Engineering Equipment Operator

Summary

This position is located within the Department of the Interior, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Fish & Wildlife Service Region 5, Eastern Virginia Rivers National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Warsaw, Virginia & Charles City, Virginia.

First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

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Duties

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At the full performance level (WG-08) the major duties of this position include, but are not limited to the following:

• Operation of agricultural tractors, skid steer, backhoe and other heavy equipment in support of maintaining and enhancing wildlife habitats, and regular maintenance of gravel road infrastructure.
• Preventative maintenance and repairs of tractors, skid steer, backhoe and other equipment such as sprayers, UTVs, light and heavy duty trucks, and equipment trailers.
• Work with staff and volunteers on a daily basis for the completion of wildlife habitat and visitor services related projects.
• Serves as the Collateral Duty Safety Officer for the four-refuge complex, to include annual safety inspections and routine maintenance and performance testing of safety equipment (e.g. fire extinguishers, smoke/CO2 detectors).
• Oversees projects where contractors are performing work on one of the Refuges and ensures all work is completed on time and in line with contract parameters while adhering to industry standards.
• Responsible for building and facility maintenance.
• Assists with fleet utilization, and purchasing, annual personal property inventories, and acting as Receiving Official for personal property.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• Must have the ability to obtain and maintain a valid Class A Commercial Driver's License (CDL) within 12 months of hiring.
• Pre-employment and random alcohol and drug testing are required. You will not be appointed to the position if a verified positive test is received.
• Ability to lift 50 pounds.
• You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You must be at least 18 years of age or older to operate government vehicles.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.

This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary period your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-10/22/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.

For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience . For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.

To qualify for this position, you must have sufficient knowledge and ability in the following job-related factors:

1. Ability to do the work of the position without more than normal supervision (Screen out)

2. Operation of Motor Vehicles

3. Work practices (includes keeping things neat, clean and in order)

4. Ability to interpret instructions, specifications, etc. (Related to mobile equipment operations)

5. Ability to drive safely (Motor Vehicles)

6. Ability to operate safely (Non-Motor Vehicles)

7. 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. Your resume must support your response to the assessment questionnaire, and if it does not, your application will be marked as not eligible. 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. You must meet at least 2 points on the screen-out element(s) and obtain an average of at least 2 points on all of the job elements to be considered qualified for this position.

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.

Additional Information section:

Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.

Entitlements for payment of basic moving expenses, as required and to the extent allowed by the Federal Travel Regulation (FTR) 302-3.101, are authorized for eligible applicants changing duty station when the change meets the distance tests as provided in FTR 302-1.1 and 302-2.6. All moving expenses are taxable.

• Relocation expenses will be paid; relocation contract for home sale will not be paid.

Education

There is no substitution of education for experience for Federal Wage System (FWS) positions.

Additional information

Additional Information continued:

All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.

Physical Demands: Considerable physical effort is required in the operation of the equipment and attachments and in performing maintenance of facilities, equipment, and attachments. Considerable strain can be caused by the constant vibration of the equipment and the jolting received from operation of the equipment over rough surfaces. Location of the controls and attachments frequently requires working in awkward or strained positions. 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. Frequently lifts and carries items weighing up to 50 pounds and often puts forth similar effort when pushing, pulling, turning and positioning parts, assemblies, equipment and tools.

Working Conditions: Work is accomplished both in an office setting (5%) and outdoors (95%). Works outside in all kinds of weather and frequently exposed to irritation or discomfort from running water, fumes, dust, grease, dirt, and moving parts of equipment and machinery. Work performed outside is in a variety of settings where steep terrain, uneven, rocky and slippery footing is normal. Temperature extremes are common.

Employee is regularly exposed to the possibility of shock, cuts, scrapes, and bruises, falls, falling material, or injury from equipment associated with power equipment or hazardous materials. Work demands conformance to safety requirements including the use of a variety of personal protective equipment such as: protective clothing, hardhats, hearing protection, safety glasses, goggles, gloves, steel toe heavy leather boots, respirator, andother personal protective items.

Serious injury may result from getting caught in operating equipment, or from collisions with automobiles when operating on or near public roads.

How You Will Be Evaluated section:

A review of your resume and supporting documentation will be made and compared against your responses to the Assessment Questionnaire to determine if you are qualified for this job. If your resume is incomplete or does not support the responses provided in the Assessment Questionnaire, or if you fail to submit all required documentation, you will be rated 'ineligible', 'not qualified', or your score will be adjusted accordingly. If a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications or experience, you can lose consideration for this position.

Your resume must not exceed 2 pages. Only the document submitted as the "Resume" under the Documents section will be used to determine your qualifications/eligibility and for rating purposes. In the event you submit more than one resume, only the latest submission will be reviewed.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.