Highway Maintenance Specialist – Hartsel ($500 Housing Stipend / CDL Required)

Colorado Department of Transportation; Colorado; On-site; USD 54,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing stipend

4‑day work schedule (May–Sept)

Job summary

Colorado Department of Transportation in Hartsel, CO is seeking a Highway Maintenance Specialist. The role involves outdoor, physically demanding work including snow plowing, operating heavy equipment, and maintaining road infrastructure.

The position features a 4-day summer schedule, opportunities for overtime, and a housing stipend of $500 per month, with base pay around $53,940–$54,000 annually plus benefits.

Qualifications

• Minimum two years of physical labor and/or heavy equipment operation experience.
• Must possess a valid Commercial Driver's License Class A or B with no air brakes restriction.
• Ability to work outdoors in varying weather and elevations.

Responsibilities

• Plowing snow and operating heavy equipment such as tandem dump trucks and loaders.
• Mowing grass and weeds and removing debris from roadways.
• Installing/repairing guardrails, signs, and pavement markings; setting traffic cones.
• Responding to emergencies and working overtime during weather events.

Skills

Physical labor

Heavy equipment

Safety mindset

Teamwork

Communication

Tools

Heavy equipment (dump trucks, loaders)

Job description

Department Information

Applications will be considered from residents and non-residents of Colorado. If you have a Colorado Class A or B Commercial Driver’s License and are passionate about safety, travel, and hands‑on repair and improvements, then consider turning your passions into a career as a Highway Maintenance Specialist. The position is located in Hartsel, CO.

Base pay for this position is $2,074.62 /biweekly ($53,940 - 54,000/annually). This location is also eligible for an additional $500/month housing stipend.

The annualized hourly rate for this position is $25.93 /hour, with an overtime rate of $38.90/hour. There are 26 biweekly pay periods in a year.

Total annual compensation for this position is $59,940 ($53,940 base pay and $6,000 housing stipend).

Description Of Job

What You Will Do

No two days are exactly the same in CDOT highway maintenance. Your daily work activities change based on project needs and also vary based on weather, environment, and road conditions. You will be on‑call on a rotating basis as well as subject to call to respond to weather and other emergencies. You will typically work in a team environment, as each maintenance patrol location has at least one lead highway maintenance specialist and multiple highway maintenance specialists. Your main job activities include:

• Plowing snow
• Operating heavy equipment, such as tandem dump truck, loader, tractor mower, etc.
• Mowing grass and weeds
• Removing debris from roadways, including rock, mud, and deceased animals
• Removing debris from culverts, tunnels, etc.
• Shoveling gravel, sand, concrete, and asphalt
• Digging ditches
• Installing and repairing guardrail, highway markers and signs, warning signs, and lighting
• Filling potholes and roadway cracks
• Setting out signs and cones for traffic control
• Removing and covering graffiti
• Installing pavement markings/striping
• Stopping or slowing traffic in emergency situations
• Maintaining equipment and performing minor repairsFollowing safety guidance and wearing proper safety equipment

What Impact You Will Have

Your work is critical to keeping Colorado’s roadways open and safe. Your work also positively impacts quality of life for all Coloradans and visitors and helps our economy to thrive.

What CDOT Provides

• Personal protective equipment, such as uniforms, boots, hard hats, gloves, safety vest, respirator, and tools
• Full payment for your CDL physical, after your first year with CDOT
• Partial reimbursement (up to 50%) for your CDL renewal, after your first year with CDOT
• CPR and first‑aid training
• Variety of career training opportunities
• 40‑hour work weeks, with opportunity for overtime during weather emergencies
• 4‑day work schedule (10‑hour days Monday-Thursday) during the summer months, typically May through September
• Opportunities to learn new equipment
• Opportunities for advancement

Your Work Environment

• Exposure to loud noise
• Exposure to fumes, odors, gasses, dusts, etc. that may affect breathing, eyes, and skin
• Required to use appropriate personal protective equipment
• Required to work with chemicals and cleaning products
• Some equipment requires the use of respirators
• Work near traffic, sometimes high‑speed traffic
• Use ladders and scissor lifts for heights of approximately 10’–20’
• Required to drive CDOT vehicles
• Frequently respond to emergencies outside regular work hours and may work overtime including weekends and holidays
• Must be willing and be physically able to work in extreme temperatures (hot and cold), variable weather conditions, and at varying elevations up to 12,000 feet for long periods of time

Minimum Qualifications, Substitutions, Conditions Of Employment & Appeal Rights

D7D1XX Transportation Maintenance I

Minimum Qualifications

Must have at least two (2) years of physical labor and/or heavy equipment operation experience.

Preferred Qualifications

• Has a strong commitment to working safely
• Has a desire to learn
• Wants to work outdoors
• Likes physically demanding work
• Takes pride in a job well done
• Adapts efficiently to changing conditions and priorities
• Works effectively in a team environment and looks out for team members
• Communicates effectively, especially in safety‑critical situations
• Has a strong commitment to providing good customer service
• Likes to solve problems and figure out better ways to do things
• Has experience operating equipment, such as single and tandem axle dump trucks, front end loaders, bulldozers, backhoes, etc.
• Has experience using hand tools
• Has basic computer skills and can learn new software/equipment
• Years of State service experience related to the duties of this position

Conditions of Employment

• Must possess and maintain a valid Commercial Driver’s License Class A or B with no restriction on air brakes that allows operation within Colorado.
• If you have a non-Colorado Commercial Driver’s License, you must be eligible to drive in Colorado with your CDL at time of hire. If you currently live outside of Colorado and relocate to reside in Colorado, you must transfer your CDL to Colorado within 30 days of relocation.
• Must pass a pre‑employment screening which may include social security number trace, criminal records check, public court records check, educational records, and driving records checks. More information in the supplemental information section.
• May be required to pass a controlled substance test (i.e., drug test), and DOT physical through our medical provider.
• On‑call work (rotating basis as well as subject to call)
• Shift work
• Essential Services Designation – Required to report without delay or interruption to provide essential or emergency services to ensure health, safety, and welfare.
• May be required to live within thirty (30) minutes’ driving time in normal weather conditions to be able to respond in a timely manner after being notified to report to work. Knowledge of an emergency or hazardous condition may be considered to be notification to report to workstation.
• New employees are required to take two weeks of maintenance training, while veteran CDOT employees are required to take one week of training each year. This training is completed via computer or in our Aurora location.
• May be required to obtain a Hazardous Materials endorsement within 6 months to 1 year as a condition of appointment.
• Must be willing to respond to emergencies outside regular work hours and work overtime including weekends and holidays.
• Must provide the supervisor with a telephone number where you can be reached for the purposes of responding to an emergency.

Supplemental Information

This section contains additional information pertinent to the role.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

The State of Colorado strives to create a Colorado for All by building and maintaining workplaces that value and respect all Coloradans through a commitment to equal opportunity and hiring based on merit and fitness.

The State is resolute in non-discriminatory practices in everything we do, including hiring, employment, and advancement opportunities.

The Hiring Process

• All applications that are received by the closing of this announcement will be reviewed against the minimum qualifications in this announcement. Candidates who meet the minimum qualifications proceed to the next step.
• Colorado Revised Statutes require that state employees are hired and promoted based on merit and fitness through a comparative analysis process.
• Part, or all, of the comparative analysis for this position may be a structured application review, which involves a review of the information you submit in your application materials by Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) against the preferred qualifications.
• Be sure your application materials specifically address your qualifications, experience, work products, and accomplishments as they relate to the Major Duties, Minimum Qualifications, and Preferred Qualifications sections as listed above. Failure to include adequate information or follow instructions by the deadline for application may result in your application not being accepted for this position and may affect your inclusion as a qualified candidate in any step of the selection process and placement on the eligible list.
• A top group, up to six candidates, will be invited to schedule an interview with the hiring manager.

Employment Screening

If an applicant reaches the finalist stage of the hiring process, the Colorado Department of Transportation may procure a consumer report and/or investigative consumer report on the applicant in connection with his/her application for employment purposes, as defined under the Fair Credit Reporting Act. These reports may be obtained at any time after receipt of the applicant's authorization. As part of the employment screening an applicant will be requested to disclose any deferred judgments and convictions as well as an explanation of the circumstances around any arrest or conviction. In the event that a screening returns information that the applicant believes is not accurate, he or she will have an opportunity to dispute the information with “Accurate.” Accurate, a consumer reporting agency, will obtain the report for CDOT. Further information regarding Accurate including its privacy policy, may be found online at www.accurate.com . Accurate is located at 200 Spectrum Center Drive Suite 1100, Irvine, CA 92618. The report may contain information bearing on the applicant's character, general reputation, personal characteristics, and mode of living. The information that may be included in the report includes social security number trace, criminal records check, public court records checks, educational records, and driving records checks . CDOT will only request credit reports insofar as they relate to the position for which the applicant is applying. The information contained in the report will be obtained from private and/or public record sources. The applicant will have the right, upon written request made within a reasonable time after receipt of a notice, to request disclosure of the nature and scope of any investigative consumer report.

Appeal Rights

If you receive notice that you have been removed from consideration during the selection or comparative analysis process for this position, you may file an appeal with the State Personnel Board and/or request a review by the State Personnel Director. A standard appeal form is available on the State Personnel Board website, https://spb.colorado.gov/forms-and-filing . If you appeal, your appeal must be submitted in writing on the official appeal form, signed by you or your representative, and received at the following address within ten (10) days of your receipt of this notice: Colorado State Personnel Board/State Personnel Director, Attn: Appeals Processing, 1525 Sherman Street, 4th Floor, Denver, CO 80203. Fax: [phone]. Phone: [phone]. Email address: [e-mail] . The ten-day deadline and these appeal procedures also apply to all charges of discrimination. Refer to Chapters 4 and 8 of the State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures, 4 CCR 801, for information about the appeals process. The State Personnel Board Rules and Personnel Director's Administrative Procedures are available at spb.colorado.gov .

ADAAA Accommodations

CDOT is committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, our agency will assist individuals who have a disability as defined by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADAAA) with any reasonable accommodation requests related to employment, including completing the application process, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or participating in the employee selection process, and/or to perform essential job functions where the requested accommodation does not impose an undue hardship. If you have a disability and require reasonable accommodation to ensure you have a positive experience applying or interviewing for this position, please direct your inquiries to [e-mail].

Former State Employees

Former employees of the Colorado Department of Transportation System or any other State of Colorado Department or Agency, who were disciplinarily terminated or resigned in lieu of termination, must disclose this information on his/her application.

MKV (SAP#50002287, PCR# 68060)

MKV (SAP#50002287, PCR# 68060)