Tractor Operator (Gardener)

Summary

This is a Direct Hire Authority (DHA) solicitation utilizing the DHA for Certain Personnel of the DoD Workforce to recruit and appoint qualified candidates to positions in the competitive service. About the Position: The installation rests in the beautiful 'hill and lake' country of Central Texas between Killeen and Copperas Cove.

Duties

• Perform mowing, planting, and fertilizing of grassed areas.
• Perform operators maintenance on farm equipment and/or motor vehicle used.
• Operate commercial type motor vehicles to deliver materials, water, and/or supplies to work sites.
• Perform various gardening tasks for installation, cantonment, housing, greenbelt and other specialty areas.
• Operate farm or light industrial tractor equipment and attachments to perform grounds maintenance duties.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: US Citizens Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. There is no specific length of training or experience required. However, you must be able to demonstrate, through experience shown in your written application materials that you possess the sufficient knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the work of this position without more than normal supervision. Minimum Qualifications (Screen Out Element): Ability to do the work of a(n) Tractor Operator (Gardener) ~ without more than normal supervision. I have the ability to perform common farm-type tractor operation; gardening, and light to moderately heavy vehicle operation duties. I am skilled in the use and operation of farm or light industrial tractor equipment and attachments such as plows, mowers, bushhogs, and fertilizer spreaders to perform dirt spreading, tree and shrub planting, and watering in support of ground maintenance activities. I can operate and repair of a variety of commercial type vehicles and power and/or hydraulic equipment to load, secure and transport materials and supplies. I work under normal supervision of a work leader or journey-level employee who observes tasks in progress and upon completion to make sure they are properly performed. - Failure to meet this Screen out Element will result in an ineligible rating. Physical Effort: Moderate to heavy physical effort is expended in hooking up heavy tractor drawn equipment, loading debris and cargo. Regularly requires lifting, positioning and carrying of items weighing 40 to 50 pounds. Items weighing to exceed 75 pounds are normally lifted by more than one person or hoisted with mechanical devices. Requires close eye, foot, and hand coordination in manipulating PTO, hydraulic and tractor controls while operating equipment. Requires climbing on ladders and in trees to accomplish pruning and trimming duties. Working Conditions: Is exposed to occasional driving during icy weather. Vast majority of time is spent working out-of-doors during all weather conditions. Exposed to various traffic hazards on public use roads. Subject to falls from ladders and severe injury from tractor powered equipment operation. Hearing protective devices and other protective devices and safety equipment are issued for abatement of exposure to eye, foot and hearing hazards and must be worn during each actual exposure to the hazardous conditions. Working conditions are considered in the evaluation of the job and do not meet criteria for compensation by environmental or hazard pay.

How to apply

To apply for this position, you must complete the online questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section above. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (EST) on 09/23/2026 to receive consideration To begin, click Apply to access the online application. You will need to be logged into your USAJOBS account to apply. If you do not have a USAJOBS account, you will need to create one before beginning the application (https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13059193). Follow the prompts to select your resume and/or other supporting documents to be included with your application package. As a reminder, your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration. For additional information, refer to the 'Required Documents' section. You will have the opportunity to upload additional documents to include in your application before it is submitted. Your uploaded documents may take several hours to clear the virus scan process. After acknowledging you have reviewed your application package, complete the Include Personal Information section as you deem appropriate and click to continue with the application process. You will be taken to the online application which you must complete in order to apply for the position. Complete the online application, verify the required documentation is included with your application package, and submit the application. Your resume selected in USAJOBS will be included, but you must re-select other documents from your USAJOBS account or your application may be incomplete. It is your responsibility to verify that your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) is complete, accurate, and submitted by the closing date. Uploaded documents may take up to one hour to clear the virus scan. Additional information on how to complete the online application process and submit your online application may be found on the USA Staffing Applicant Resource Center. To verify the status of your application, log into your USAJOBS account (https://www.usajobs.gov/applicant/profile/dashboard/), all of your applications will appear on the Welcome screen. The Application Status will appear along with the date your application was last updated. For information on what each Application Status means, visit: https://help.usajobs.gov/how-to/application/status.