OTERO COUNTY ROAD DEPT. VEGETATION SPECIALIST

Vegetation Specialist

Employment Status: Full-Time 

FLSA Status: Non-Exempt

Experience Required: One (1) year of responsible experience performing maintenance work involving the operation of heavy equipment.

Minimum Education Requirements: High School Diploma or equivalent

Department: Road

Direct Supervisor: Road Superintendent

Supervisory Responsibility: Direct (0); Indirect (0)

Primary Work Location: Works outdoors under adverse conditions.

Certification: This position requires a valid New Mexico Driver’s License.  Within 90 days of hire, must pass for licensing for government applicators for herbicide.

Job Summary: To maintain the vegetation on county properties and easements and to mitigate any invasive species.   

Essential Job Functions

An employee in this position may be called upon to do any or all of the following essential duties:

• Operate mowers, tractors, spray rigs, and related equipment in the maintenance of right of ways and properties.
• Cut brush off of roadways; use a variety of hand and power tools.
• Use a variety of hand and power tools in performing maintenance functions, including saws, rake, shovel, pick, tools, wrenches, air hose, gauges, wood chipper, and related equipment.
• Install barricades prior to starting work duties.
• Clean and install ditches, culverts and cattle guards; haul material for installation; collect and haul trash, garbage, debris, dirt, sand and gravel.
• Tree thinning, (falling, bucking and stacking).
• Perform additional construction and maintenance tasks such as patching holes, building fences, trimming trees, snow removal, and a variety of minor repair activities. During down times.
• Identify equipment needs for each assigned project; maintain equipment.
• Perform preventive maintenance on heavy and light equipment as required; check and change lubricants; repair and/or change tires as required.
• Maintain production logs and records on both equipment and area worked.
• Install street barricades and cones prior to the performance of street repair activities; direct and control traffic around work sites; water down streets and flush drains.
• Install rip rap and ensure compliance with proper safety precautions.
• Direct complaints to Crew Leader as appropriate.
• Maintain and repair road signs; install sign posts.
• Other duties as required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA’s) for Position

An employee in this class must have the following knowledge, skills, and abilities upon application:

Knowledge

• Operation and maintenance requirements of heavy power-driven equipment.
• Practices, methods, and materials used in general maintenance work.
• Basic traffic laws, ordinances, and rules involved in heavy equipment operations.
• Occupational hazards and standard safety practices.
• Thorough understanding of the County’s functions, policies, and procedures.

Skills

• Strong written and oral communications and relational skills.
• Public relations and customer service. 
• Use of power and hand tools.
• Follow and relay complex oral and written instructions, policies, and procedures.
• Operate a variety of office equipment, including computer terminal, related software programs, printer, calculator, fax, and copier.

Abilities

• Operate a variety of heavy power-driven equipment.
• Perform a variety of semi-skilled and skilled maintenance tasks.
• Perform a variety of manual tasks for extended periods of time in unfavorable weather conditions.
• Perform heavy manual labor.
• Work independently in the absence of supervision.
• Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Physical Demands

The following physical abilities are required: 

1. Essential and marginal functions may require maintaining physical condition necessary for heavy lifting and climbing; operating motorized equipment and vehicles; work in confined spaces; work at heights; work around heavy construction equipment.
2. While performing the duties of the job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear.  
3. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, stoop, and bend. 
4. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

Work Environment

Travel from site to site; construction site environment; exposure to dust, noise, toxic materials; work in inclement weather conditions.

Safety Requirements

The employee is expected to follow all safety procedures as required.

**This position description is a general guideline for work behavior and is not intended to be a comprehensive listing of all job duties.  Therefore, it is also not, nor can it be implied to be, a contract of employment.   The contents of this position description may be changed without notice, and employment may be terminated by either party, at will.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential tasks. 

How to Apply:

Application - Complete the application and return to:
 
                         Otero County Administration Office
                         1101 New York Ave 
                         Alamogordo, NM 88310.