Engineering Equipment Operator

Summary This position is located in Rocky Mountain National Park in the Facilities Management Division. For questions or additional information about this specific position, please contact hiring manager Michael Bernhardt at michaelbernhardt@nps.gov. This is a Career Seasonal position. Please see Duties section below for additional information. Government housing may be available on a temporary or permanent basis, but it is not guaranteed. Housing assignments are made though a bid process. Responsibilities The primary purpose of the position is to perform as an Engineering Equipment Operator, assisting in the maintenance, repair, and construction of the 100 miles of park roads and related facilities. The incumbent operates a variety of heavy equipment and road work machinery including, but not limited to: road graders, tractors with bulldozer or angle dozer blades, front-end loaders, backhoes, wheel loaders, trench diggers, dump trucks, water trucks, rollers, and large industrial tractors with attachments. Some of these vehicles may be equipped with auxiliary attachments (snowplow blade, rotary snow blower, sweeper, or sanding units). Work accomplished by the incumbent includes repairing and maintaining existing paved and dirt roadways, parking areas and drainage structures. Repairs consist of blade patching, building water drainage, pulling and stabilizing road shoulders, surface grading, asphalt patching, culvert maintenance, and barrier installations. The incumbent repairs and replaces defective traffic control signs, road markers, guard rails, road guard posts, road culverts, drainage structures, and brush removal. The incumbent will be responsible for snow removal and assisting with spring opening activities. This position requires a valid Class B Commercial Drivers License (CDL) with Tanker Endorsement. This requirement must be met within 6 months of entry on duty. Physical Effort: Heavy physical effort is required in constantly reaching, bending, turning, and moving hands, arms, feet, and legs to handle different sets of controls to operate the equipment and attachments. Considerable strain is caused by the constant vibration of the equipment and the incumbent is frequently required to work in awkward or strained positions. The incumbent may be frequently required to lift and carry items weighing 100 pounds and put forth similar effort when pushing, pulling, turning, and positioning parts, assemblies, equipment, and tools. Working Conditions: This position is required to perform work both inside and outside with most of the work performed outside. When working outside, the incumbent is frequently exposed to inclement weather. The incumbent works in rain, mud, snow, and in hot/cold temperatures and is frequently exposed to irritation or discomfort from noise, vibration, dust, dirt, fumes, exhaust, oils, heat, cold, and dampness. The incumbent is exposed to the potential of injury due to the possibility of the equipment overturning, and may also be subject to receiving cuts, abrasions, bruises, and strains. While operating equipment, the incumbent is required to follow prescribed safety practices and use safety equipment such as protective hearing devices and hard hats. Career Seasonal: This position is designated as Career-Seasonal. Career-Seasonal appointments are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. In this position you will work from approximately November through September, and you will be in a non-pay status for the remainder of the year unless other work exists that can be assigned to during this period. Though non-pay time may be reduced, you will still be placed in non-pay status for a minimum of 1 pay period (2 weeks) each year in accordance with NPS policy. Area Information: Established on January 29, 1915, Rocky Mountain National Park is a living showcase of the grandeur of the Rocky Mountains. The park embraces 415 square miles of pristine, uninhabited mountains in north-central Colorado and, as such, is one of the most spectacular, yet easily accessible high mountain areas in North America. With elevations ranging from 7,800 feet at park headquarters to 14,259 feet at the summit of Longs Peak, the park has glacier-sculptured valleys, rugged gorges, alpine lakes, and vast areas of alpine tundra. Trail Ridge Road, the highest paved continuous road in the United States, stays above tree line for 11 miles and reaches 12,183 feet in elevation. Elk, deer, bighorn sheep, moose, coyotes, and smaller animals are found throughout the park, as well as threatened and endangered species, such as the Greenback Cutthroat Trout and Boreal Toad. Due to the parks easy accessibility to the Front Range communities of Colorado, Rocky experiences over 4 million visitors annually. This position will be filled on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park. The nearest community is Estes Park, CO, which has K-12 schools, a post office, restaurants, medical facilities, and grocery stores. Denver, CO which has a major airport, cultural events, and several professional sports teams is less than a two-hour drive away. Requirements Conditions of Employment U.S. Citizenship required. Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication. Meet Selective Service Registration Act requirement for males Selectee will be required to participate in the Direct Deposit Electronics Funds Transfer Program. You will be required to submit to a drug test and receive a negative drug test result prior to appointment. In addition, this position is subject to random testing for illegal drug use. You will be required to operate a government (or private) motor vehicle as part of your official duties; a valid drivers license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operators License and Driving Record. You must also submit (within a State sealed envelope or submitted directly by the State authorities), and at your own expense, all certified driving records from all States that disclose all valid drivers licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you. You must possess and maintain a current Class B (or higher) Commercial Drivers License with Tanker Endorsements. This is a Condition of Employment, and the licensing requirement must be met within 6 months of entry on duty. You may be required to complete training and operate a four-wheel drive vehicle. You will be required to wear a uniform and comply with the National Park Service uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided. You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. If you are a new employee or supervisor in the Federal government, you will be required to complete a one-year probationary period. You may be required to travel overnight away from home up to 2 nights per month. You must obtain a government charge card for travel purposes. Government Charge Card: You may be required to complete training and obtain/maintain a government charge card with travel and/or purchase authority. Applicants must be at least (1)18 years old or (2) at least 16 years old and: (a) Have graduated from high school or been awarded a certificate equivalent to graduating from high school; or (b) Have completed a formal vocational training program; or (c) Have received a statement from school authorities agreeing with their preference for employment rather than continuing their education; or (d) Be currently enrolled in a secondary school and either work only during school vacation periods or work part-time during the school year under a formal student employment program. Qualifications To qualify for this position, you must have sufficient knowledge and ability in the following job-related factors: Ability to do the work of an Engineering Equipment Operator without more than normal supervision. Must be able to operate at least 2 of the following types of engineering equipment on flat or rolling terrain, in refuse dumps, construction sites, or other similar areas to perform work such as cutting, moving, digging, grading, and rolling earth, sand, stone, snow, or similar materials, and to maintain roads, ditches, and/or road shoulders and beds: road graders, tractors with bulldozer or angle dozer blades, front-end loaders, backhoes, wheel loaders, trench diggers, dump trucks, large industrial tractors with pan or scraper attachments, rotary plows, crawlers, or equipment with mower and sweeper or sanding attachments. (SCREEN OUT) Operation of Motor Vehicles Work Practices (includes keeping things neat, clean and in order). Ability to drive safely (Motor Vehicles). Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. Reliability and Dependability as an Engineering Equipment Operator If your knowledge and ability in the SCREEN OUT factor above is not sufficient, you will receive no further consideration. In preparing your application, describe in detail the experience and training which you have had that specifically prepared you for this job and to perform the duties described for this job. Experience should be clearly described and documented in your resume. The qualifications reviewer will not assume performance of such duties by Job Titles alone. Address your knowledge, skills and/or abilities in the areas shown in the job-related factors. Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Education There is no substitution of education for experience for Wage Grade (WG) positions. Additional Information This announcement may be used to fill additional positions if identical vacancies occur within 90 days of the issue date of the referral certificate. The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster. A selectee receiving a first appointment to the Federal Government (Civil Service) is entitled only to the lowest step of the grade for which selected. The display of a salary range on this vacancy shall not be construed as granting an entitlement to a higher rate of pay. A Recruitment Incentive May Be Authorized for a newly selected employee when appointed to a permanent, temporary, or term position. A Federal employee who is transferring to the National Park Service from another component, bureau or Federal agency and who does not meet the conditions under 5 CFR §575.102 is not eligible for a recruitment incentive. A Relocation Incentive May Be Authorized for a Federal employee when the employee must move, as directed by the National Park Service (NPS) either through a management directed reassignment or selection for employment, to a different location at least 50 miles away from the one where his/her position of record held at time of selection is currently located, due to a need of the NPS. A relocation incentive is not the same as a Permanent Change of Station (PCS) move and, as such, may be granted in conjunction with one another.