Cemetery Caretaker

Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks; Fayetteville (AR); On-site; USD 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

Veterans Health Care System of the Ozarks seeks a Cemetery Caretaker to perform grounds maintenance at Fayetteville National Cemetery in Arkansas. Responsibilities include operating equipment, digging graves, aligning headstones, and maintaining orderly grounds. The role requires physical strength and reliability to support memorial services and daily operations.

Work may include overtime, weekends, and holidays to meet cemetery needs. Applicants must be U.S.

Qualifications

• Occupation requires physical strength and ability to operate manual and power tools.
• Ability to perform grave digging, maintenance, and groundskeeping tasks.
• U.S. citizenship and successful background/suitability checks are required.

Responsibilities

• Operate small tractors and riding mowers; transplant shrubs and perform grounds care.
• Dig graves to proper level, tamp and level dirt; clean headstones and grounds.
• Work overtime, weekends, and holidays as needed to support cemetery operations.

Job description

Summary

This position is located at the Fayetteville National Cemetery in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Major Duties

The Cemetery Caretaker performs jobs requiring mainly manual skills and physical strength. Performs a variety of tasks, such as operating small tractors and riding lawn mowers; transplanting shrubs; digging graves to the proper level; cutting and removing sod, tamping and leveling dirt using hand and power tools; digging and squaring graves using pneumatic equipment, picks and shovels; assisting in lifting and placing caskets on lowering devices; loading and unloading materials; aligning headstones; cleaning and clearing cemetery grounds of debris using power trimmers, chainsaws, axes, shovels, rakes, blowers, vacuums etc.; weeding, mulching, and applying fertilizer; pruning shrubs and low level dead branches; removing snow and ice; cleaning headstones using sprayer and hand brush; and cleaning service and administrative areas.

Work schedule: May be required to work Monday through Friday to include occasional weekends. Due to the mission of the National Cemetery, the cemetery cannot be closed for more than 2 consecutive days at any given time. Additionally, when a Federal holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, staff may be required to work on that holiday or a Saturday. All staff is required to work Memorial Day each year. Staff will be required to work overtime, weekends and holidays when necessary to meet the needs of the cemetery. Occasionally staff may be called back to the facility to perform emergency overtime work. Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available Position Description Title/PD#:Cemetery Caretaker/PD136120 WG-WG-6 The full performance level of this position is WG-06. Relocation Expenses: Not Authorized Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required

Requirements

You must be a U.S. citizen to apply for this job.

Subject to a background/suitability investigation Designated and/or random drug testing may be required Pass a pre-employment medical examination. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 A complete application package; including Resume, Transcripts, etc. is required Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Other Information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.

Required Documents

The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please use this checklist to make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees). You will not be contacted for additional information.

• Resume
• Cover Letter
• DD-214/ Statement of Service
• Disability Letter (Schedule A)
• Disability Letter (VA)
• References
• Other (2)
• Performance Appraisal
• Resume Separation Notice (RIF)
• SF-15
• SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action
• Transcript