the Bird Electric (a Black & Veatch company) team and build with pride . As a 100% employee‑owned company, every role matters — you  own your work, your impact, and your future. We lead with  care , and  safety is non‑negotiable and embedded into every role, site and decision , ensuring our teams return home safe, every day.

From field engineering to project management to quality and startup, you’ll work with cutting‑edge technology, learn from seasoned experts, and grow through real‑world, hands‑on experience. With a strong backlog across power, water, grid, and industrial markets, you’ll have the stability to grow and the opportunity to  shape what comes next.

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Job Summary

The Director, Fleet & Tooling Management reports to the COO and owns the enterprise fleet, equipment, tooling, maintenance, and related compliance platform for Bird Electric. This leader will set the standard for safe, reliable, cost-effective, and audit-ready fleet and tooling operations across all shops, yards, regions, projects, and emergency-response deployments.

Key Responsibilities

Enterprise Fleet and Tooling Strategy

• Build and execute a fleet and tooling strategy aligned to Bird Electric’s operating plan, backlog, storm-response model, safety standards, and capital priorities.
• Maintain a complete, accurate asset registry with ownership/lease/rental status, location, utilization, condition, replacement timing, certification status, maintenance history, and total cost of ownership.
• Establish fleet and tool governance standards for acquisition, assignment, transfer, storage, inspection, use, maintenance, repair, calibration/certification, disposal, and loss/damage accountability.

Maintenance, Uptime, and Field Support

• Lead all shop and field maintenance operations to maximize safe equipment availability and reduce unplanned downtime.
• Own the preventive/predictive maintenance program, PM intervals, inspection checklists, work-order quality, backlog management, parts planning, mobile service response, and repair-priority rules.
• Implement repair SLAs by asset criticality and operating need; create escalation paths for downed critical equipment affecting crew productivity, outage windows, storm response, or safety.

Fleet Safety and Regulatory Compliance

• Maintain audit-ready compliance for vehicles, CMVs, drivers, shops, yards, tools, and equipment, including driver qualification files, MVR reviews, medical certificates, drug/alcohol program interfaces, HOS/ELD support where applicable, DVIRs, annual/periodic inspections, maintenance records, roadside inspection corrective actions, accident registers, and vehicle markings.
• Ensure fleet and tooling practices comply with applicable OSHA construction and electric utility requirements, including safe operation near energized lines, aerial device/bucket truck controls, mechanical equipment inspections, cranes/derricks/digger derricks where applicable, rigging/lifting controls, live-line tool inspection/testing, grounding equipment, lockout/tagout interfaces, and manufacturer requirements.
• Maintain environmental controls for fuel, oil, DEF, waste oil, spill prevention/response, storage tanks/containers, and related shop/yard requirements.

Tooling, Warehouse, and Specialty Equipment Governance

• Lead enterprise tooling and warehouse/tool room operations with clear standards for issuance, return, transfer, audit, repair, calibration, certification, retirement, and replacement.
• Implement barcode/RFID or system-based tool tracking for high-value, high-risk, and high-volume tools; establish min/max levels and replenishment logic to prevent field delays and tool hoarding.
• Ensure live-line tools, grounds, rigging, hydraulic tools, torque tools, meters/test instruments, fall protection, and other controlled tools are inspected, tested, calibrated, stored, and documented according to regulatory, manufacturer, customer, and Bird Electric requirements.
• Create accountability for lost, damaged, expired, uncertified, or unreturned tools and equipment while maintaining a field-service mindset.

Capital Planning, Lifecycle Economics, Rentals, and Procurement

• Build an annual and multi-year capital plan based on utilization, age, condition, reliability, safety/compliance exposure, forecasted work mix, storm readiness, and lifecycle cost.
• Develop lease/buy/rent and repair-versus-replace decision models; recommend asset specifications and replacement timing to optimize cash, uptime, crew productivity, and total cost of ownership.
• Own or co-own rental governance, including preferred suppliers, rate cards, approval thresholds, dispatch coordination, off-rent discipline, damage claims, utilization review, and rental leakage reduction.

Management Responsibilities

Supervises work of others. Responsible for hiring, discipline, and pay administration of their subordinates.

Minimum Qualifications

• 12+ years of progressive fleet, equipment, maintenance, or equipment-management leadership experience, including 5+ years leading managers/supervisors across multiple shops, yards, regions, or projects.
• Demonstrated experience in utility construction, electric T&D, energy infrastructure, heavy civil, industrial construction, or adjacent field-service environments with mixed on-road/off-road assets.
• Hands-on working knowledge of construction fleet and specialty equipment such as bucket trucks/aerial devices, digger derricks, line trucks, trailers, cranes/hoists where applicable, service trucks, hydraulic tools, generators/compressors, and controlled tooling.
• Proven ownership of preventive maintenance, work-order systems, field repair response, asset lifecycle planning, repair-versus-replace decisions, rental management, fuel control, and maintenance budgeting.
• Strong understanding of DOT/FMCSA fleet compliance, driver qualification files, MVRs, medical certification, HOS/ELD where applicable, DVIRs, annual inspections, maintenance records, and roadside inspection corrective actions.
• Working knowledge of OSHA construction and electric-utility safety requirements impacting equipment, aerial devices, mechanical equipment, rigging/lifting, live-line tools, and work near energized lines.
• Experience leading mechanics, shop foremen, fleet administrators, tooling/warehouse personnel, and/or equipment coordinators with clear performance-management accountability.
• Strong analytical capability with fleet/maintenance systems, telematics, fuel systems, rental systems, tooling systems, Microsoft Excel/Power BI or equivalent reporting tools, and ERP/project-cost interfaces.
• Ability to travel frequently to shops, yards, projects, vendors, storm response locations, and leadership meetings.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to pass required background, drug screen, motor vehicle record, and employment eligibility requirements.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Construction Management, Engineering, Supply Chain, Fleet/Equipment Management, Technical Management, or related discipline; equivalent experience may substitute.
• Experience with electric utility transmission/distribution contractors, storm-restoration fleet deployment, and customer/utility prequalification platforms such as ISNetworld, Avetta, or similar.
• Certified Equipment Manager (CEM), Certified Automotive Fleet Manager (CAFM), ASE Medium/Heavy Truck certifications, CDL Class A, OSHA 30, NCCER, NCCCO, or similar credentials.
• Experience with HCSS Equipment360, B2W Maintain, Fleetio, RTA, AssetWorks, Samsara, Geotab, Verizon Connect, Viewpoint/Trimble, JD Edwards, SAP, Oracle, Power BI, or similar systems.
• Experience building charge-out rates, lifecycle-cost models, capital budgets, preferred rental/supplier programs, warranty recovery processes, and fleet/tooling dashboards.
• Experience standardizing multi-site shop operations, parts inventory, mobile maintenance, technician training, and tool-room controls.

Work Environment/Physical Demands

• Role combines office, shop, yard, vendor, and active construction-site environments; field travel is required.
• Must be able to walk jobsites/yards, inspect vehicles/equipment/tools, climb steps/ladders as needed, wear required PPE, and work around active construction operations, energized-line work environments, mobile equipment, and weather conditions.
• Storm-restoration or emergency-response support may require extended hours, travel with limited notice, and cross-functional coordination under operational pressure.