You will serve as an Engineering Equipment Operator - FUL at the Southwest Louisiana National Wildlife Refuge Complex, with your primary duty station located in Hackberry, Bell City, or Lake Arthur, Louisiana. In this role, you will operate and maintain heavy equipment and perform a wide range of maintenance tasks in support of wildlife habitat management and refuge infrastructure needs across all refuges within the Complex. Continued in Duties Section...
Continued from the Summary section - Potential primary duty locations for this position: Bell City, LA (Cameron Prairie NWR) Hackberry, LA (Sabine NWR) Lake Arthur, LA (Lacassine NWR) You may be required to work on-call, evenings, weekends, holidays, overtime and shift work. Pay will vary based on grade level and/or duty location for which you're selected. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.
As a Engineering Equipment Operator (WG-08) your duties may include but are not limited to the following: Operates bulldozers, excavators, graders, skid steers, backhoes, loaders, farm tractors, ORUVs, and other heavy equipment to support land-management projects such as culvert replacement, levee repair, ditch cleaning, trail construction, mowing, and maintaining refuge roads and parking areas.
Performs preventive maintenance and repairs on heavy equipment, agricultural tractors, vehicles, small engines, and attachments, including replacing hoses, belts, chains, filters, radiators, hydraulic components, tracks, bucket teeth, and diagnosing issues using test lamps, multimeters, onboard computers, and electronic analyzers.
Works daily with refuge staff, volunteers, and small project teams to complete land-management, earth-moving, and habitat restoration projects; provides mentoring or serves as a safety instructor in equipment operation. Performs building and facility maintenance including electrical repairs, HVAC servicing, plumbing system installation/repair, masonry, carpentry, welding, concrete work, roofing, painting, and general structural maintenance across refuge facilities.
Ensures safe operation of equipment and compliance with safety regulations by conducting inspections, maintaining a clean and orderly work area, using appropriate PPE, handling and disposing hazardous materials properly, and developing safe work approaches for land-management projects. Maintains equipment logbooks and input service, repair, and maintenance records into the Service's approved maintenance database; keeps written documentation current for all operated equipment.
Applies herbicides and insecticides for pest management using trailer, backpack, and hand sprayers; follows product labels, regulatory requirements, and proper disposal procedures for surplus chemicals and containers. Performs additional refuge operational duties including operation of water control structures, installing fences and gates, posting boundary signs, habitat restoration activities, simple manual labor, and serving as a collateral-duty firefighter if desired.
There is no substitution of education for experience for Federal Wage System (FWS) positions.
This position is with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of the Interior.
The posted pay range is $33.53 – $39.11/hr.
This position is eligible for telework.
Applications close on 2026-10-16.
This position is open under the 'Fed Transition' hiring path.
Source: USAJOBS.gov — U.S. Federal Government
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