Groundskeeper

Under general supervision, to perform a variety of tasks involving the maintenance, repair and improvement of grounds, athletic fields and courts, and other college facilities; and to perform related duties as assigned.

This job is distinguished from other maintenance jobs by its focus on grounds and related exterior maintenance.

We are seeking a dedicated and experienced Gardener to maintain our campus grounds. The ideal candidate has a strong background in landscaping, plant care, irrigation systems, and outdoor maintenance. They should be skilled in using gardening tools, pruning, and seasonal planting to ensure a safe, healthy, and welcoming environment for all. The ideal candidate will perform a variety of landscaping and grounds keeping duties on the college grounds/facilities; and perform related duties as assigned.

The ideal candidate understands the mission and purpose of the Grounds Department and Facilities Services and demonstrates a commitment to student centered practices, effective cross campus collaboration, purposeful service to the community and culturally responsive practices.

The following duties are typical of those performed by employees in this job title; however, employees may perform other related duties, and not all duties listed are necessarily performed by each employee in the job title.

• Seeds, installs sod, fertilizes, mows, edges, and aerates lawns, athletic fields, and other turf using edgers and walk-behind and riding mowers;
• Irrigates grounds and installs, adjusts and maintains irrigation systems piping, wiring and controls;
• Sweeps, repairs and maintains paved court areas including patching, painting surfaces;
• Picks up/sweeps/blows trash and debris on grounds, walkways and other surfaces; empties and cleans waste receptacles; disposes of waste and debris;
• Prepares athletic fields according to specifications: cut lines, chalk, prepare base areas, and pitchers mounds;
• Prunes, trims, and shapes shrubs, and small trees; clears brush and removes trees;
• Weeds grounds, prepares soil, and plants trees, shrubs and plants; · Mixes and applies insecticides, herbicides and other pesticides;
• Operates tractors, trenchers, trucks, backhoe and front loader to dig trenches, clear grounds and grade dirt, and load and haul soil, trimmings and debris;
• Builds and maintains fences, outdoor handrails, and other basic facility maintenance incidental to landscape maintenance;
• Prepares forms, sets rebar, pours and finishes concrete; lays and patches asphalt; · Ensures safety of worksites, uses safety equipment, traffic barriers and related safe work practices; corrects or notifies others of safety issues, needed repairs, etc.;
• Maintains supply inventory and initiates replacement and restocking; maintains logs and records of work performed;
• Assists in loading and unloading of furniture, equipment and supplies;
• May supervise and train student workers, and others;
• May assist with construction, remodeling and other repair and maintenance of facilities.

Knowledge of:

Methods, materials, tools and equipment used in grounds maintenance.

Methods, materials, tools and equipment used in the installation and maintenance of automatic sprinkler systems, and water piping.

Plants, trees, turf and landscaping materials; water and nutrient requirements; pesticides, and fertilizers.

Preparation and maintenance of ball fields and related athletic fields and courts.

Operation of motorized equipment, hydraulic apparatus, and power tools.

Safe working practices.

Skill in:

Mowing, pruning, planting, irrigation, ball field makeup and other grounds work.

Identification and management of basic turf, plant, tree and shrub nutrient, irrigation and disease requirements.

Installing, operating and maintaining irrigation and water supply plumbing, wiring and controls.

Using and performing minor maintenance on landscaping and grounds maintenance tools and equipment.

Reading and interpreting label instructions, lay out diagrams, maps and specifications.

Safety and safe working practices related to chemicals, tools and equipment used.

Preparing and maintaining logs and records.

Other Requirements: Must possess a valid California driver's license and have a satisfactory driving record; possession of pesticide applicator's license is desirable; must be willing to respond to off-hours emergency situations.

ILLUSTRATIVE EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE: A typical way to obtain the above knowledge and skill is a combination of education and experience equivalent to:

Completion of high school

and

Two years of responsible groundskeeping experience. Additional coursework in horticulture or groundskeeping is desirable.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: The physical abilities involved in the performance of essential duties are:

Strength and stamina to lift and carry equipment weighing up to 90 pounds; ability to work above ground on ladders; agility, strength and manual dexterity to operate a variety of hand and power tools, vehicles and equipment; work outdoors in temperature extremes and inclement weather; vision to read work requests, blueprints and diagrams, manuals, and regulations; speech and hearing for communicating instructions, information, and work requests. This work is performed primarily in an outdoor setting.