Cemetery Maintenance Technician/Groundskeeper

City of High Point; United States; On-site; USD 23,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

City of High Point is seeking cemetery maintenance technicians to care for historic cemeteries and assist families with burials and urn interments. You will maintain grounds, operate mowers and tractors, and support public and funeral home needs on site.

The role requires physical stamina, the ability to follow safety rules, and willingness to work outdoor environments year-round. Competitive compensation and benefits are provided.

Qualifications

• Valid driver's license with ability to obtain NC license if needed.
• Willingness to work four 10-hour days (6:30am–5:00pm).
• Weekend, holiday and extended hours availability.
• Ability to work outdoors in varying weather conditions.
• Follow verbal and written instructions from crew leads.

Responsibilities

• Assist families with urn internments and grave openings.
• Operate grounds equipment and maintain cemetery grounds.
• Mow, edge, prune, plant, water and perform general care of lawns and trees.
• Locate graves, mark sites, and assist with safety compliance.
• Perform seasonal tasks and basic facility upkeep as directed.
• Maintain tools, vehicles and groundskeeping equipment.

Skills

Driver's license

Outdoor labor

Physical stamina

Safety awareness

Basic math

Tools

Grounds equipment

Job description

Compensation

Compensation Range $17.19 - $22.03

Competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. We also offer generous benefit package for full-time employees which include but are not limited to: A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service401K and 457B Retirement Plans PTO earned within first year 13 Paid Holidays per year Tuition Reimbursement Plan Competitive medical, dental, and vision plans effective day one

What You’ll Do

Cemetery maintenance technicians assist families and funeral homes with direct burials, urn internments and mausoleum entombments. Technicians maintain the historic grounds of Oakwood Cemetery and Green Hill Cemetery, along with maintenance to Kersey Valley Cemetery (Landfill). Responsibilities include supporting families, the public, funeral homes, historic tours, volunteer groups, mowing and weed eating grounds, minor facility upkeep, equipment operations and maintenance.

• Assist families with opening/closing of urn internments, supporting gravedigger with opening graves for burials, entombing caskets and urns in the mausoleum, operating casket lift (mausoleum).
• Occasionally installing foot markers and up righting/moving stones that have fallen over or sunken over time.
• Filling in sunken graves and applying grass seed and straw.
• Locating and marking graves.
• Performs general grounds and landscape maintenance including mowing, edging, pruning, trimming, watering, planting, fertilizing, mulching, weeding, and general care of grass, plants, flowers, and trees.
• Operates tractors, mowers, and other power equipment to maintain cemeteries and other buildings on site.
• Operates a dump truck with an unloaded/loaded trailer.
• Rakes, edges, maintains landscaped areas, pathways, and other grounds features.
• Cleans grounds and facilities by picking up trash, emptying waste containers, and maintaining overall site appearance.
• Cleans, inspects, and performs basic maintenance on tools, vehicles, and groundskeeping equipment.
• Assists with general facility and building upkeep, including painting and restroom cleaning.
• Performs seasonal duties, such as leaf removal and snow/ice removal, as needed.
• Follows OSHA and organizational safety standards, policies and procedures in all assigned work, as well as departmental expectations.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Valid driver's license in NC or another state with the ability to obtain an NC license
• Willingness to work (4) 10 hour days – (6:30am – 5:00pm)
• Availability to work weekends, holidays, and extended hours as needed.
• Comfortable working with coworkers, supervisors, and the public in a variety of outdoor environments and weather conditions.
• Understanding of and willingness to follow verbal and written instructions from crew leads and supervisors.
• Sound judgment and decision-making skills with the capacity to respond promptly to work-related situations.
• Basic math and measurement skills necessary to complete grounds maintenance tasks and maintain records.
• Safely handle chemicals, gasoline, oil, fertilizers, and other landscape maintenance materials.
• Knowledge of safe operation and basic maintenance of groundskeeping equipment and tools, including push mowers, riding mowers, weed eaters, tractors, chainsaws, pruning tools, backpack blowers, hedge trimmers, dump trucks, utility vehicles, hand tools, and other power equipment.
• Capacity to perform physically demanding outdoor labor for extended periods of time.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous experience in cemetery maintenance, groundskeeping, landscaping, or a related field using trade tools and equipment.
• Possession of a North Carolina Pesticide Applicator’s License, or willingness to obtain within twelve (12) months of hire.
• Possession of a CDL Class B license, or willingness to obtain within twelve (12) months of hire.

Physical Requirements

Medium to Heavy Work: Able to lift up to 100lbs with assistance. Physical demand requirements are varied with the different tasks. Work requires walking, standing, reaching, climbing, squatting, bending and stooping, although workers do sit on occasions. Reaching, Handling, and Fingering; (Reaching - Extending the hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction, but normally to the front or side). (Handling - Seizing, holding, grasping, turning, or otherwise working with hand or hands (fingering not involved). (Fingering - Picking, pinching, or otherwise working with fingers primarily (rather than the whole hand or arm as in handling). Speaking and/or Hearing;_ Both are required to communicate with the general public. Necessary to operate equipment safely and enforce safety regulations. Visual Abilities: recommended guidelines for vision are: Acuity, far: Clarity of vision at 20 feet or more. Must be able to see people at a distance in order to monitor their activities to ensure their safety around equipment. Both eyes 20/25 - R 20/30 - L 20/30 corrected. Acuity, near: Clarity of vision at 20 inches or less. Must be able to see equipment and work aids at close range in order to operate them properly. Both eyes 20/25 corrected. Depth Perception: Three-dimensional vision. Ability to judge distance and space relationships so as to see objects where and as they actually are. Necessary in order to properly operate equipment and monitor activities for regulation and safety. Depth Perception - 4. Field of Vision: Area that can be seen up and down or to right or left while eyes are fixed on a given point. Must be able to see wide span of area to cover grounds and observe people and their activities in order to enforce rules and regulations. Accommodation: Adjustment of lens of eye to bring an object into sharp focus. This Item is especially Important when doing near-point work at varying distances from eye. Must be able to adjust eye lens to focus readily when glancing from near work (equipment operation, observer near at hand, etc.) to distance work (people walking around in vicinity of equipment) to monitor activities and ensure safety at all areas. Color Vision: Ability to identify and distinguish colors. Necessary to distinguish color from varying hues of gray. This can be important when determining plant colors and in identifying other employees from park visitors by the color of their clothing. Mental Activity/Requirements Reasoning Ability to apply principles of logical thinking to work tasks and handle practical situations; to comprehend and respond to a variety of situations in an expedient manner; good judgment is important. Mathematics Ability Using arithmetic and/or Statistics: Ability to direct and oversee the use of arithmetic and/or statistics in the preparation of a variety of tests and reports. Ability to apply fundamental concepts of addition and subtraction to arrive at accurate formulas for chemical and paint mixtures Language Ability The ability to speak, read and write the English Language are required for this position. Ability to read safety manuals, instructions, directions, formulas, landscaping books and other documents relating to the job. Environmental Conditions The Worker is subject to Outside Environmental Conditions: Exposed to various weather conditions and temperatures. Combining the type of work performed with the various weather conditions, the worker should be one who can work outside in a hot or cold environment. The position is best suited for someone who doesn't mind getting wet, dirty, and sweaty. on for any reason not prohibited by law. Employees will be exposed to trash, garbage, grass, plants and various chemicals and debris. Work is subject to final standards of OSHA on bloodborne pathogens. The work location of this job will be 816 E Green Dr High Point, North Carolina.

Our Commitments

The City of High Point is dedicated to fostering a work environment that values individuals from all backgrounds and seeks to attract and retain the most qualified partners in service to the citizens of High Point. As an at-will employer, the City allows employees to terminate their employment, or be terminated at any time, with or without cause, as long as it is not prohibited by law. The City of High Point is committed to classifying and compensating its employees fairly for the work they do, weighing both the internal capabilities and the external market. While the job description is not intended to and does not create a contract of employment, we are excited to use this “living document” as a guide for managing performance and positions to ensure job descriptions are reflective of the current work required by the incumbent or expected by any candidate to whom an offer of employment is extended. The City of High Point is committed to providing a safe, comfortable working environment for all employees. To that end, we are proud to comply with all Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requirements, as well as make reasonable accommodations to candidates and employees as we are able in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Candidates selected for employment must undergo (a.) a drug screening, in accordance with the City’s drug and alcohol policy and (b.) a background screening to determine whether there is any current, pending, or previous charge, conviction or other infraction deemed incompatible with service in the capacity for which the candidate is being hired. In lieu of or in addition to background screening, candidates selected for employment in a position that requires working with children in any capacity must be fingerprinted and undergo a criminal history record check conducted by the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. Certain positions are considered so critical to the health and safety of others that a candidate cannot be placed in any such position without passing a pre-placement physical exam. The City offers employment to successful candidates conditioned upon the City’s receipt of satisfactory results from all required screenings, checks, and exams, as applicable. The City of High Point offers a comprehensive benefits package to all regular full-time employees including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. Employees in designated part-time positions may participate in some of the benefit programs offered to regular full-time employees. Access the following link to view City of High Point Benefits and links to Benefit sites: Benefits Overview The Benefits Handbook provides a summary of benefits for City of High Point Employees.