Tractor Operator

Summary

This position is assigned to the Grounds Section in the Facilities Management Service (FMS). This section is responsible for fulfilling all grounds maintenance and snow removal needs in support of the Saginaw VA Medical Center. Incumbent receives work assignments from and is under the supervision of Grounds Supervisor, Facilities Management Service or in his absence the work leader.

Duties

• The duties of the Tractor Operator includes but are not limited to: Tractor & Equipment Operation Uses various power mowers to cut grass including tractors with mower attachments; adjusts blades and cleans and oils mowers. Operates 172 HP heavy, 28,000+ LB Loader with several attachments controlled by hydraulics and complex electronic controls Cut down trees and uses a manlift for tree trimming and banner placement on light poles. Uses various hand tools including an axe; shovels snow by hand; rakes leaves, waters and weeds grass, picks up trash, cleans around dumpsters, and performs general cleaning duties of entrance areas to the hospital. Incumbent is required to work snow removal during and after work hours, weekends, and holidays as weather conditions require. General Maintenance Incumbent maintains and repairs all outside grounds equipment including large front-end loader, tractors, mowers, trimmers, spreaders, sprayers, portable generator, concreate saw, mason saw, chain saws, as required. Incumbent sharpens rotary lawn mower blades, chainsaw chains, and is responsible for the proper use of lawn mowers. Incumbent builds concrete forms for small, poured retaining walls, and manhole forms. Incumbent operates core saw for pole placement and other applications in impermeable surfaces. Incumbent performs any other duties relating to ground maintenance as assigned by supervisor or Work Leader. Incumbent cleans and maintains ambulance bay. The incumbent is responsible for performing a variety of duties involving the maintenance and up-keep of the grounds surrounding the Medical Center. Typical assignments include mowing lawns and wooded areas, pruning and trimming of trees and bushes, planting and developing and creating landscape areas and flower beds as well as removal of debris, grass, limbs, and other trash, and snow removal. The incumbent receives assignments from the Grounds Maintenance Supervisor or Work leader, orally or in writing, outlining the work to be done and the specific methods and equipment to be used in accomplishing the tasks assigned. Incumbent works either individually or with a group. The incumbent must have working knowledge of the tools used for safe operation in the moving, cultivating and grounds work, and general knowledge concerning snow removal and de-icing, installing and maintaining paver and brick patios, and repairing and installing retaining walls using landscape brick and concrete. The incumbent shall perform ground maintenance activities using all types of hand tools like shovels and rakes including push mowers and power equipment. The incumbent is responsible for operator-level maintenance of all equipment to be used (pre-operation and post-operation checks). The incumbent must be able to read and understand equipment manuals and other written instructions. Incumbents shall conduct daily police calls of the grounds including trash from all receptacles at least twice a day (7:30 am and 2 pm). Incumbents have knowledge of decorative and ornamental plant needs, proper trimming, and nutrients required to make them prosper. Incumbents shall respond to callbacks within reasonable timeframes for snow removal, this includes nights, holidays, and weekends. Incumbent may be placed in an "on call" status during the winter months for snow removal, a phone will be provided. Work Schedule: Monday- Friday; 06:00am-04:30pm. Schedule may be subject to change based on the needs of the Agency. Position Description Title/PD#: Tractor Operator/PD93292A Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/23/2026. EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards. SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements: 1. Ability to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision. Related experience includes: Operating heavy equipment (i.e. tractors, mowers, chainsaws, portable generators, etc.), maintaining and repairing all outside grounds equipment including large front-end loaders, tractors, mowers, trimmers, spreaders, sprayers, portable generator, concrete saw, mason saw, chain saws, as required; completing a pre and post operator check of vehicles and equipment for proper fluid levels (water, windshield washer, oil, brake, and transmission) whenever required for use; performing a variety of duties involving maintenance and up-keep of the ground to include mowing lawns and wooded areas, pruning and trimming of trees and bushes, planting and developing and creating landscape areas and flower beds as well as removal of debris, grass, limbs, and other trash, and snow removal; have working knowledge of the tools used for safe operation in the moving, cultivating and grounds work, and general knowledge concerning snow removal and de-icing, installing and maintaining paver and brick patios, and repairing and installing retaining walls using landscape brick and concrete. (NOTE: You must list your experience on your resume). Applicants must receive a minimum of two points on this screen-out element to be deemed eligible for consideration. JOB ELEMENTS. The below job elements (skills, knowledge, abilities, and personal characteristics considered necessary for success on the job) are approved by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management for individual occupations as well as for jobs having common requirements. Drive Safely Interpret Instructions, Specifications (mobile equipment operations) Motor Vehicles Operate Safely (Non-Motor Vehicle) Reliability And Dependability Without more than normal supervision Work Practices Preferred Experience: Experience with Grounds Keeping and equipment operating. 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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Frequent arm and leg movement is required. The incumbent exerts very heavy physical effort in operating equipment controls and performing tasks that require frequent lifting, bending and moving objects weighing over 50 pounds. The incumbent may occasionally work from ladders, lifts and high places. The incumbent may be asked to extended hours due to weather conditions. Working Conditions: The incumbent works primarily outside in all kinds of weather conditions and is exposed to temperature extremes, vibrations, and jolts from equipment. Operators are exposed to dust, dirt, grease, fumes and chemical sprays and be subjected to insect bites and probably bee stings. The incumbent is subject to cuts and bruises from flying objects, tree branches and the usual hazards associated with power equipment.

Requirements

You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Subject to background/security investigation Pre-employment physical required Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement

How to apply

All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below. The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 09/23/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/13061747. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account. Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire. Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package. NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions. Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job. Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed. Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. If initial application submission is updated and resubmitted with a new resume, only the most current resume will be reviewed for consideration. Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX). We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans. Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started. Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified, you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.