Engineering Equipment Operator

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; Tallulah (LA); On-site; USD 52,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service seeks an Engineering Equipment Operator for the Tensas River National Wildlife Refuge in Tallulah, Louisiana. The role involves operating a range of heavy equipment and performing maintenance to facilities and gear, with occasional weekend work and step-1 starting pay for federal hires.

Primary duties include operating excavators, dump trucks, and dozers, maintaining equipment, and executing ditching, trail work, and fire-break tasks to support refuge projects.

Qualifications

• Experience operating tracked and wheeled heavy equipment.
• Ability to perform basic electrical, mechanical, welding and carpentry tasks.
• Experience with servicing and repairing heavy equipment.

Responsibilities

• Operate tracked and wheeled heavy equipment including excavators, dump trucks, and dozers up to 850 size.
• Operate and maintain heavy equipment such as loaders, forklifts, and backhoes.
• Use power tools and perform basic electrical, mechanical, welding, and carpentry tasks.
• Service and repair equipment by checking fluids, replacing components, and rebuilding parts.
• Conduct ditch cleaning, trail maintenance, and fire break work as needed.

Skills

Heavy equipment operation

Equipment maintenance

Welding

Carpentry

Electrical work

Tools

Power tools

Welding equipment

Pipe threading

Electrical testing gear

Job description

Open: September 18, 2026 — Closes: October 1, 2026

Summary

You will serve as a Engineering Equipment Operator with the Fish & Wildlife Service at the Tensas River National Wildlife in Tallulah Louisiana. You may be required to work weekends. First time hires to the Federal government normally start at the step 1 rate.

Major Duties

Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Operate a variety of tracked and wheeled heavy equipment, such as excavators, dump trucks, motor-grader, agricultural and articulating tractors with implements, and dozers up to the 850 size. Operate and maintain heavy motorized equipment (e.g., front-end loader, forklift, dump truck, farm agricultural tractor and implements, rubber tired backhoe/loader, skid steer, excavator, bulldozer, road grader, crawler tractor) and other pieces of equipment as needed for project activities. Operate power tools, including: handsaws, power saws, power planers, plumb bobs, mercury gauges, dividers, closet augers, hydrostatic pumps, lead pots, pipe threaders and cutters, soldering irons, electrical circuit testing equipment and gas and electrical welders. Perform maintenance/repair to buildings, facilities, and equipment requiring basic electrical, mechanical, welding, and carpentry skills. Service and repair equipment which includes checking fluids, lubricating, replacing components that require dismantling of the equipment such as radiators, hydraulic tanks, alternators, tracks, and excavator bucket teeth, and rebuilding components. Conducts disking, chopping, mowing, rotovating, digging, loading and leveling to a rough grade for the purpose of ditch cleaning, culvert installation, creating and maintaining trails and fire breaks, patching potholes, and piling slash for various purposes.