Park Keeper I

Dakota County; Minnesota; On-site; USD 47,000 - 73,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical benefits

Work-life balance

Paid time off

Paid holidays

Pension plan

Job summary

Dakota County Parks is seeking a Park Keeper to maintain park buildings and grounds, perform custodial duties, mowing, seasonal maintenance, and assist with landscape projects.

Candidates should have a high school diploma or equivalent, plus one year of relevant experience or an equivalent combination, and a valid driver's license with CDL within the first year; safety-sensitive position.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• One year work experience in natural resources, landscaping, custodial, grounds or building maintenance; or equivalent.
• A valid driver's license and ability to obtain a Class A commercial driver's license within the first year.

Responsibilities

• Maintain park buildings and structures including daily custodial duties and repairs.
• Maintain park grounds and facilities including custodial, mowing, fertilizing, seeding, aerating, trash hauling.
• Perform snow removal on walkways, trails, and parking lots.
• Operate park vehicles and equipment safely.
• May serve as a lead person over other employees when assigned.

Skills

Operate vehicles & equipment safely

Heavy manual labor

Teamwork

Communication skills

Computer basics (email, Word/Excel)

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Vehicles & equipment operation: tractors, mowers, dump truck, etc.

Job description

POSTING TYPE: Open competitive; DEPARTMENT: Facilities Management; HOURS: Full-time; HIRING RANGE: $46,720 - 73,000/year; FULL SALARY RANGE: $46,720 - 58,400/year (104 grade); LOCATION: Lebanon Hills Park, Eagan; CLOSE DATE: 4:30 p.m. on Friday, October 23, 2026

Dakota County Parks system is a growing, thriving natural resource-based park system with over 2.8 million visitors annually. Our park system includes 6 parks, 5,500 acres of premiere park land and 66 miles of scenic regional greenways.

Who We Are

Dakota County is Minnesota’s third largest county and home to more than 400,000 residents. Our motto is “Be More” and we strive every day to achieve excellence public service, with a focus on four values: Service, Integrity, People, and Innovation. Dakota County aims to create an environment that is welcoming and inclusive of diverse people, backgrounds, and experiences. Our goal is to have a workforce that is reflective of the communities and individuals we serve. We promote an equitable and culturally aware work environment where everyone can be their authentic selves.

• High school diploma or equivalent, AND
• One year work experience in one or more of the following fields; natural resources, landscaping, custodial, grounds or building maintenance.
• OR
• An equivalent combination of education and experience in natural resources, landscaping, custodial, grounds or building maintenance.
• AND
• A valid driver's license and ability to obtain a Class A commercial driver's license within the first year of employment.

Preferred Education/Experience Beyond Minimum Qualifications

• Completed training and/or degree focused on facility operations and maintenance, landscape design and maintenance, tree care and maintenance.
• Knowledge and ability to work on a computer to complete basic work tasks such as: create & send emails, open & modify word or excel documents, and perform basic internet searches. Basic to intermediate knowledge of Outlook, Excel, Word and the internet is helpful.

Pursuant to Dakota County Policy and Procedures this position is designated as Safety Sensitive.

These examples do not include all possible tasks in this work and does not limit the assignment of related tasks in any position of this classification. Regular attendance according to the position's management approved work schedule is required for all positions.

1. Maintain park buildings and structures performing work including: daily custodial duties, general upkeep, and miscellaneous repairs.
2. Maintain park grounds and facilities including work such as: custodial, mowing, fertilizing, over seeding, aerating, and hauling trash.
3. Perform snow removal on walkways, trails, and parking lots.
4. Proficiently and safely operate vehicles and equipment including; tractors, mowers, dump truck, truck trailer combination, skid steer loader, chainsaws, brush chipper, stump grinder, and UTV's.
5. Performs routine daily maintenance on vehicles, chain saws and light equipment.
6. Performs heavy manual labor.
7. May serve as a lead person over employees at the same job classification and/ortemporary employees.
8. Assists with landscape projects performing work that includes seeding, planting, grading, restoration, building retaining walls and steps.
9. Assists with maintenance of trees by trimming, removing and transplanting.
10. Assist other departments with emergencies as assigned.
11. Assist parkvisitors and other County staff as needed or requested.
12. Perform other maintenance tasks as apparent, necessary or assigned.

Essential Functions

• Knowledge of practices, functions and procedures of grounds maintenance and construction activities.
• Ability and skill to operate vehicles and equipment of the department in a safe efficient manner.
• Ability and skill to make routine repairs and maintenance to park structures, vehicles and equipment.
• Ability to perform heavy manual labor tasks requiring strength and coordination.
• Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions.
• Ability to work with minimal supervision, set priorities, and organize multiple work tasks.
• Ability to work in a team environment and take direction from team leaders.
• Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing.
• Knowledge and ability to work on a computer to complete basic work tasks such as: create & send emails, open & modify word or excel documents, and perform basic internet searches.
• Basic to intermediate knowledge of Outlook, Excel, Word and the internet is desired.

Work Environment

Work is performed indoors and outdoors in all weather conditions and calls on the ability to perform strenuous physical tasks on a daily basis. The posture and movement requirement for this position are: sitting, walking, bending/stooping, twisting on a frequent basis and reaching forward and push/pulling of objects on a continuous basis. Position requires repetitive/constant bending of the arm and frequent grasping of hands. Work tasks require frequent lifting and carrying up to 24 pounds and occasional lifting up to 74 pounds. Driving is required for this position and staff must have the ability to use a variety of mowers, tractors, pickup trucks, UTV's, and boats.

Since this is a safety sensitive position, the candidate must successfully pass a DOT drug test and DOT exam if offered the position. “Safety-sensitive position” means a position, including any supervisory or management position, in which impairment caused by drug, alcohol, or cannabis use would threaten the health and safety of any person as defined in Minnesota Statutes. Contact the Human Resources Office (651-438-4435) if you are in need of a full report of physical and occupational demands of the Park Keeper position.

Benefits

• Comprehensive and affordable medical, dental, vision, and other benefits
• Excellent work-life balance
• Generous paid time off (accrual rate starts at four weeks per year)
• Eleven paid holidays each year
• Pension with a generous employer contribution

Selection Process

• You submit an online application that includes supplemental questions
• We assign you a score based on your qualifications
• Top scoring candidates are referred to the hiring manager for interview consideration
• We conduct background and reference checks before hiring