What are the responsibilities and job description for the Heavy Equipment Operator position at City of Fort Walton Beach?
Department
1240 Utility Services - Streets
Location
7 Hollywood Blvd NW (Fort Walton Beach, FL)
Position Type
FT Employee
Salary
From $23.73 an hour
Requisition
124040
Open Date
05/27/2026
Close Date
Description
Employment Status: Full-Time
FLSA Status: Non-exempt
Experience Required: Minimum of six (6) years of experience in the operation and routine maintenance of the type of equipment of primary assignment.
Minimum Education Requirements: High School diploma or G.E.D.
Department: Utility Services (Streets).
Direct Supervisor: Division Foreman.
Supervisory Responsibility: Direct (x); Indirect (x)
Primary Work Location: Works outside at various work sites.
Certification: Valid State of Florida driver’s license, Class A or B CDL, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Water Distribution Level 3 Operator Certification (Water Distribution only) required within 1 year of hire, Florida Department of Environmental Protection Stormwater Erosion and Sedimentation Control Inspector required within six (6) months of hire, and maintenance of Traffic (MOT) Certification – Intermediate required within six (6) months of hire.
Job Summary: Performs skilled work in the operation of a variety of complex heavy construction equipment and duties also include performing manual labor tasks.
Essential Job Functions
An employee in this position may be called upon to do any or all of the following essential duties:
• Operate one or more of the following equipment and/or machines: dump truck, dozer, front-end loader, backhoe, motor grader, and excavator.
• Operate and perform preventative maintenance on various construction equipment including but not limited to hand tools, power tools, tamps quick cut saws, air hammers, mowers, etc.
• Perform heavy manual labor such as: digging, lifting, hauling, spraying, etc.
• Operate cement mixer, set concrete formwork, place, shovel, and finish concrete.
• Prepare surfaces for paving and shovel and spread asphalt.
• Perform routine maintenance to assigned equipment.
• Participate in concrete or asphalt preparation and installation.
• Perform maintenance and installation of irrigation systems.
• Perform manual unskilled labor as required.
• Perform supervisory responsibilities in absence of the Foreman.
• Perform other job duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities (KSA’s) for Position
An employee in this class must have the following knowledge, skills, and abilities upon application:
Knowledge
• Effective operation and maintenance of medium and heavy equipment.
• Proper lifting and rigging methods and construction operations.
• Traffic and highway safety rules and regulations, and of effective precautionary measures necessary to avoid accidents.
• Hazards involved in the use of heavy equipment and of the safety precautions to be taken.
• Construction terminology and utility/Infrastructure installation.
• City’s functions, policies, and procedures.
Skills
• Written and oral communications skills.
• Operation of heavy construction equipment.
• Operate a variety of office equipment, including computer terminal, printer, calculator, fax, typewriter, and copier.
Abilities
• Understand and carry out general instructions relating to construction and maintenance operations.
• Estimate required quantities for concrete and asphalt delivery.
• Physical strength and agility to do strenuous laboring tasks.
• Works in extreme weather conditions with dust, fumes, gases, chemicals, oils, uneven surfaces, poor lighting, vibrations, in or with moving vehicles, heights (up to 10 feet).
Physical Demands
The work is heavy work which requires exerting up to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects. The following physical abilities are required:
o Balancing: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. The amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium.
o Climbing: Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized.
o Crawling: Moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet.
o Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine.
o Feeling: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips.
o Fingering: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling.
o Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.
o Handling: Picking, holding, or otherwise working, primarily with the whole hand.
o Hearing 1: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound.
o Hearing 2: Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound.
o Kneeling: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.
o Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.
o Mental Acuity: Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
o Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.
o Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward.
o Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
o Repetitive Motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
o Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
o Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.
o Stooping: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles.
o Talking 1: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
o Talking 2: Shouting in order to be heard above ambient noise level.
o Visual Acuity 1: Have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading.
o Visual Acuity 2: Including color, depth perception, and field vision.
o Visual Acuity 3: Visual Acuity to determine the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned or to make general observations of facilities or structures.
o Visual Acuity 4: Have visual acuity to operate motor vehicles and/or heavy equipment.
o Visual Acuity 5: Have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: visual inspection involving small defects, small parts, operation of machines; using measurement devices; and/or assembly or fabrication parts at distances close to the eyes.
o Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another.
**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.
Skills
Salary : $24