Equipment Operator - Senior

Placer County offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees. The following information represents benefits currently available to permanent Placer County employees and may be subject to change. Applicants should inquire as to the most current benefit package during hiring interviews or by contacting the Human Resources Department.

Click here to view Placer Public Employees Organization (PPEO) benefits.

For more information regarding the benefits Placer County has to offer, please visit Placer County's Human Resources website.

To operate heavy road maintenance and construction equipment with a high level of skill and independent judgment; to perform complex and difficult road maintenance and construction duties; and to exercise technical and functional supervision over maintenance and technical personnel as needed.

This is the advanced journey level class in the Equipment Operator series.  Positions at this level are distinguished from other classes within the series by the level of responsibility assumed, complexity of duties assigned, independence of action taken, by the amount of time spent performing assigned duties and by the nature of the public contact made.  Employees perform the most difficult and responsible types of duties assigned to classes within this series including operation of heavy equipment within close tolerances and grading in accordance with engineering specifications and exercise technical and functional supervision over maintenance and technical personnel.  Employees at this level are required to be fully trained in all procedures related to assigned area of responsibility.

Receives direction from a Road District Supervisor.

May exercise technical and functional supervision over maintenance and technical personnel.

• Train and lead assigned personnel in equipment operation activities.
• Operate heavy equipment such as motor graders, heavy duty loaders and cranes, rotary snow plows, chip spreaders and large semi-truck and trailer equipment transporters in road patching, ditch and culvert cleaning, shoulder clearing, snow removal and ice control, traffic barrier construction, culvert installation and bridge building. 
• Grade roads to proper line and grades; cut, fill, level and otherwise prepare road bed; mix spread and compact surfacing material and finish road surface and shoulder to engineering specifications; assist in equipment maintenance by performing minor service tasks and checking equipment for needed repairs.
• Operate less complex equipment when graders or other heavy equipment are not needed. 
• May perform manual labor in tasks such as resurfacing, oiling and patching, cleaning ditches and culverts, laying drainage pipe, building fences and repairing storm drains. 
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers, other County employees and the public using principles of good customer service.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices used in the operation and routine maintenance of heavy road and construction equipment.
• Vehicle codes and safety practices relevant to operating heavy vehicles and equipment.
• General construction standards and practices as applied to road maintenance.
• Equipment, tools and materials used in road construction, maintenance and repair.
• Principles and practices of work safety.

Ability to:

• On a continuous basis, know and understand operations and observe safety rules.  Intermittently analyze equipment problems; identify and locate equipment and tools; interpret work orders; remember equipment and tool location; remember street/road names and general geographic areas. 
• Intermittently, sit while completing forms or reports; bend, squat, climb, kneel, twist and reach when operating equipment controls or installing parts or digging, clearing and spreading; perform simple and power grasping, pushing, pulling and fine manipulation; regularly lift very heavy weight.
• Train, assign and review work of assigned personnel.
• Operate various types of heavy equipment in performing complex and difficult road construction and maintenance work requiring a high level of skill and judgment such as working within close tolerances and judging distances in ground levels and grade stakes; read and understand blue prints/blue lines and engineering design notes.
• Operate power and air tools such as chain saw, concrete saw and jackhammer.
• Use hand tools, rakes, shovels and hand tamper.
• Act quickly and calmly in emergency situations.
• Analyze situations quickly and objectively and determine proper course of action.
• Safely and effectively operate equipment in regular traffic areas; determine traffic control areas for signing and marking of temporary maintenance or construction zones.
• Work unusual and prolonged work schedules; work multiple shifts during emergencies, seasonally-caused circumstances, or special projects in varying climatic and temperature conditions.
• Understand and follow written and oral instructions.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Work with various cultural and ethnic groups in a tactful and effective manner.

Training & Experience Rating (70%)

Based upon responses to the supplemental questionnaire, the applicant’s education, training, and experience will be evaluated using a pre-determined formula. Scores from this evaluation will determine applicant ranking and placement on the eligible list.

Performance Examination (30%)

The performance examination consists of a series of job-related exercises. The performance examination is tentatively scheduled for the week of September 16, 2024, in Tahoe. Applicants will be required to participate in, and successfully pass, the performance examination in order to move forward in the recruitment. Examination details will be sent out via email to qualifying applicants the week of September 2, 2024.

Prior to the date of hire, applicants must undergo a fingerprint test by the Department of Justice, pass a medical examination (which may include a drug screening and possibly a psychological evaluation), sign a constitutional oath, and submit proof of U.S. citizenship or legal right to remain and work in the U.S.  For some positions, applicants may also be required to submit proof of age, undergo a background investigation (which may include a voice stress analysis and/or a polygraph), and/or be bonded. Additionally, positions in law enforcement classifications and those supporting law enforcement functions will be required to complete a conviction history questionnaire prior to or during the interview process. Applicants for positions with access to Medi-Cal billing software or who are licensed providers must clear the Federal Exclusion List, credentialing, and social security verification. Failure to clear these requirements may result in an employment offer being withdrawn.

The eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be certified as a substitute list for a substantially similar classification. For this purpose, a substantially similar classification is one at a lower level in the same classification (example: entry level vs. journey level) and/or a similar classification (similar work performed, similar training and experience qualifications required). If you are contacted for an interview by a County department, you will be informed of the classification and other relevant information. If you choose not to interview for a substantially similar classification, you will remain on the eligible list for which you originally applied.

Placer County offers an expedited process for qualifying certain applicants for interviews. Candidates currently employed, or employed within the last year, by a public agency operating under a personnel civil service or merit system may be eligible to be placed on a Public Agency Eligible List and certified as eligible for appointment to a similar job assignment without going through the examination process. For more information on the Public Agency Eligible List, to download forms, or to apply, please click here.

Thank you for your interest in employment with Placer County. Placer County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to an active nondiscrimination program. It is the stated policy of Placer County that harassment, discrimination, and retaliation are prohibited and that all employees, applicants, agents, contractors, and interns/volunteers shall receive equal consideration and treatment. All terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, transfer, and promotion will be based on the qualifications of the individual for the positions being filled regardless of gender (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, race (including traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists), color, ancestry, religion (including creed and belief), national origin, citizenship, physical disability (including HIV and AIDS), mental disability, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics/information), age (40 or over),  marital status, military and/or veteran status, sex (including parental status, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), reproductive health decision making, political orientation, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Please contact the Human Resources Department at least 5 working days before a scheduled examination if you require accommodation in the examination process. Medical disability verification may be required prior to accommodation.

For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact Janine Martindale, Administrative Technician, at jmartind@placer.ca.gov or (530) 889-4083.