Summary
These positions are located in multiple locations. Some positions are permanent full-time and some are permanent Career-Seasonal.
The primary purpose of these positions is to operate gasoline or diesel-powered engineering and construction heavy equipment.
For more park(s) information, select "Learn more about this agency" below: Please visit find a park for additional park information.
This job is open to
The public
U.S. Citizens, Nationals or those who owe allegiance to the U.S.
Career transition (CTAP, ICTAP, RPL)
Federal employees whose job, agency or department was eliminated and are eligible for priority over other applicants.
Duties
Some of these positions are Career-Seasonal fulltime appointments which are permanent positions and include the same benefits as Career appointments, but do not provide work on a year-round basis. You will work approximately 11 months in pay status, and you will be in a non-pay status (about 1 month) for the remainder of the year.
Major Duties:
- The position operates a variety of engineering equipment such as graders, dump trucks, loaders, backhoes, heavy trucks and trailers.
- Position operates front end loaders to load trucks, stockpile material, clean ditches and clean up storm damage.
- Equipment is operated at times in difficult terrain, congested roads and in extreme weather conditions.
- Operators are responsible for pre-start inspections of equipment as well as minor repairs and preventative maintenance.
- Operators are responsible for following safety rules and regulations.
The vehicle(s) operated by this position meet the definition of a commercial motor vehicle, and the incumbent of the position is required to possess and maintain a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) Class A with endorsement.
- It is required that applicants possess and are able to maintain a Class A CDL with Endorsement prior to entrance on duty.
- It is required that you provide a copy of your CDL in your application packet (with picture blocked out). Failure to provide a copy of your license may result in disqualification.
Physical Effort: Heavy physical effort is required in constantly climbing in and out of different machines, pushing and pulling levers continuously while machine is in operation, and lifting such items as opening and closing tail gates on dump trucks. Work is strenuous because of the large equipment operated, the frequent adjustments made, and the adverse operating conditions. Considerable strain is caused by the constant vibration of the equipment and the jerking and jolting from operating over rough surfaces. 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:
Operation of large and complicated equipment in difficult circumstances increases exposure and risk of injury. Works both inside and outside and is exposed to hot and humid weather and/or extremely cold weather. Ice, road oils, and other items such as loose gravel and rocks create hazardous conditions. The operator is subjected to noise, vibration, dust, dirt, oils, solvents, and fumes from motors and exhausts. When working inside, must ensure proper ventilation to minimize fumes while welding and/or other fumes caused by equipment or vehicles. Worker is frequently exposed to the possibility of receiving cuts, abrasions, bruises and strains while servicing and operating equipment. Follows prescribed safety practices and uses safety equipment such as protective hearing devices and hard hats.
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 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 driver's license is required. You will be required to submit a Motor Vehicle Operator's 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 driver's licenses, whether current or past, possessed by you.
- You must possess and maintain a current Class A, (CDL-A) Commercial Driver's License. You must attach a copy of your current, valid license (photo removed) with your application package.
- Some locations require tanker and/or hazardous materials endorsements. If you do not have the required endorsements you will be found not qualified.
- 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. Uniform allowance will be provided.
- You may be required to work evenings, weekends, holidays and/or overtime.
- If you are a new employee 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 on an occasional basis.
- 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
In order to qualify, you must meet the eligibility and qualifications requirements as defined below by the closing date of the announcement. For more information on the qualifications for this position, visit the Office of Personnel Management's Federal Wage System Qualification Standards.
To qualify for this position, you must have sufficient knowledge and ability in the following job-related factors:
- Ability to do the work of Engineering Equipment Operator without more than normal supervision. Engineering Equipment Operators at this level are able to demonstrate skill in operating heavy equipment to push, pull, pile and load materials. Operating front end loaders to load trucks, stockpile material, clean ditches and clean up storm damage. Operating various types of equipment and trucks on congested roadways, in inclement weather and on steep narrow roadways. (SCREEN OUT)
- Operation of Motor Vehicles
- Ability to Interpret Instructions, Specifications etc. (related to mobile equipment operation)
- Ability to Operate Safely (Non-Motor Vehicle)
- Ability to Drive Safely (Motor Vehicles)
- Reliability and Dependability as a Engineering Equipment Operator
- Work Practices (includes keeping things neat, clean and in order)
Selective Placement Factor (Screen Out): This position requires the incumbent to possess and maintain a clear and valid, Class A Commercial Driver's License (CDL) with endorsement.
Applicants are required to submit a copy of your CDL in your application packet (with picture blocked out). Failure to provide a copy of your license may result in disqualification.
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.
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. Click here for the Federal Wage Schedule Website to calculate location specific pay.
Relocation Expenses Reimbursed: You may qualify for reimbursement of relocation expenses in accordance with agency policy, this is dependent on the park selection.
The National Park Service has determined that the duties of this position are suitable for telework only during an emergency or natural disaster.
Work Schedule is determined by the park; you may be asked to work full-time, part-time, weekends, holidays, or subject to a career-seasonal appointment. The position is subject to permanent hiring status career or career-conditional status, these are not temporary or seasonal positions.
What is 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. You will work from approximately 6-9 months (or more depending on the park) and you will be in a non-pay status for approximately 3-6 months (or less depending on the park). Non pay status is dependent on the location of the position being hired.
NOTE: Not all available positions are career-seasonal positions; both full-time (all year employment) and career-seasonal positions are available.
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.
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.
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.
Review our benefits
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.
How you will be evaluated
You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.
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. Please follow all instructions carefully; errors or omissions can affect your rating.
Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. You may only submit one resume. 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 will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. These procedures place candidates with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Veterans with a service connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category, except when the position being filled is scientific or professional at the GS-09 grade level or higher. Under Category Rating, candidates will be rated and ranked into one of three categories:
- Best Qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position
- Well Qualified - applicants possessing experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in most of the requirements of the job
- Qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors and are proficient in some, but not all of the requirements of the job.
You will be evaluated on the following competencies and/or job elements:
- Ability To Do The Work Of The Position Without More Than Normal Supervision (SCREEN OUT)
- Ability to Drive Safely (Motor Vehicles)
- Ability To Interpret Instructions, Specifications, etc. (related to mobile equipment operation)
- Ability To Operate Safely (Non-Motor Vehicle)
- Operation of Motor Vehicles
- Reliability and Dependability as a Engineering Equipment Operator
- Work Practices (including keeping things neat, clean, and in order)
Required Documents
The following documents are required and must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/18/2026:
- Resume which includes a list of all significant jobs held and duties performed. If military or civilian, please include your rank and/or grade. Resumes must not exceed two single-sided pages and resumes longer than two pages will not be accepted. The minimum font size is 10-point for all body text. Headers may be slightly larger but must remain legible. All resumes must maintain a minimum 0.5-inch margins on all sides to ensure readability and prevent excessive content compression. Including supplemental pages or attachments disguised as resume extensions are prohibited and will not be reviewed to determine your eligibility/qualifications.
- A complete Occupational Questionnaire
- Other Supporting Documents, if applicable, such as:
- Veterans Preference Documentation:
- If you are a Discharged, Non-Disabled Veteran, you must submit a copy of your DD-214 showing character of discharge (Member 4 copy), or other Documentation of Service and Separation under Honorable Conditions, as listed on the SF15. If you don't have your DD-214, you may request it after discharge from the National Archives.
- If you are a veteran within 120 days of discharge, you must submit signed documentation from the Armed Forces certifying: 1) your expected release/retirement from active duty, 2) under honorable conditions, 3) your pay grade/rank/rate at time of discharge, 4) dates of active duty service, 5) any campaign or expeditionary medals received, & 6) dated within 120 days of your separation.
- If you are a Disabled Veteran, Purple Heart Recipient, or Mother or Spouse of a Disabled or Deceased Veteran, you must submit all additional proof required by the SF15, and if applicable, a completed SF15. You may request a copy of your Department of Veterans Affairs letter from www.ebenefits.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000 to establish proof of disability.
- Applicants who are eligible to be considered based on a Noncompetitive or Special Hiring Authority (i.e. Schedule A, VRA, Peace Corps, Americorp Vista, former PLC member, certain Military Spouses, 30% or More Disabled Veterans, Pathways Interns who have met the eligibility requirements for noncompetitive conversion, etc.) must submit appropriate documentation to verify your eligibility.
- Documentation that you meet Selective Factors.
- Documentation for Interagency/Career Transition Assistance Plan consideration if you are a displaced Federal employee within the local commuting area. You must include: 1) Proof you are a displaced Federal employee, e.g., RIF Separation Notice, Notice of Proposed Removal, etc; 2) SF-50s (Notifications of Personnel Action) showing career/conditional tenure competitive status, promotion potential and duty location; and 3) your most recent performance appraisal. To exercise selection priority, displaced or surplus Federal employees must be rated well-qualified or above 80 on the rating criteria for this position.
Do not submit photographs with your application package. Documents with photographs may not be seen by hiring officials - you must remove your image from any badges, licenses, etc.
Do not upload Adobe portfolio documents. Adobe portfolio documents are not viewable by our agency's staffing offices.
If you are relying on your education to meet qualification requirements:
Education must be accredited by an accrediting institution recognized by the U.S. Department of Education in order for it to be credited towards qualifications. Therefore, provide only the attendance and/or degrees from
schools accredited by accrediting institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Failure to provide all of the required information as stated in this vacancy announcement may result in an ineligible rating or may affect the overall rating.
How to Apply
To apply for this position: You must complete the occupational questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. To receive consideration, the complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 03/18/2026.You must provide documentation to support your claim for each eligibility selected. Please review the required documentation listed in the eligibilities language to ensure you submit the appropriate information. Note: You will only be marked eligible for those eligibilities that you selected and provided the appropriate supporting documentation.
WE DO NOT ACCEPT HARD-COPY OR E-MAIL APPLICATION PACKAGES.
- Select Apply. If you are not logged in, you will be prompted to login or create an account.
- Prompted to Start the Application Process by selecting "Start Application."
- Select or add the resume you want to use for this application. Click here on how to build a resume in USAJOBS.
- Select documents you want included in this application.
- Review package to acknowledge your documents were reviewed.
- Select if you want to include your demographic information.
- After reading and certifying the application is true and submitted in good faith, select "Continue to Agency Site."
- Follow onscreen prompts and instructions to complete your application.
- Add the supporting documents by indexing your documents with the dropdown.
- Upload any missing required documents or optional documents.
- Review and Submit Application.
- While logged in, you can check the status of your application by selecting "+" next to the job title for this position.
- You can review or revise your application at any point during the open period of the announcement.
- To update an application, you should log into your USAJOBS account and select "+" next to the job title for this position. Select "Update Application" for this job.
- Note: When you click Update Application, you will be prompted to re-select your documents from USAJOBS. Documents submitted with the first application will no longer be associated with the applicant record. So it is important that you select all documents you want to use in the re-application.
Next steps
Once the Occupational Questionnaire is received you will receive acknowledgement that your submission was successful. If you are among the most qualified candidates and your name is referred to the hiring official, you may be contacted directly for a possible interview. You will be notified of the status of your Application Package at the time candidates are referred for consideration, and when the selection process is complete.
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