Team Member Landfill

Role overview

Gympie Regional Council is looking for a safety-conscious landfill plant operator to join its Waste and Resource Recovery team. This is a practical, outdoor role focused on running heavy machinery, building and maintaining landfill infrastructure, and helping protect the environment while keeping an essential community service running smoothly.

What you will do

• Drive and operate heavy plant such as the landfill compactor, bulldozer, excavator, loader and other specialist machinery.
• Build, maintain and rehabilitate landfill cells by spreading, compacting and covering waste in line with operational and environmental rules.
• Support safe and efficient landfill operations by managing dust, litter, weeds, pests and stormwater.
• Guide customers and contractors safely through the active landfill area and help with traffic control when needed.
• Check incoming loads and spot prohibited or hazardous waste according to Council procedures.
• Perform routine servicing, inspections and minor repairs on plant and equipment.
• Help with general site upkeep and labouring tasks as required.
• Work positively within a small team while keeping safety, environmental compliance and customer service front of mind.

What you need

• Proven experience operating heavy plant such as excavators, loaders, bulldozers, compactors or similar equipment.
• Practical mechanical aptitude and experience with routine plant servicing and maintenance.
• Ability to work safely on your own and collaboratively in a team.
• Strong communication and customer service skills.
• Current Queensland HR driver licence or higher.
• Construction White Card.
• Loader, roller and skid steer/backhoe competencies, or the ability to gain and keep them.

Work environment and expectations

You should be dependable, safety-minded and take pride in doing quality work. The job involves working outdoors in all weather conditions and operating heavy machinery, while contributing to environmentally responsible waste management. The roster runs across seven days and includes weekend work.

Pay and benefits

• Annual salary starting from $77,123.
• Superannuation of up to 15%.
• Nine-day fortnight.
• Employee health and wellbeing programs.
• Fitness Passport access to more than 25 local gyms at a subsidised rate for you and your family.
• Long service leave after seven years.
• Salary sacrifice and salary packaging options.
• Employee assistance program with free confidential counselling for employees and their families.

Application and recruitment notes

Applications close Sunday 19 July 2026 at 11:00pm AEST. Late applications will not be accepted. Only applications submitted through the Council's online application system will be considered, and applications from agencies that are not invited will not be accepted.

Applicants will need to complete Council's process and may be asked to provide a resume, cover letter and copies of relevant qualifications, licences or tickets. The selection process may include skills checks, qualification verification, reference checks, a medical assessment and a national police check. Candidates should prepare responses separately and keep each answer to 300 words or fewer.

Gympie Regional Council is an equal opportunity employer and encourages suitably qualified applicants from all backgrounds to apply, including First Nations people and people from diverse social, cultural and gender backgrounds.

About the region

Gympie sits within a fast-growing region that extends from rural valleys in the west to the Cooloola Coast. It borders Noosa, Fraser Coast, North and South Burnett, and Somerset local government areas, offering a country lifestyle with access to smaller townships, local history, natural areas, beaches, Noosa, the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane. The area is also known for events such as the Gympie Music Muster.

Contact information

For role-related queries, contact Christine Blanchard, Manager Environment and Resource Recovery, at christine.blanchard@gympie.qld.gov.au. For help with the application system, contact Sue Rossi, Officer Recruitment, on 07-5481 0971 or sue.rossi@gympie.qld.gov.au.

Values

• Accountability
• Communication
• Customer service focus
• Integrity
• Teamwork and collaboration