Machinery Operator – General Operative

The Position:

Waterford City and County Council invites applications from suitably experienced persons, who wish to be considered for inclusion on the panel for Machinery Operator / General Operative for the Machinery Yard Dungarvan.

Duties:

Duties will include handwork (raking & shovelling) of hot macadam and surface dressing materials as well as the operation of plant, machines and equipment used in road surfacing and repair works, Plant and machinery may include tractors, rollers, pavers, skid steer loaders, tar sprayers, chip spreader and other specialist road repair equipment. Truck driving may also be required from time to time where the candidate has the appropriate Licence and Training.

The role will be based in the Machinery Yard, Dungarvan. Duties may also include the operation of winter maintenance vehicles.

The successful candidate:

• Will be employed as a Machinery Operator / General Operative reporting to the relevant supervisor

• Will be part of the Council’s Machinery Yard crew and will carry out any Machinery Operator and/or General Operative duties assigned by Line Manager

• May be required to be on-call

• May be required to work early mornings, evenings and weekends.

• May be required to carry out winter gritting, snow ploughing, storm response & other seasonal duties.

• Will carry out regular vehicle maintenance checks as required and notify manager of issues.

• Will carry out the loading and unloading of vehicles as required

• Will have an initial base but may be reassigned to any location within the County

• May be required to participate in further training courses or programmes.

• Will comply with the Driver Policies including vehicle use policy of Waterford City & County Council as revised from time to time.

• Will comply with Waterford City & Council Health & Safety policies and procedure

Other duties will include but are not limited to the following:-

• Be responsible for the safe keeping of all materials, vehicles and equipment allocated to him/her for the purpose of carrying out his/her duties;

• Patch-macadam, tar and chippings;

• Use of wheelbarrow, yard brush, shovel, etc;

• Surface dressing, road strengthening, sweep chips, traffic control;

• Drainage, road sewers, clean gullies;

• Emergency work – required outside of normal working hours;

• Implement plant maintenance duties as assigned;

• Monitor plant performance;

• Maintain plant records as assigned;

• Undergo training for Health& Safety, technical skills and general performance as assigned;

• Respond to emergencies as requested by Supervisor;

• Be available for emergency call out outside normal working hours;

• Carry out any other relevant duties as assigned by supervisor;

• Be responsible for the maintenance of good work practices and working relationships;

• Maintain and communicate information for the effective delivery of service;

• Ensure compliance with organisational policies, procedures and legislation;

• Support and participate in the establishment and maintenance of improved standards and quality initiatives;

• Demonstrate flexibility and mobility consistent with the needs of the service;

• Co-operate with the familiarisation/instruction of other employees where appropriate

• Participate and co-operate with all training initiatives as required;

• Manage and maintain resources effectively and efficiently; including any required daily duties associated with the upkeep of plant and equipment.

• Any other duties as may be assigned from time to time.

The person employed will be required to perform assigned duties exercising duty of care, in the interest of safety of oneself, fellow employees and the general public, at all times in compliance with Waterford City and County Council’s Health and Safety Management system.

The Person:

Each candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms;

Character

Be of good character

Health

Be in a state of health as would indicate a reasonable prospect of ability to render regular and efficient service.

Education, training, experience etc.

Each candidate must, on the latest date for receipt of completed application forms;

1. Have reached a standard of education sufficient to enable him/her to carry out the duties assigned to him/her satisfactorily

2. Have previous experience in such areas as general labour, ground work, drainage work, operating machinery, operation of road maintenance equipment, handling asphalt, paving and/or concrete work ,

3. Holding category B licence is mandatory (C and/or CE licence is desirable but not mandatory)

4. An up-to-date Safe Pass or Manual Handling Certificate is not required as part of the application process but must be presented before commencement of employment if a candidate is successful.

Each candidate will demonstrate through their application form and at interview, (if called for interview), that he/she has/is;

• Good communication and interpersonal skills

• Self-motivated with a record of demonstrating initiative and ability to use judgement in a work place environment

• Capacity to contribute to and work well in a team

• Sufficient knowledge and understanding of Health & Safety requirements

• Flexibility in terms of working hours as the duties can involve working outside of normal hours as required.

Rate of Pay: €770.66 to €794.39

Hours of Work: 39 hours per week

Annual Leave: 25 days per annum (inclusive of Good Friday)

Pension: The Local Government Superannuation Scheme applies, the Single Service Pension Scheme applies in the case of New Entrants.

Location:

While the initial assignment will be the Machinery Yard in Dungarvan, Waterford City and County Council reserves the right to assign successful candidates to any department or premises in use by the Council, now or in the future. Changes in location of employment will not result in payment of disturbance money or other compensation. The person appointed will be required to provide him/herself at his/her own expense with the necessary mode of travel to and from work

Application Process

Completed application forms must be e-mailed to recruitment@waterfordcouncil.ie no later than Thursday, 5th November, 2026. Please include “Machinery Operator/ General Operative” as a reference in the subject line before emailing the application.

An official application form must be completed in full by the closing date for the competition. Please note that amendments to the application form will not be accepted after the closing date. CV’s will not be accepted in lieu of an application form.

Please send your application from an e-mail address that you will review regularly as communication during the assessment/selection period will only be through that e-mail address. Please also ensure that you regularly review your spam/junk email folder as occasionally your email service provider may direct emails to that folder.

Selection Process

Candidates will initially be assessed to ensure that they have the minimum requirements for the position.

Candidates will then be assessed on the basis of the information contained in their application form to determine, having regard to the requirements of the position and the number who have applied, if they should be called for interview. Short-listing may apply.

The admission of a person to a competition, or invitation to attend interview, or a successful result letter, is not to be taken as implying that Waterford City and County Council is satisfied that such a person fulfils the requirements or is not disqualified by law from holding the position. Prior to a candidate being appointed, Waterford City and County Council will make all such enquiries that are deemed necessary to determine the suitability of that candidate. Until all stages of the recruitment process have been fully completed, a final determination cannot be made nor can it be deemed or inferred that such a determination has been made.

Non Irish Qualifications must be accompanied by a determination from Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) to establish their comparability against the National Framework of Qualifications, overseas qualifications must also be accompanied by a translation document.

Shortlisting:

While a candidate may meet the eligibility requirements of the competition, if the numbers applying for the position are such that it would not be practical to interview everyone, Waterford City and County Council may decide that a number only will be invited to same. In this respect, Waterford City and County Council provides for the employment of a short listing process to select a group for interview who, based on an examination of the application forms, appear to be the most suitable for the position. An expert board will examine the application forms against pre-determined criteria based on the requirements of the position. This is not to suggest that other candidates are necessarily unsuitable or incapable of undertaking the job, rather that there are some candidates, who based on their application, appear to be better qualified and/or have more relevant experience. It is therefore in your own interest to provide a detailed and accurate account of your relevant qualifications/ experience on the application form.

Competitive Interview:

Selection will be by means of a competition based on an interview conducted by or on behalf of the local authority. This interview may be in person or online, this is at the discretion of the Local Authority.

Panel may be formed on the basis of such interview. Candidates whose names are on a panel and who satisfy the local authority that they possess the qualifications declared for the post and that they are otherwise suitable for appointment may within the life of the panel be appointed as appropriate permanent and temporary vacancies arise.