Cemetery Senior Laborer

City of Durham; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 52,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

City of Durham is seeking a cemetery landscape maintenance worker to maintain lawns, beds and landscaped areas in City-owned Cemeteries, prepare grave sites, and assist with general grounds tasks. Duties include grass mowing, planting, and equipment operation with weekend rotation.

Position requires two years in landscaping or horticulture, a NC Class C license, pesticide applicator license, and outdoor work experience. Hours are 6:30 am–3:00 pm, with seasonal snow/ice duties.

Qualifications

• Two years of operations and specialized maintenance experience in landscaping or applied horticulture.
• Experience operating lawn equipment (mowers, trimmers, etc.).
• Knowledge of plant, shrub, and tree maintenance.
• Two years of experience working in outdoor environments.

Responsibilities

• Performs mowing operations with various equipment and manages litter collection.
• Provides customer service and responds to questions/concerns.
• Prepare grave sites for burial services at City-owned Cemeteries.
• General grounds maintenance: mowing, grave maintenance, brush removal.
• Weekend work schedule is rotated among Cemetery staff.
• Work well on a team with urgency; perform duties safely and efficiently.

Skills

Customer service

Teamwork

Safety awareness

Adaptability

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

NC Pesticide Applicator’s License

Landscaping / applied horticulture coursework

Driver's License (NC Class C)

Job description

Work. Serve. Thrive. With the City of Durham

Advance in your career while making a real difference in the community you serve.

Hiring Range: $52,222.00 to $69,975.00 Annual

Hours: Monday - Friday 6:30 am to 3:00 pm

The General Services Department's innovative, highly qualified, service-oriented individuals support the City we love. Building and maintaining city facilities and public spaces is what we do. Promoting our enviable quality of life and serving as a foundation of a healthy economy is why we do it. If you're interested in applying your unique skills to meaningful work while growing in your career, our team is for you!

Position devoted to maintaining and enhancing lawns, beds and landscaped areas in our City-owned Cemeteries and preparing grave sites for burial services through the performance of semi-skilled and skilled labor, the operation of light-duty equipment and power tools, application of seed, fertilizer, water and herbicides, plant installation and other duties related to the field of Landscape Maintenance and the management of snow, ice and litter. Incumbents may also assist with general maintenance tasks in addition to their primary assignment. In the growing season, duties are mostly limited to following an established operational routine. Decisions are limited primarily to carrying out assignments, operating tools and equipment and performing work efficiently to meet established standards and deadlines. In the winter months, incumbents will participate in snow and ice removal, landscape bed maintenance, tree installation, mulching, turf improvement activities, tree and shrub pruning, skills training and litter collection. Weekend work schedule is routinely rotated among Cemetery staff.

• Performs mowing operations including deployment of necessary equipment and gear, adheres to use of PPE and proper work zone setup in a roadside environment, performs mowing and litter collection operations as assigned; picks up litter along service area, operates zero-turn, walk behind and ride-behind mowers, hedge trimmers, blowers, edgers, string trimmers (“weed-eaters”), vehicle-mounted tank sprayers and backpack sprayers, and salt spreaders.
• Provides customer service; responds to customer questions and concerns; understands and stays current on policies and procedures.
• Prepare grave sites for burial services at both City-owned Cemeteries.
• Provide general grounds maintenance support including, but not limited to, mowing/trimming, grave maintenance, and brush removal.
• A weekend work schedule is normally rotated among Cemetery staff.
• Work well on a team with a sense of urgency.
• Performs other duties of a similar nature and level as assigned.

• High School Diploma/equivalent.
• Two (2) years of operations and specialized maintenance experience in the field of Landscaping, agriculture or applied horticulture.

This position is critical to emergency operations and will report to work in spite of or because of an emergency or disaster event.

CERTIFICATIONS/LICENSES:

• A valid North Carolina Class C Driver’s License with a satisfactory driving record is required for traffic control, transportation, facilities maintenance, or labor work assignments that include driving between multiple facilities and/or locations to perform work or transfer equipment.
• Incumbents must complete job-related and/or safety training based on assignment, such as (but not limited to), forklift operation, lock out/tag out, confined space entry, ladder safety, IMSA signs and marking level 1 certification, work zone safety, respirator and emergency evacuation training.

• Two (2) years of experience working in outdoor environments.
• North Carolina Pesticide Applicator’s License
• Education or coursework in Landscaping or applied horticulture
• Knowledge of plant, shrub, and tree maintenance
• Experience operating lawn equipment (string trimmers, edgers, blowers, etc.)

ADA and Other Requirements

• Positions in this class typically require: climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, fingering, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, seeing and repetitive motions.
• Exerting up to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 20 pounds of forces constantly to move objects.
• Work is performed in an indoor, office and/or outdoor environment.
• Incumbents may be exposed to hazardous physical conditions, such as, mechanical parts, electrical currents, and vibrations; atmospheric conditions, such as fumes, odors, gases, and poor ventilation; hazardous materials, such as chemicals, blood, and other bodily fluids; extreme temperatures; inadequate lighting; work space-related movement restrictions; intense noise; and other environmental conditions, such as, challenging behaviors, imminent danger, and threatening environments.
• Incumbents may be expected to travel to external organizations and locations.