Crane Marshal

What you'll do

As Giga's Crane Marshal, you will own the planning, standardization, and field execution of all heavy lifting operations across our data center construction projects. Every critical lift—from setting modular data center skids and generators to transformers, chillers, and structural steel—will move through your process.

This is not a dispatcher role. You'll spend the majority of your time in the field working shoulder-to-shoulder with crane operators, rigging contractors, superintendents, and subcontractors to ensure every lift is engineered, planned, and executed safely and efficiently.

Beyond supporting individual projects, you'll build Giga's heavy lift program. You'll develop repeatable lift methodologies, standard pick plans, rigging standards, crane selection guidelines, and planning tools that can be deployed across every site we build. As our construction program scales, your work will allow hundreds of heavy lifts to be executed consistently, safely, and efficiently.

You'll review and challenge lift plans, validate crane selections, verify ground conditions, coordinate logistics, and ensure each pick is executable before equipment ever arrives onsite.

At Giga, lifting isn't treated as a routine construction activity—it's one of our highest-risk operations. You'll own making sure every lift goes exactly according to plan.

Where you'll work

We are an in-office culture—velocity matters when you're building physical infrastructure, and the best decisions happen in the room. This role is ideally based in our Houston office (remote considered) with extensive travel to active construction sites.

This role should expect significant onsite presence throughout active construction, particularly during major equipment installation and commissioning activities.

That said, we will make exceptions for truly exceptional talent if you live outside one of our hubs. If you're the right person for this role, we'll have a conversation about what works.

Responsibilities

• Own Giga's heavy lift program across all active construction projects.
• Develop standardized lifting procedures, rigging practices, crane selection criteria, and engineered pick methodologies that become the company standard across future projects.
• Build reusable lift plans for recurring installations including modular data center skids, generators, transformers, chillers, switchgear, and other standardized equipment.
• Create planning templates, lift checklists, and engineering standards that reduce planning effort while improving consistency across projects.
• Work directly with crane and rigging contractors to develop comprehensive engineered lift plans for critical and non-routine lifts.
• Review crane sizing, load charts, lift radii, boom configurations, rigging arrangements, and equipment capacities to validate lift feasibility.
• Coordinate sequencing for installation of modular data center skids, generators, transformers, chillers, switchgear, structural steel, and other heavy equipment.
• Verify ground bearing pressures, crane mat requirements, underground utility conflicts, overhead hazards, and crane access routes prior to mobilization.
• Lead pre-lift meetings with project teams, subcontractors, crane operators, rigging crews, and safety personnel.
• Verify all rigging equipment is inspected, certified, and appropriate for each lift.
• Ensure lift plans comply with OSHA, ASME B30 standards, manufacturer recommendations, and company lifting procedures.
• Coordinate with project scheduling teams to maximize crane utilization across multiple work fronts and minimize equipment idle time.
• Participate in site planning to ensure crane access, assembly areas, laydown yards, and swing radii are incorporated into construction sequencing early in design.
• Review transport routes, staging areas, delivery sequencing, and laydown logistics for oversized equipment deliveries.
• Conduct field audits of lifting operations and intervene whenever work deviates from approved lift plans.
• Maintain documentation including lift plans, crane inspections, rigging certifications, operator qualifications, and lift records.
• Capture lessons learned from each project and continuously improve Giga's lifting standards and best practices.
• Support procurement by reviewing crane proposals, evaluating equipment alternatives, negotiating lifting approaches with vendors, and assisting with crane and rigging contractor selection.

Requirements

• 7+ years of experience managing crane operations, rigging, or heavy lift activities on commercial, industrial, energy, manufacturing, or mission-critical construction projects.
• Demonstrated experience planning and executing critical lifts involving large cranes (100–500+ ton class preferred).
• Strong understanding of crane load charts, lift planning software, rigging calculations, center of gravity considerations, and heavy transport logistics.
• Experience developing standardized lifting procedures or overseeing lifting programs across multiple projects is strongly preferred.
• Experience coordinating heavy equipment installation including generators, transformers, process equipment, modular buildings, structural steel, or similar infrastructure.
• Working knowledge of OSHA crane regulations, ASME B30 standards, and industry best practices for critical lift planning.
• Ability to read construction drawings, civil grading plans, structural foundation drawings, and equipment shop drawings.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to coordinate between project management, crane vendors, subcontractors, engineers, and field crews.
• Comfortable spending the majority of time onsite actively supporting construction operations.

Bonus Points

• NCCCO certification or previous experience as a certified crane operator.
• Experience managing lifting operations for modular construction or hyperscale data center construction.
• Familiarity with engineered lift studies and crane simulation software.
• Experience working with crawler cranes, hydraulic truck cranes, rough terrain cranes, and self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs).
• Knowledge of ground improvement, crane mat design, and geotechnical considerations for crane setup.
• Experience with Procore or equivalent construction management platforms.
• Experience building company-wide lifting standards or heavy lift programs across multiple concurrent projects.

Benefits

• Subsidized health, dental, and vision insurance
• Equity (options) in a rapidly growing startup
• 401(k) with 4% employer match
• Unlimited PTO
• Parental leave
• Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA) or Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Commuter benefits
• Monthly team onsites where all offices come in–person to collaborate