Heavy Equipment Operator

THE AGENCY

Public services provided by the Alameda County Public Works Agency include flood and storm water pollution control, transportation planning and design, roadway and flood control maintenance and inspection, and construction and building inspections.

The goals of the Agency are to keep roads safe and well maintained, provide the highest level of flood protection, provide service levels that optimize infrastructure life cycles, minimize deferred maintenance, ensure that development and construction adhere to applicable State and County rules, optimize disaster preparedness, response and recover, ensure that the Agencys operations and services minimize negative impacts on the environment, and sustain and advance County and Agency programs through a vital business and administrative support system.

For more information about the Alameda County Public Works Agency, please visit their website at THE POSITION

Under general supervision, operates one or more types of heavy construction equipment in the maintenance and construction of County roads and flood control facilities may drive a truck or perform manual labor; does related work as required.

This is the journey-level class in Heavy Equipment operation. A Heavy Equipment Operator spends most of the time operating such heavy equipment as a motor grader, roller, backhoe or hydraulic excavator. Based on a general explanation at the start of a particular work assignment, a Heavy Equipment Operator is expected to operate equipment so as to carry out the assignment rapidly, efficiently, and safely.

For more detailed information about the job classification, visit:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

TO QUALIFY FOR THE COMPETITIVE ASSESSMENT PROCESS, YOU MUST MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS BY FULFILLING ONE OF TWO THE PATTERNS LISTED BELOW.

EITHER I

Experience: The equivalent of two years full-time experience as a Heavy Truck Driver or in an equivalent or higher-level construction equipment maintenance or operation class in the Alameda County service.

OR II

Experience: The equivalent of three years full-time experience in the operation of large dump trucks or other heavy mobile road equipment, one year of which includes the operation of a motor grader, bulldozer, excavator, roller, track-type loader, or backhoe in connection with road and flood control construction or maintenance.

License: Possess a valid California Motor Vehicle Class A Commercial Drivers License. Candidate must submit evidence from the DMV showing current status of their license at the time of application and must have a clean driving record for the past eighteen (18) months; a Tanks (N) endorsement and a valid Medical Certificate are required for all patterns.

Special Requirement: Federal law and county policy requires that positions in the class of Heavy Equipment Operator are subject to post-offer/pre-placement/pre-duty, reasonable suspicion, post-accident, random, return-to-duty and follow-up drug and alcohol testing.

Working Conditions:

Heavy Equipment Operator is subject to 24-hour call out and must actively participate in the program.
Work outdoors in all weather conditions.
Subject to intense heat while applying chip seals, asphalt, crack seals, etc.
Work on uneven surfaces.
Subject to loud noises.
Work in confined spaces.
Contact with dust, dirt, poisonous plants, dead and live animals, used syringes and condoms, feces, urine, chemicals, paints, petroleum products, etc.
Work in high traffic areas.
Subject to climbing ladders, working from heights, working in moving water, bending, stooping, lifting heavy objects, crawling through small spaces, working overhead, etc.

NOTE: The Civil Service Commission may modify the above Minimum Qualifications in the announcement of an examination.

KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS

The most suitably qualified candidates will possess the following competencies:

Knowledge of:
CA Biennial Inspection of Terminal (BIT) regulations pertaining to Class A Drivers, including hours of service, daily vehicle inspection and drivers' logs.
Road and flood control construction and maintenance methods and problems.
Provisions of the California Motor Vehicle Code affecting equipment operations.
Proper loading and trailering techniques.
Relevant construction safety procedures.

Ability to:
Operate motor graders, rollers, track loaders, excavators or large tractors.
Drive a truck safely while towing equipment.
Quickly acquire skill in operating all heavy construction equipment used by the County.
Follow oral instructions.
Follow written instructions.
Keep simple records.

EXAMINATION COMPONENTS

THE EXAMINATION WILL CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING STEPS:

1. A review of applicants' application to verify possession of minimum requirements. Those candidates who possess the minimum requirements for the class will move on to the next step in the examination process.

2. A performance component that will be weighted at 100% of the final examination score.

Candidates must attain a qualifying rating of each portion of this examination.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED EXAMINATION STEPS.

Alameda County utilizes a Civil Service Selection System founded on merit. Such a system is competitive and based on broad recruitment efforts and equal opportunity for qualified applicants to test in an examination process designed to determine the qualifications, fitness and ability of competitors to perform duties of the vacant position. Many of our recruitments are targeted and specific to the needs of a current vacant position, in which case, the eligible list may be exclusively used for that current vacant position. Other recruitments may be more broadly used for both current and future vacancies, or for other alternate jobs with comparable scopes of work.

For more information on the Civil Service Selection process, please visit the What You Need to Know section of our website,

Applicants will be informed via email with reasonable notice in advance of any examination process which will require their attendance. The following dates are tentative and subject to change based on the needs of the Agency:

TENTATIVE RECRUITMENT PLAN

Deadline for Filing:

5:00:00 p.m., Monday, June 16, 2025

Review of Minimum Qualifications:

June 18, 2025

Notification to non-qualified applicants ONLY:

Week of June 23, 2025

Performance Examination: *

Week of July 7, 2025

Notification of Exam Results:

Week of July 21, 2025

TENTATIVE SELECTION PLAN

Department Selection Process:

Mid-September 2025

*The combined performance examination/selection assessment, in addition to establishing an eligibility list, may serve as the final selection interview for vacancies in this classification. Candidates selected to participate in the performance exam will receive an email notification at least 10 business days in advance of the exam date.

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE CHANGES TO THE ANNOUNCED RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PLAN

Alameda County and the Human Resource Services Department will make reasonable efforts in the examination and/or selection process to accommodate qualified individuals with disabilities and/or medical conditions in accordance/compliance with the State Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Alameda Countys Reasonable Accommodation Policy and applicable statutes. To request an accommodation due to a disability/medical condition during this or other phases of the examination/selection process, please contact the assigned Human Resources Representative listed on the job announcement before the last date of filing. Alameda County requires applicants to provide supporting documentation to substantiate a request for reasonable accommodation. In order to qualify for a reasonable accommodation, applicants must have a disability/medical condition pursuant to the ADA, FEHA and applicable statutes.

For more information regarding our Reasonable Accommodation procedures, please visit our website, Conclusion

All notices related to County recruitments for which you have applied will be sent/delivered via email. Please add ..., @jobaps.com, acgov.org and ... as accepted addresses to any email blocking or spam filtering program you may use. If you do not do this, your email blocking or spam filtering program may block receipt of the notices regarding your application for recruitments. You are also strongly advised to regularly log into your County of Alameda online application account to check for notices that may have been sent to you. All email notices that will be sent to you will also be kept in your personal online application account. You will be able to view all of your notices in your online application account by clicking on the 'My applications' button on the Current Job Openings page.

Please take the steps recommended above to ensure you do not miss any notices about a recruitment for which you have applied. The County of Alameda is not responsible for notices that are not read, received or accessed by any applicant for a County recruitment.

NOTE: All notices are generated through an automated email notification system. Replies to the email box ... and ... are routed to an unmonitored mailbox. If you have questions, please go to our website at www.acgov.org/hrs. You may also contact the Human Resources Analyst listed on the job announcement for the recruitment for which you have applied.

Erika Beams, Human Resources Analyst
Human Resource Services Division, County of Alameda
Analyst Email Address Link: ... | Phone: ...
DISASTER SERVICE WORKER

All Alameda County employees are designated Disaster Service Workers through state and local law. Employment with the County requires the affirmation of a loyalty oath to this effect. Employees are required to report to work as ordered in the event of an emergency.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

Alameda County has a diverse workforce, that is representative of the communities we serve and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment are based on merit, competence, performance and business need. Alameda County does not discriminate in employment on the basis of, race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors protected under federal, state and local law. Alameda County celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive, and welcoming workplace environment.