Park Ranger

East Bay Regional Park District; Oakland (CA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Free on-site parking

Parking permit for EBRPD parks

Job summary

East Bay Regional Park District in Oakland is seeking maintenance workers to support parklands and facilities across Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The role covers grounds maintenance, irrigation, building upkeep, and visitor safety, with opportunities to work on diverse projects.

Candidates should have 3 years of landscape/park maintenance experience or equivalent, be adaptable to varied schedules, and possess a high school diploma or equivalent.

Qualifications

• Equivalent to completion of the twelfth grade or higher is expected.
• Three years of recent experience in landscape/park facility maintenance, construction, or a related field.

Responsibilities

• Performs advanced level semi-skilled and unskilled maintenance on Park District properties and facilities.
• Maintains grounds, irrigation, drainage, and various structures.
• Assists with erosion control, habitat restoration, and facilities upkeep.

Skills

Landscaping experience

Park maintenance

Construction knowledge

Public interaction

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Mowers (riding & walk-behind)

Chainsaws

Pole saws

Brush chippers

Power & hand tools

Job description

The Park District will have several vacancies located at various parks and sites throughout Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The hiring pools established as a result of this recruitment will be used to fill the current vacancies and any additional vacancies that may occur during the one-year life of the hiring pools.

Recruitment Timeline

• Supplemental Questions Review: Beginning of December
• Tentative Date of Onsite Performance Examinations: January 26-28
• Tentative Date of Onsite Oral Panel Interviews: February 23-24
• Please note that hiring pools will not be established until oral panel interviews are complete.
• All dates are subject to change.

ABOUT US:

The East Bay Regional Park District is a system of beautiful parklands in Alameda and Contra Costa counties to the east of San Francisco. The system comprises 73 parks spanning across 126,809 acres, 1,330 miles of trails, and 55 miles of shoreline. We manage and preserve natural and cultural resources for all to enjoy and protect. The regional parks are ideal for healthful recreation and environmental education. Learn about our Mission and Vision and our History.

OUR MISSION

EBRPD preserves a rich heritage of natural and cultural resources and provides open space, parks, trails, safe and healthful recreation and environmental education. An environmental ethic guides the District in all of its activities.

OUR VALUES

• Respect – We honor the land we steward, each other, and the park visitors we serve.
• Resilience – We creatively adapt to change. We address challenges with empathy, perspective, and determination.
• Relationships – Our greatest strength lies in the trust, accountability, and teamwork we cultivate with our colleagues, partners, and the public we serve.
• Responsiveness – We communicate openly, honestly, and reliably.
• Transparency – We hold the public's trust through meaningful stakeholder engagement and access to timely and reliable information on decisions and performance.

WHY WORK FOR EBRPD?

• Work with a purpose for a better world today and for future generations through the preservation of open space, public access to the outdoors, and a commitment to the conservation of the natural world found east of the San Francisco Bay across 33 cities in Alameda and Contra Costa counties
• A community of colleagues who are passionate about public service and the East Bay Regional Park District, the communities it serves, and its mission
• Excellent benefits: Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending, and pension benefits through California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS). Click here fordetails regarding additional benefits
• Tuition reimbursement and professional development
• Free on-site parking
• Free parking permit for EBRPD parks (for up to 2 privately owned vehicles)
• Employee discounts for certain EBRPD park amenities

WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING:

Under general supervision, performs advanced level semi-skilled and unskilled maintenance and other tasks on Park District properties and facilities in support of the operation, development, and resource protection of the Park District's parklands and trails; and performs related duties as assigned.

IDEAL CANDIDATES:

• Are motivated team players with experience in the landscaping, maintenance, land management, and construction fields
• Are familiar with riding and walk-behind mowers, chainsaws, pole saws, brush chippers, and a variety of power and hand tools
• Have general construction skills to provide maintenance to park facilities, recreation areas, trails & equipment; can build, repair, and replace park infrastructure, (picnic tables, benches, fences, gates, signs, etc.)
• Have general knowledge of tree care, turf management, and maintenance of developed park grounds
• Enjoy working in public areas and having direct interaction with park visitors
• Can follow both written and verbal instructions and are adaptable to changing tasks and priorities
• Are willing to complete general park maintenance activities on a regular/daily basis such as:
• Cleaning and stocking restrooms
• Pick-up and removal of general litter and debris from district properties
• Emptying garbage, recycling, and compost cans
• Have basic knowledge of computers and willingness and ability to learn internal computer programs
• Flexible and adaptable; able to work weekends, holidays, and varied schedules in locations throughout Alameda and Contra Costa Counties

The following duties are typical for this classification. Incumbents may not perform all of the listed duties and/or may be required to perform additional or different duties from those set forth below to address business needs and changing business practices.

• Performs a variety of advanced level semi-skilled and unskilled maintenance and related tasks on Park District properties and facilities
• Performs grounds maintenance functions
• Installs, inspects, repairs and adjusts irrigation systems and drainage systems
• Maintains and operates various types of control valves, timers and other related equipment
• Constructs and/or installs and repairs fences, gates, stairs, boardwalks, picnic tables, drinking fountains, signs, trail posts, barbecue and fire pits, docks, information panels, and cattle or horse troughs
• Applies herbicides and pesticides
• Performs turf mowing and/or rough mowing, using sit-down or walk-behind mowers and tractors
• Pours concrete pads
• Maintains trails, trail heads, service roads and staging areas, including the installation and repair of fencing, trail signs, markers, and gates
• Performs asphalt and gravel trail repairs
• Clears trees and brush from trails and roads
• Trims, cuts, prunes, removes and plants trees
• Operates and inspects a variety of vehicles and equipment, such as tractors, trucks, lawn mowers, slope mowers, chain saws, chippers, skid steers, front end loaders and boats
• Maintains buildings, including repairing, replacing, and/or installing plumbing fixtures and valves
• Patrols parks, trails, and waterways to check for potential hazards
• Assists in protecting the natural resources of parks and trails by monitoring the impact and activities of grazing operations and parks users
• Assists with cattle grazing program
• Educates park users on park rules and regulations
• Controls rodent and other pest populations
• Removes non-native plant species and invasive plants from Park District lands
• Removes and/or relocates animals as needed
• Responds to emergencies, such as medical, searches, park fires, and other requests for aid;
• Operates radios to provide and coordinate information
• Provides traffic control
• Completes medical/incident reports
• Performs routine maintenance work, including picking up and removing litter, cleaning and stocking restrooms, emptying garbage cans and changing trash liners and removing graffiti
• Performs administrative tasks such as ordering and purchasing supplies, preparing monthly revenue and other reports, preparing, monitoring and enforcing contracts, completing fixed asset inventories, and maintains logs, records and reports
• Loads and unloads compost
• Takes hazardous tree inventory and coordinates with contractors for tree removal
• Performs erosion control and prevention
• Constructs, restores, and maintains natural resources and habitats
• May monitor and report lift station and water issues
• Maintains wells, water tanks, springs and spring fed water sources
• Monitors and adjusts water chemistry
• Performs water quality testing and measures chlorine and bacticide levels
• Prepares and paints a variety of surfaces
• Removes various illegal dumped items, such as construction materials, green waste, household items and furniture
• May perform maintenance on lagoons
• Performs range management including grass sample collection, annotating height and weight, and creating general descriptions of location and vegetation types
• Mitigates fire hazards by creating and maintaining fuel breaks around neighboring properties and throughout the parks
• Safely removes needles and sharps as necessary
• Performs duties of lower-level classifications as required
• Acts as supervisor as needed

Maintenance and Skilled Trades Option

• Provides support and assists skilled trades staff and/or heavy equipment operators with special projects
• Performs roads and trails maintenance on a project basis
• Loads and unloads materials and equipment
• Pulls trailers and transports equipment and materials such as granite slabs, concrete and paver blocks, sheetrock, rock, sand, gravel and retaining wall blocks
• Compacts and backfills retaining walls
• Coordinates with vendors regarding specialty products
• Assists in paving roads and pathways
• Operates paint stripers on roads and parking lots
• Operates vibraplates, water tenders, and pneumatic and electric jackhammers
• Operates electronic underground pipe tracers to locate electrical conduit and metal water pipes
• Takes down existing structures and separates and sorts materials
• Digs holes and trenches

OTHER FUNCTIONS & DUTIES

• Trains, orients, and leads other Park District staff and volunteers
• Performs special assignments such as serving as liaison with concessionaires and other groups, supervising special crews, and preparing technical contracts
• Constructs stairs and boardwalks
• Transports visitors to and from San Francisco Bay islands via boat
• Repairs and replaces tile
• Cuts, patches, sweats, and/or insulates copper pipe
• Maintains chlorinators
• Welds aluminum and steel to fabricate and modify parts
• Directs emergency response vehicles and assists with communications during emergency situations
• May assist with the birthing and care of animals and cleaning animal pens
• Installs and performs maintenance on cameras and trail counters
• May perform watercraft and trailer inspections
• May operate watercraft and deploy emergency hazardous material booms
• Assists in landscape design, repair and installation
• Performs native species restoration
• May perform tours
• Assists in conducting various wildlife survey and conservation studies
• Obtains utility locating permits as needed
• Performs related duties as assigned

Any combination of education and experience that would likely provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the knowledge and abilities would be:

Education:

Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade,

Experience:

Three years of recent experience in landscape/park facility maintenance, construction, or a related field which demonstrates the ability to perform the duties of this classification and provide quality customer service.

Substitutions:

College level education in a related field or successful completion of related classes at a trade or vocational school, may be substituted on the basis of one year of completed college level education or trade/vocation school classes equating to one year of experience up to a maximum of a year of experience.**

License or Certificate:

Possession of a valid Class C California Driver’s License is a condition of initial and continued employment in this classification.

**Please note that if you would like to use college-level education and/or trade/vocational school classes to substitute for the minimum experience requirement, you must attach your transcripts to your application (unofficial copies of transcripts are acceptable). Applications that do meet the minimum requirement for experience, and do not have attached transcripts indicating an acceptable educational substitution, will not move forward in the recruitment process.

The following generally describes the knowledge and ability required to enter the job and/or be learned within a short period of time in order to