Equipment Rental Jobs in Rhode Island (NOW HIRING)

About Ocean State Rental Company

Ocean State Rental Company is a Rhode Island tent and event rental company. We deliver and install tents, tables, chairs, dance floors, staging and event equipment for weddings, corporate events, festivals, fairs and municipal contracts across Rhode Island and southeastern New England. Our season is fast, physical and unforgiving of a bad plan — and a well-run operation is the difference between a profitable month and a break-even one.

We are hiring an Operations Manager to own the daily execution of that work: the schedule, the crews, the yard and the customer experience.

What You Will Own

Crews and installation. Lead a team of 6–15 drivers, installers and crew members (larger during peak season). Set the standard for how a tent goes up, how a site is left, and how a crew conducts itself in front of a customer. You are based out of our Providence warehouse and office, but you are on jobsites regularly — walking sites, checking installs, and correcting problems before the customer sees them.

Scheduling and dispatch. Build the daily and weekly schedule. Assign trucks, crews and equipment to jobs. Sequence routes so trucks are loaded once and driven efficiently. Solve the same-day problems — a late truck, a wet site, a customer who changed the count — without letting the rest of the day fall apart.

Yard and warehouse. Keep inventory accurate, staged and job-ready. Own equipment condition: tents cleaned and repaired, tables and chairs inspected, hardware accounted for. Run a warehouse where a crew can load a truck at 5:30 p.m. without hunting for anything.

Customer service. Be the operational voice to the customer — confirming details before the job, handling the calls when something changes, and following up after. Many of our customers are planning the biggest day of their life or the biggest event of their year. They should feel like someone competent is on the other end of the phone.

Hiring, training and accountability. Recruit, onboard and train drivers and installers, including seasonal crew. Set clear expectations, document performance, and hold people to the standard — including attendance. Build a bench so the schedule does not depend on any single person showing up.

Cost and productivity. Manage labor hours, overtime and truck utilization against the revenue on each job. Bring us the ideas that take cost out of the operation.

Required Qualifications

•    3+ years supervising a field crew in tent/event rental, party rental, or equipment rental — or a directly comparable field-labor operation (construction, landscaping, moving and logistics) that you can show translates

•    Demonstrated track record of hiring, training and holding a crew accountable, including managing attendance and performance issues directly

•    Ability to build and adjust a multi-truck daily schedule and keep it running when the day goes sideways

•    Comfortable with Excel and scheduling/rental software; able to work from reports, not just instinct

•    Valid driver’s license and a clean driving record

•    Physically able to work on active jobsites: walking uneven ground, climbing ladders, lifting up to 50 lbs, and working outdoors in heat, cold and rain

•    Willing and able to work the season described below

Preferred Qualifications

•    Hands-on tent installation experience (frame, pole, clearspan/structure)

•    Conversational Spanish — a meaningful advantage with our crews

•    Forklift experience

•    CDL / non-CDL Box Truck Driving

•    Experience managing a rental yard or warehouse inventory

The Schedule — Please Read This Before Applying

This is a seasonal business and we would rather tell you the truth now than lose you in ninety days.

•    Peak season runs roughly May through October. During peak, expect six-day weeks, early starts (crews roll out early morning), long days, and work on weekends and some holidays. Weekends are when events happen.

•    Off-season is calmer — a more normal five-day week focused on maintenance, inventory, repairs, hiring and planning for next season.

•    Weather does not care about the plan. Storms, reschedules and emergency takedowns are part of the job.

If a predictable 9-to-5 year-round is what you need, this is not the right role — and that is fine. If you like running a real operation at full speed for six months and then rebuilding it better in the off-season, keep reading.

Compensation and Benefits

•    $65,000 – $80,000 per year, depending on experience

•    Performance bonus tied to operational results

•    Health & Dental insurance

•    Paid time off

•    Company vehicle/truck for work use

•    Direct access to and daily work with company leadership — your decisions are visible and they matter

How to Apply

Apply through this posting with your resume. In a few sentences, tell us about the largest crew you have run, and one specific change you made that improved how a job or a day ran. We read those.

Ocean State Rental Company is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. Reasonable accommodations are available for the application process and for the essential functions of the role.

Ocean State Rental Company brings the fun to the party. We supply tents, tables, chairs, staging and more to events throughout Southern New England. This is a team workplace where you are given the opportunity to work in fun, fast paced locations and every day brings a new challenge.