Heavy Equipment Operator II - Arborist

City of Elkhart•Elkhart, IN

2d•Onsite

About The Position

The Heavy Equipment Operator II - Arborist assists with removing, planting, and maintaining trees, shrubs, and plants, applying specialized arboriculture skills, experience, and knowledge. The position is in the City of Elkhart’s Buildings & Grounds Department, Forestry Division, and may supervise at a work site. It reports to the City Forester and/or Public Buildings & Grounds Department Head. The role involves operating forestry equipment, trimming and removing trees and vegetation in rights-of-way, using ropes and rigging, transplanting plant material, maintaining and transplanting trees at the City tree nursery, directing traffic, and loading debris and wood products onto dump trucks. The employee must be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for emergency removal of fallen trees and limbs. Other duties may include snow plowing, maintaining equipment and tools, and performing additional assigned duties. This is a full-time, hourly, AFSCME PG-8, non-exempt position. The listed rate is $28.11. Work is outdoors year-round in temperature extremes and exposure to dirt, dust, precipitation, noise, moving equipment, vibration, hazardous chemicals, and electrical shock. A post-offer, pre-employment drug screen is required; random drug testing may occur after employment.

Requirements

High school education, GED, or equivalent.
Minimum 3–5 years of experience in arboriculture or heavy equipment operations.
Knowledge of proper pruning and felling techniques for urban forestry work.
Ability to identify common trees and shrubs for inventory and work orders.
Commercial Driver’s License according to the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles.
Good verbal and written communication skills.
Ability to guide people and provide basic directions.
Ability to select and order materials, tools, and other supplies.
Knowledge of occupational hazards, safety precautions, and practices used in the tree care industry.
Knowledge of high-voltage electrical power lines.
Ability to solve practical problems with a variety of variables and limited standardization.
Ability to perform arithmetic calculations involving fractions, decimals, and percentages.
Ability to independently carry out detailed written and verbal instructions.
Good mechanical aptitude and ability to operate the forestry equipment described in the posting.
Ability to work at heights exceeding 75 feet above the ground.
Ability to exert up to 100 pounds of force frequently and lift and move objects up to and in excess of 200 pounds.
Ability to perform the described physical activities, including balancing, lifting, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, grasping, and upper-body and back exertion.
Vision, with or without correction, sufficient for clear vision at arm’s length and up to 100 feet, excellent depth perception, and observation in the specified directions.
Availability for emergency response 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Pass a post-offer, pre-employment drug screen.

Nice To Haves

International Society of Arboriculture Arborist’s Certification.
Experience with high-voltage electrical power lines.

Responsibilities

Assist with the removal, planting, and maintenance of trees, shrubs, and plants.
May supervise at a work site.
Operate forestry equipment, including aerial lifts, front-end loaders, wood chippers, stump grinders, chainsaws, hand saws, pruners, pole pruners, and other forestry-related equipment.
Remove and trim trees and vegetation within the right-of-way.
Use ropes and rigging equipment to remove and trim trees.
Transplant trees, shrubs, and other plant material.
Operate equipment to maintain and transplant trees from the City tree nursery.
Direct traffic at job sites.
Load dump trucks with logs, limbs, wood chips, mulch, and debris at job sites.
Be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to remove fallen trees and limbs from streets and property during emergencies.
May be assigned to plow snow.
Maintain equipment and tools.
Perform other duties as assigned by the City Forester and/or Public Buildings & Grounds Department Head, and other job-related duties requested by the Mayor.