GROUNDS TECHNICIAN III (PUBLIC WORKS) - 0926

City of Greenville (SC); Greenville (SC); On-site; USD 32,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Greenville (SC) is seeking a Grounds Maintenance Worker to perform inspections, maintenance, and repair of city properties and facilities. You will assist with construction, storm cleanup, and support for special events while leading a crew in the absence of supervision.

Responsibilities include operating various mowing and heavy equipment, handling plant material, and participating in inclement weather response.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent is required.
• Over two years of landscaping, grounds maintenance and construction experience.
• FEMA training ICS 100, 552, and 700 within three months of hire.

Responsibilities

• Maintain general property, beautification sites, and rights-of-way; plant trees and shrubs, mow, trim, fertilize, and spray as needed.
• Maintain and service equipment; perform preventative maintenance on a range of machines and tools.
• Identify and report safety hazards; ensure compliance with safety procedures and address hazardous conditions.
• Assist with setup, teardown, and cleanup of special events and projects; operate equipment for construction tasks.
• Support inclement weather operations by clearing debris and operating salt spreaders and snowplows.

Skills

Equipment operation

Team supervision

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

FEMA ICS 100, 552, 700

Job description

The City is offering a Sign-On Bonus for this position: $500 with first paycheck and 2% of gross earnings during first year of employment at first anniversary.

Job Summary

Under regular direction and in compliance with standard operating procedures and policies, performs inspections, maintenance, grounds-keeping, installation, service, and repair of assigned area, facilities, and equipment. Assembles, installs, monitors, and assists with construction, take-down, clean- up, and removal of Public Works projects and other permitted special events. Provides assistance during storm/weather clean-up events and emergencies by clearing or removing trees, limbs, debris, and other storm or weather damage. Proactively identifies, removes, and reports potential safety hazards. Ensures equipment and property safety, including but not limited to, ensuring routine inspection of equipment while documenting and addressing equipment condition. Assists in leading a crew, filling-in in the absence of the immediate supervisor, and assists in the oversight and training of less experienced employees as well as volunteers and community service workers. Works during inclement weather conditions (i.e., snow and ice) by operating salt spreaders, loaders, snowplows, and other specific equipment necessary to clear and maintain roads and walkways. Subject to on-call availability and overtime. May be required to work special events after hours as needed.

Essential Functions

• Maintain General Property: Maintain beautification sites, pass-through parks, small gardens, assigned rights-of-way (ROW), waterways, monuments, alleyways, guardrails, retention ponds, City property and medians. Ensure ROW areas are routinely inspected and maintained; any safety hazard such as sidewalk trip hazards, sight distance problems, or high risk trees or other vegetation are reported or mitigated. Plant trees and shrubs, mow, trim, over-seed, fertilize, mix soil and distribute, water, aerate, paint, remove litter and graffiti, and apply pesticide application for diseases, weeds and insect control on grasses, trees and shrubs. Assist tree crew, as approved, by cutting down and removing diseased, dead, or damaged trees and limbs. Install and remove plant material (trees, flowers, and shrubs) during approved times of the year. Prepare soil and install sod or seed on designated grass areas. Install certified mulch for trees, plants, and large designated areas. Provide assistance to internal and external stakeholders during storm/weather clean up or related events and emergencies. Assist in installation and construction assignments by constructing fences, dog waste boxes, walls, drains, and irrigation systems. Operate large equipment to accomplish tasks. Assist in leading a crew in the performance of the outlined duties and directing traffic. (55%)
• Maintain Equipment: Maintain and service equipment by removing dirt, washing and greasing parts, checking oil, changing oil filters, changing blades, and fueling. Perform preventative maintenance of equipment to include air compressor, generator, push mower, pressure washer, water pump, chain saw, pole saw, tiller, backpack and machine front blowers, hand and power tools, chemical sprayers, walk behind edger, trimmers, reel, front mount and zero turn mowers. Responsible for preventative maintenance of heavy equipment to include back hoe, front-end loader, skid steer loader, dump truck, farm tractors, combo planer, bush hog, embankment mowers with attachments, air-raptors, excavator, stump grinder, irrigation systems and blowers. (20%)
• Ensure Safety Measures: Proactively identify, remove and/or report potential hazards. Take steps to address, remove, or report hazardous conditions or items such as dead animals, bees, ants, snakes, needles, transient materials, invasive and noxious plant material as directed. Comply with City, state, and federal safety procedures and protocols in the performance of job duties to include reporting all accidents, incidents, and injuries witnessed or incurred. Ensure equipment and property safety. (15%)
• Assist with Special Projects and Events: Assist with the set-up, tear down, and cleanup of permitted special and volunteer events. Assist with various City related projects, including the construction, installation, and tearing down of temporary structures, banners, tree lights, and decorations; operating small and large equipment, and tools; entering creeks or rivers to remove debris; and, assisting the public as needed. (5%)
• Support Inclement Weather Operations: Outside of regular schedule, throughout inclement weather conditions (i.e., snow and ice) assist in the City’s emergency response operations. Clear or remove trees, limbs, debris, and other storm or weather damage from assigned areas. Operate salt spreaders, loaders, snowplows, and other specific equipment necessary to clear and maintain roads and walkways. (5%)
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Job Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Over two (2) years of experience in landscaping, grounds maintenance and construction.
• FEMA training and certifications ICS 100, 552, and 700 within three (3) months of hire.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience operating heavy equipment such as back hoe, stump grinder, skid loader, front end loader, tractor, track hoe, etc.
• SC Non-Commercial Pesticide License (categories 3, 5, or 6) highly preferred.

Driver's License Requirements

• Valid South Carolina Class D Driver's License at hire.
• Valid South Carolina Class B Commercial Learner's Permit (CLP) within three (3) weeks of hire, or the equivalent CLP from their state of residence.
• Valid South Carolina Class B CDL within three (3) months of hire, or the equivalent CDL from their state of residence.
• Please be advised: Applicants who do not intend to relocate to South Carolina, must reside in a neighboring state (Georgia or North Carolina) and must meet the same CDL requirements as residents of South Carolina. In addition, employees residing in a neighboring state are required to provide to the City of Greenville an annual Motor Vehicle Record from their state's Department of Motor Vehicles at the sole cost of the employee.

Performance Requirements

Knowledge of:

• Safe equipment operating practices/procedures.
• Plant material and the ability to identify weeds and disease.
• Proper pruning of small trees and shrubs following American National Standards Institute 300A pruning standard.
• Department of Transportation work zone safety measures for traffic control.

Ability to:

• Operate larger equipment such as Class B CDL trucks.
• Work in inclement weather conditions including cold rain, wind, heat, snow, sleet, etc.
• Read papers, journals, Safety Data Sheet (SDS), Pesticide Labels, manuals, policies, and other reference materials.
• Deal with a system of real numbers; and practical application of fractions, percentages, ratios/proportions and measurement.
• Write simple sentences containing subject, verb, and object, and/or series of numbers, names, and addresses.
• Operate various types of mowers (e.g., push, side mount, embankment, front mount, zero turn, reel, tractor and tractor mounted mowers) light and CDL truck, dump truck, utility vehicle, blower, ball field drag, walk behind edger, aerators, air-raptor, weed eater, air compressor, generators, water pump, hand and power tools, rakes, back pack sprayer, power washer, water wagon, stump grinder, chain saw, pole saw, back hoe, combo planer, tiller, front end loader, skid steer loader, tamp, excavator, and other heavy duty equipment.
• Use a smart tablet, portable radio, phone, or other communication devices.
• Utilize specialized software and systems to include work management system.

Working Conditions

Primary Work Location: Outdoors in areas such as major throughfares ,medians, Interstate 385, and roadside rights-of-ways.

Protective Equipment Required: Safety glasses, ear protection, steel-toed shoes, protective gloves, Class 2 and 3 safety vest, hard hat, and safety chaps.

Environmental/Health and Safety Factors: Frequent exposure to unpleasant environmental conditions and/or hazards. Majority of work performed outside and/or with exposure to risk. Daily exposure to extreme temperature, wetness and/or humidity, and noise and vibration. Weekly exposure to respiratory and chemical hazards (e.g., gas fumes, pesticide chemicals, dust and dirt, etc.); and mechanical or physical hazards (e.g., high voltage power lines, dangerous machinery, falling tree branches, vehicle traffic, etc.). Monthly exposure to electrical hazards (e.g., irrigation system sensors/timers, etc.); and communicable diseases.

Physical Demands: Constantly requires hearing, vision, talking, carrying, handling/grasping, standing, and foot controls. Frequently requires fine dexterity, lifting, pushing/pulling, reaching, twisting, bending, climbing, crouching and stooping, balancing, and walking. Heavy strength demands exerting up to 10-20 pounds constantly, exerting 20-50 pounds frequently, and may require exerting 50-100 pounds rarely.

Mental Demands: Constantly requires frequent change of tasks, working in noisy/distracting environments, and working closely with others as a part of a team. Frequently requires performing under time pressures. Occasionally requires performing multiple tasks simultaneously, tedious/exacting work, and irregular schedule/overtime.

Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance

The City of Greenville is an Equal Opportunity Employer. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential job duty satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. Prospective and current employees should contact Human Resources to request an ADA accommodation.

Disclaimer

The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.