Warrumbungle Shire Council

Grader Operator

Department: Roads

Reports to: Supervisor Roads North

Salary Range: $1,115 - $1,272 per 38 hour week + superannuation

Warrumbungle Shire Council is seeking an experienced Grader Operator with a passion for civil construction and maintenance work! This is an exciting opportunity to operate graders and other machinery while contributing to the maintenance and improvement of our local infrastructure.

As Grader Operator, you will play a key role in road construction, maintenance, and supervision, with a focus on delivering quality service to both internal and external customers. You’ll be responsible for operating graders to shape and maintain roads, shoulders, and drains in the Coonabarabran area and across the Warrumbungle Shire. Your duties will include supervising road maintenance and construction activities within your crew, ensuring all machinery is in good working condition, and leading safety discussions during daily toolbox and risk assessment meetings. You’ll assist with traffic management, coordinate with supervisors and other operators, and maintain accurate records of all work performed. Your contributions will directly impact the quality of roads and safety in our community.

We are looking for someone with significant experience in grader operation, with the ability to construct roads to line and level, as well as a strong knowledge of materials, compaction, and plan reading. You’ll need excellent communication skills, both oral and written, to document work accurately and work effectively with teams, contractors, and the public. Additionally, you should have a current WHS Construction Induction Certificate ("whitecard") and a Class C NSW Driver’s Licence. A Traffic Control ticket, Certificate III in Civil Construction, or a Class HR driver’s licence would be highly desirable.

Please click here to view the position description.

This position is located in the beautiful town of Coonabarabran, known as the Astronomy Capital of Australia, which is midway between Melbourne and Brisbane and is known for its beautiful landscape and stunning night skies. The town has medical services, excellent schools, a variety of sporting and social clubs and a thriving tourism Industry. With the nearby Warrumbungle National Park, which is also Australia’s first Dark Sky Park, there is plenty to do and explore whether you’re looking for adventure or relaxation.

Selection criteria include:

• Understanding of work health and safety (WHS) in the workplace, particularly in a construction environment
• Significant experience operating grader and demonstrated ability to construct roads to line and level including associated shoulder and drainage works
• Demonstrated knowledge regarding material performance, compaction and plan reading including horizontal and vertical dimensions and establishing sections for materials estimating
• Grader operation verification of competency or ability to demonstrate competency during recruitment process
• Demonstrated supervisory, training and employee relation skills
• Good oral and written literacy and numeracy skills to complete documentation to required standard, communicate effectively within team and with other staff, contractors and members of public as necessary 
• WHS Construction Induction Certificate (“whitecard”) valid in NSW
• Class C NSW Drivers Licence.

It's a plus if you have Traffic Controller tickets, an HR licence, Certficate III in Civil Construciton (or similar), chainsaw tickets and the ability to operate other items of plant.

Benefits of working for Council

Council is committed to creating a positive working environment and offer a range of benefits for staff, including

• Great leave opportunities 
  • Long service leave after 5 years
  • 1 RDO every 2 weeks
  • Paid parental and concurrent parental leave
  • Carer’s leave
  • 3 weeks sick leave per year including up to 2 days health and wellbeing leave each year
  • Purchase additional leave or cash out leave
  • Deferred leave scheme – eg work three years at 75% of your pay and have the following year off at 75% of your pay! 
• Support for training and professional development
  • Formal training opportunities
  • Access to thousands of free online training courses
• Weekly pay cycle
• Mobile phone allowance available if you bring your own device
• Salary Packaging options to maximise your take-home pay
• Hybrid work and flexible hours by agreement and subject to role requirements
• Wellness – we want you to be at your best self so you and your immediate family members have access to our employee assistance program with TELUS Health One
• Free annual flu vaccinations and bi-annual skin cancer checks available
• PPE provided

About Warrumbungle Shire Council

Warrumbungle Shire is strategically positioned on the Newell Highway, a short drive from Tamworth, Mudgee and Dubbo, and just over 3 hours from Newcastle, making Warrumbungle Shire a great place to live and work. Covering an area of more than 12,000km², and with a population of nearly 10,000, Warrumbungle Shire Council is one of the larger Local Government Areas in Central West NSW, home to the townships of Coonabarabran, Coolah, Dunedoo, Binnaway, Baradine and Mendooran. 

With a rich history and stunning landscapes including spectacular mountain ranges, waterfalls, ancient sandstone caves, gorges, and beautiful plains, our scenic location amongst friendly country communities provides an ideal setting for those looking to balance a country lifestyle and career.

At Warrumbungle Shire Council we offer a broad variety of jobs with a range of benefits and career development opportunities within Local Government. The guiding principles of honesty, integrity, fairness and compassion form the spirit of the team along with respect, transparency, passion, trust and opportunity is how Warrumbungle Shire Council strengthens its working environment to deliver on the aspirations of our community. Council is proud to be an equal opportunity and child safe employer with a commitment to our staff and our vision is Excellence in Local Government. 

How to apply

Please provide sufficient detail in your answers to the questions as this information is used to assess your suitability for interview.

1. Scroll down and complete the fields below. Note: Fields marked with a red asterisk* are mandatory.
2. Click ‘Next’
3. Attach your resume, covering letter and copies of your qualifications
4. Click ‘Next’
5. Review your application and click ‘Confirm’ to submit your completed application

You will receive an email acknowledgement to confirm receipt of your application. You will receive email notifications regarding the status of your application. It is important that you regularly check your email to ensure you do not miss any notifications from Council. It is also recommended that you check your spam or junk folder and consider adding careers@warrumbungle.nsw.gov.au to your email address book to ensure you do not miss any correspondence in regard to your application.

Applications close at 11.00 pm Sunday 27 Aril 2025.

For enquiries, please contact Human Resources on 6849 2000.

Applicants should note that Criminal History Checks, as well as alcohol and drug testing, are conditions of employment.