Equipment Operator

The King County Parks Operations Section is offering an exciting and rewarding career opportunity for a skilled and experienced Equipment Operator to join our team!

About the Role: Our Equipment Operators handle a variety of heavy machinery, including trackhoes, backhoes, slope mowers, graders, rollers, and loaders across diverse public areas. In this role, you will operate and maintain heavy equipment for park maintenance, construction, and emergency response tasks. You'll work closely with team members to maintain strict safety standards, provide training, and ensure consistent equipment maintenance. This role demands strong problem-solving and decision-making skills, the ability to work effectively both independently and within a team, and excellent time management to meet critical deadlines.

 

About the Team: The Parks Heavy Equipment Crew plays a vital role in supporting the Parks Division’s construction projects, large-scale maintenance, and other critical tasks. This work is essential to achieving our core mission in Parks Operations: maintaining clean, safe, and accessible parks, and delivering high-quality services to our community in an equitable manner.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role on a team of skilled professionals, where you'll have the chance to grow and expand your skills through a variety of dynamic projects. Join us in shaping the future of our parks, improving community experiences, and ensuring their beauty and safety for generations to come.

Commitment to Equity, Racial and Social Justice:

King County, named after Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., is a diverse and vibrant community that represents cultures from around the world. Our True North is to create a welcoming community where everyone can thrive.  We prioritize equity, racial and social justice, making it a foundational and daily expectation for all employees. As an Equipment Operator you will actively apply these principles in all aspects of your work. Learn more about our commitment at http://www.kingcounty.gov/equity.

Apply now for a rewarding career with King County Parks Division of the King County Department of Natural Resources & Parks (DNRP). Join our talented workforce in protecting and restoring the natural environment and promoting more resilient, sustainable, and equitable communities.  Enjoy training, comprehensive benefits, and growth opportunities.

What You Will Be Doing: 

• Safely operate backhoe, trackhoe, grader, slope mowers, roller, and loaders in the maintenance and construction of access roads, right-of-ways, Parks Trails, and other public facilities. 
• Repair, clear, and install drainage features. Remove and replace play-equipment and perform major maintenance and repair on athletic facilities. 
• Repair, clear and grade roads, trails and parking lots, and control brush and vegetation. 
• Install landscapes, assist in hazardous tree removal, remove storm related tree debris and rehabilitate streambeds and natural areas. 
• Clean up debris and dumped materials. Respond to storm caused emergencies and other hazardous conditions. 
• Monitor, control and direct activities at job sites; control the flow and sequence of truck dumping, and coordinate work with other maintenance activities. 

Qualifications You Bring:    

• Experience performing a variety of tasks operating heavy equipment, including trackhoes, backhoes, slope mowers, graders, rollers, and loaders.

• Experience operating equipment in high-density traffic, including pedestrian and bicycle traffic under adverse weather conditions, and in parks, open spaces and regional trails.

• Ability to prioritize workload and adapt to changes in workload demand. 
• Knowledge of and ability to apply construction safety principles and practices at all times.
• Basic knowledge of blueprints, plans, specifications and survey principles.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships and communicate effectively with supervisors and staff, both verbally and in writing. 
• Ability to provide excellent service at all customers, using discretion, patience, and professionalism. 
• Demonstrated skill in troubleshooting, analyzing, and problem solving. 

 

Competencies You Bring:  

• Situational Adaptability – Adapts approach and demeanor in real time to match the shifting demands of different situations.
• Values Differences – Recognizes the value that different perspectives and cultures bring to an organization.
• Instills Trust – Gains the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity.
• Plans and Aligns – Plans and prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals.
• Interpersonal Savvy - Relates openly and comfortably with diverse groups of people.

Required Licenses: 

WA State Driver’s License

Working Conditions:

• Work Location: Temporary onsite reporting location is in Maple Valley WA. until the Central Maintenance Facility in Renton is constructed. Once construction is complete (spring of 2025) the primary reporting location will be 3005 NE 4th Ave, Renton WA.
• Work Schedule: This full-time position works a 40-hour work week. This position is covered under the provisions of the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) and is overtime eligible. 
• Union Representation: This position is represented by the International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 302. 
• Physical Requirement: This position requires the ability work with heavy equipment and machinery on uneven slopes, surfaces, grades and terrain in heat/cold, wet/humid, inclement weather and other adverse conditions such as odor, high volume noise, dust and heavy traffic.The selected candidate will be required to pass a pre-employment physical examination prior to employment.

 

Application and Selection Process:

We welcome applications from all qualified applicants. We value diversity, diverse perspectives and life experience and encourage people of all backgrounds to apply.

Application materials will be screened for clarity, completeness and alignment with the experience, qualifications, knowledge, and skills essential for this role to determine which candidates may be invited to participate in one or more panel interviews.   

To apply, submit a:

• Complete Application
• Resume 
• Optional Cover Letter (will be reviewed if submitted)

Note:  Additional documents won't be considered during minimum qualification screening.

Who to Contact: For more information regarding this recruitment, please contact Patty Jurgens   at patty.jurgens@kingcounty.gov

Discover More About the: Visit our website www.kingcounty.gov/parks. Check us out on the socials at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Vimeo.  Discover More About DNRP: Visit our website, explore an interactive map of our recent accomplishments and check us out at Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Keeping King County Green News. 

Sign up for Job Alerts to be notified of additional career opportunities with King County. Select the Natural Resources category for DNRP opportunities and explore other categories of interest.

Forbes named King County as one of Washington State's best employers.

Together, with leadership and our employees, we're changing the way government delivers service and winning national recognition as a model of excellence. Are you ready to make a difference? Come join the team dedicated to serving one of the nation's best places to live, work and play.Guided by our "True North", we are making King County a welcoming community where every person can thrive. We value diversity, inclusion and belonging in our workplace and workforce. To reach this goal we are committed to workforce equity. Equitable recruiting, support, and retention is how we will obtain the highest quality workforce in our region; a workforce that shares and will help advance our guiding principles - we are one team; we solve problems; we focus on the customer; we drive for results; we are racially just; we respect all people; we lead the way; and we are responsible stewards. We encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply, including Native American and people of color, immigrants, refugees, women, LGBTQ , people living with disabilities, and veterans.

King County is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Employer

No person is unlawfully excluded from employment opportunities based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation and pregnancy), age, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or other protected class. Our EEO policy applies to all employment actions, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, selection for training, promotion, transfer, demotion, layoff, termination, rates of pay or other forms of compensation.

To Apply

If you are interested in pursuing this position, please follow the application instructions carefully. If you need this announcement in an alternate language or format, would like to request accommodation or assistance in the application or assessment process or if you have questions please contact the recruiter listed on this job announcement.

Salary : $79,643 - $96,720