Harris County Flood Control District is seeking a qualified candidates for the role of Laborer.
Reporting to the Crew Leader, the Laborer is responsible for operating gasoline powered equipment and various hand tools used in the daily operation of maintaining clear channels, drainage elements and rights of ways in accordance with the District’s mission to maintain the Infrastructure.
Essential Functions and Duties:
- Cut and chop weeds and other types of vegetation using gasoline-powered equipment such as weed eaters and non-powered hand tools such as machetes, axes, or tree trimmers.
- Spray herbicides on selected weeds and grasses using filled backpacks that weigh between 25 and 30lbs.
- Remove and stack cut vegetation in, along and around channels, drainage elements and rights-of ways using hand rakes or pitchforks.
- May enter the channel in water up to three feet in depth or from the bank to dislodge and remove drifts and debris (trees, limbs, brush, vines, trash, and refuse) that impede water flow around and under bridges or other areas.
- May perform other duties that can be added or changed as the course and scope of the job directs.
This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate. Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.
Requirements:
- High school diploma or G.E.D. equivalent
- One (1) year experience in landscaping, vegetation maintenance, herbicide application, labor work, or a closely related field.
- Valid Class "C" Texas Driver’s License
Knowledge Skills, and Abilities:
- Good verbal & written communication skills.
- Can effectively communicate with coworkers and the public.
- Must be able to read and follow written instructions.
- Can use a variety of hand tools such as rakes, shovels, machetes, hand saws etc.
- Work well in an outdoor setting.
- Work well with a team in a field environment.
- Work independently with limited supervision, relative autonomy, and general review.
- Be a self-starter; assume ownership in completing assigned tasks.
- Write/record legible notes of activity and correctly complete required forms.
- Solve mathematical problems that may be required in normal work situations.
Benefits (offered only to employees in regular full-time positions):
- Medical Coverage
- Dental Coverage
- Vision Coverage
- Wellness Plan
- Life Insurance
- Long-term disability
- Employee Assistance Program
- Ten (10) days of vacation each year for the first five (5) years of service
- Accrual rates increase based on years of service
- Eleven (11) County-observed holidays and one (1) floating holiday
- Professional development opportunities
- Dependent Care Reimbursement Plan
- Healthcare Reimbursement Account
- 457 Deferred Compensation Plan
The following benefits are also available to regular full-time employment and may be available to part-time employees:
- Retirement Pension (TCDRS)
- Flexible schedule (varies by department)
- Transportation Assistance (Metro RideSponsor Program)
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions:
- Frequent walking up and down steep slopes of ditches or on rough and uneven surfaces or ground such as sloping terrain, plowed or furrowed areas or construction sites.
- Frequent stooping, bending, reaching, lifting, and carrying of items up to 20 pounds and occasional lifting of up to 50 pounds.
- Occasional driving of vehicles with automatic and four-wheel drive controls.
- Occasional ascending and descending stairs.
- 100% of duties are performed outdoors where there will be routine exposure to significant levels of heat, cold, moisture, air pollution, wind, and dust.
- May be exposed to vegetation retardants, herbicides and fertilizers, petroleum products including but not limited to gasoline, oil, grease, diesel and other fuels and lubricants, snakes, wildlife, wasps, bees and other flying or walking insects, aquatic bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms, and vibration or noise in excess of 85 decibels.
The Flood Control District has the mission to reduce the risk of flooding in Harris County, the third most populated county in the United States, with a population in excess of 4.7 million, including the City of Houston, the nation’s fourth largest city. The Flood Control District has jurisdiction over the primary stormwater facilities in the county, which consist of approximately 1,500 channels totaling nearly 2,500 miles in length, as well as more than 60 regional stormwater detention basins, totaling more than 10,000 acres and several wetlands mitigation banks including Greens bayou.
Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer