Highway Maintenance Worker

South Dakota AG; Custer (SD); On-site; USD 30,000 - 33,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance option

11 paid holidays

Vacation and sick leave accrual

Dental and vision coverage

Retirement benefits

Job summary

South Dakota Department of Game Fish & Parks in Custer, SD, seeks a full-time operator to maintain park roadways and infrastructure with heavy equipment expertise. responsibilities include roadwork, records, and safety of facilities for visitors.

The role requires a valid driver’s license and the ability to obtain a Class A CDL within 30 days. Expect physical labor, potential weekend work, and compliance with testing and employment verification.

Qualifications

• Knowledge and experience in road maintenance (asphalt and gravel).
• Experience operating heavy equipment and maintaining park infrastructure.
• Good communication skills for reporting and coordination.

Responsibilities

• Maintains Custer State Park roadways, fire trails, infrastructure and heavy equipment.
• Prepares and maintains records and reports; ensures facilities are safe and inviting for visitors.
• Work involves heavy lifting; may require weekends for events or emergencies like snowfall, fire, floods, or repairs.
• Incumbent must have a valid driver's license and can obtain a Class A CDL within 30 days of hire.
• Subject to pre-employment and ongoing drug and alcohol testing; uses E-Verify.

Skills

Heavy equipment operation

Road maintenance

Record keeping

Communication skills

Job description

Job ID: 37725

Agency: Department of Game Fish & Parks

Location: Custer, SD

Salary: $22.48/hr

Pay Grade: G

Closing Date: 10/14/2026

Why the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks?

Working for the South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks is not just a job. It is a life passion. It is about working together as a team with colleagues, customers, landowners, and partner organizations to ensure that our state’s outdoor heritage lives on for the next generation. Providing exceptional outdoor recreational opportunities for people to enjoy is one of the best jobs in state government. Our atmosphere empowers professional success and team building, while fostering relationships to build a culture focused on our four strategic plan goals.

• Provide outdoor recreational opportunities
• Serve as stewards of our state’s natural resources
• Inspire confidence
• Foster professional excellence

Maintains Custer State Park roadways, fire trails, infrastructure & heavy equipment. Prepares and maintains records and reports, ensures park facilities are safe, accessible and inviting to provide maximum customer satisfaction.

Works in all weather conditions, high volume traffic, around hazardous chemicals, around and with power, sewer, and water lines. Work involves heavy lifting and hard manual labor. May work weekends for special events or emergency situations related to snowfall, fire, floods, or infrastructure repairs.

Incumbent must have a valid driver's license and be able to obtain a Class A commercial driver's license (CDL) within 30 days of hire date to retain employment. Employee will be subject to pre-employment, random, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, follow-up, and return-to-duty drug and alcohol testing.

This is a full-time position with the Department of Game Fish & Parks. For more information on the Department of Game Fish & Parks, please visit https://gfp.sd.gov/.

The Ideal Candidate Will Have

Knowledge and experience in road maintenance both asphalt and gravel surfacing, experience in operating heavy equipment, knowledge of utility line repairs and good communication skills.

Knowledge Of

• safe operation, maintenance and repair of heavy equipment;
• use and maintenance of a wide variety of job-related hand tools;
• record keeping and report writing;
• use and application of various construction materials;
• arithmetic sufficient to calculate volume and quantity of materials;
• plumbing and electrical repairs sufficient to maintain park infrastructure;
• weather conditions and their effect on road surfaces.

Ability To

• drive and operate manual transmission;
• operate a variety of heavy equipment used in road construction;
• organize and complete assigned projects;
• use a variety of hand and power tools;
• work in all weather conditions;
• communicate sufficiently to convey instructions and information about assigned work;
• sit for extended periods in rough riding equipment;
• routinely kneel, bend, stoop, and twist to perform work activities;
• work around traffic, sewer, dust and noise.

This position is eligible for Veterans’ Preference per ARSD 55:10:02:08.

NCRC: If you possess a National Career Readiness Certificate, please submit the certificate with your application. For more information on how to acquire a National Career Readiness Certificate contact a South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation Job Service Office. A certificate is not necessary to be considered.

The State of South Dakota does not sponsor work visas for new or existing employees. All persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete an Employment Eligibility Verification, Form I-9. The State of South Dakota as an employer will be using E-Verify to complete employment eligibility verification upon hire.

The State of South Dakota offers $0 premium employee health insurance option plus eleven paid holidays, generous vacation and sick leave accrual, dental, vision, and other insurance options, and retirement benefits. You can view our benefits information here. This position is a member of Class A retirement under SDRS.

South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources and Administration

Telephone: [phone] Email: [e-mail]

http://bhr.sd.gov/workforus

"An Equal Opportunity Employer"