Groundskeeper​/Equipment Operator

225 S Bluff St, Winnebago, NE 68071, USA

Posted Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 6:00 AM. Job is located in the Maintenance Department of the Winnebago Comprehensive Healthcare System Hospital, Winnebago, NE. This position requires significant manual skill, prior work experience, and heavy physical effort.

The incumbent will perform maintenance duties supporting campus landscaping and hardscape systems by operating large, complex riding and walk-behind machines, and heavy equipment such as skid loaders, tractors, and excavators/backhoes. General duties include maintenance of the campus grounds and external facility systems, upkeep of asphalt roads/parking surfaces, and operation of motorized grounds-keeping and heavy construction equipment. Duties also include preventative maintenance and repair of motorized grounds-keeping and construction equipment, and ordering gardening and grounds maintenance supplies to ensure stocks are maintained.

Other duties include assisting other Maintenance department staff with repairs or preventative maintenance tasks as required. Must be available for call-back duty, alone or to assist, in response to alarms or repairs related to the safe operation of campus facilities.

• Preventative maintenance of sidewalks, patios, stairs, parking lots, and roads. This includes installation and maintenance of parking and directional signs, repairing potholes, filling asphalt cracks, patching concrete, and cleaning culverts and drainage ditches by removing blockages and debris.
• Preventative maintenance of exterior facility systems, including trash, debris and weed removal, painting, removing snow from sidewalks, streets, parking lots, and applying ice melt and/or sand.
• Setup and take-down barricades and establish traffic control for events or special operations.
• Fertilizes, aerates, and mows lawn areas, plants seeds and transplants nursery stock in prepared seedbeds, prunes and trims trees and shrubs.
• Considers weather suitability, soil moisture, and plant growth stage before deciding when and how work will be accomplished.
• Calculates quantities of plants, seeds, fertilizers, and other materials needed for specific areas, and starts nursery and cold frame beds as needed.
• Selects the proper pre-mixed fungicides, insecticides, and herbicides for the control of common plant diseases, insects, and weeds.
• Consults gardening books, other Service Units, local nurseries and the County Extension Agent, as required.
• Operates and maintains the landscaping irrigation system, including backflow preventer. Sets master timer, performs spring startup and fall shutdown of the system, and handles weekly inspections and component maintenance (sprinkler heads, valves, reducers, main piping, etc.).
• Inspects the exterior daily by visual checks of the facility’s systems and grounds; submits inspection results to the Maintenance Supervisor for follow-up action on deficiencies.

• Operate, maintain, and repair equipment powered by internal combustion, including medium to heavy-duty construction equipment, skid loaders, backhoes, brushes, excavators, and trucks/plows.
• Change attachments and implements for tractors and powered industrial equipment; load/unload heavy loads using forklift attachments on skid loaders.
• Perform preventive maintenance and repairs per manufacturer recommendations; follow operation and maintenance manuals, drawings, and work orders.
• Replace worn or broken parts, clean, lubricate, and preserve equipment; ensure readiness of bench stock, replacement parts, and POL supplies; monitor fuel supplies.
• Submit supply requests for parts, POL, and fuel as necessary; maintain organization and cleanliness of Facility 00N15 (“Old Shop”).
• Ensure safe storage of bench stock, supplies, and equipment; inspect stored items annually and dispose of unnecessary or expired items through proper channels.

• Perform preventative maintenance on plumbing systems, including clearing stoppages, repairing/replacing pipes, valves, and fixtures, and cleaning components.
• Perform preventative maintenance of interior facility systems, including assisting…