Park Technician

My County Parks; Montezuma (IA); On-site; USD 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

My County Parks is seeking a full-time parks maintenance and natural resource specialist to manage Diamond Lake area operations and county conservation lands. The role includes planning and implementing grounds maintenance for recreation and conservation, supervising seasonal staff, and supporting capital projects.

You will work under the Director and coordinate with conservation staff, perform safety training, maintain equipment, and contribute to grants and community partnerships as part of

Qualifications

• Associate’s degree in conservation or related field or a Bachelor's in wildlife biology, natural resources, park management, or related field, plus two years’ experience.
• Valid driver’s license, Iowa pesticide applicator license, and CDL.
• U.S. citizenship and Iowa residency on appointment; must be able to obtain a valid Iowa driver’s license.
• Must be at least 21 and not more than 65 years of age at appointment; pass pre-employment physical, drug screen, and JPA.

Responsibilities

• Develop and coordinate resource management plans for all county conservation areas.
• Assist with safety programs, equipment inspections, and training for department personnel.
• Assist in purchasing functions, including cost analysis of materials and supplies.
• Plan and execute maintenance of park facilities and grounds; manage waste disposal.
• Supervise and participate in capital improvement projects and development of recreational facilities.
• Maintain and operate department vehicles, tractors, mowers, and other power tools.
• Assist with prairie grass establishment, seeds, and prescribed burns; obtain S-130 and S-190 certifications.
• Participate in fish and wildlife management, habitat projects, and forestry practices.
• Patrol campgrounds, enforce rules, collect fees, and maintain records and reports.
• Provide First Aid/CPR; maintain daily diary and equipment/ pesticide/use records.
• Maintain county website and prepare media content on environmental topics.
• Engage with local conservation groups; develop partnerships and grant-writing support.
• Maintain office/shop areas and support county conservation events.

Skills

Driver's license

First Aid/CPR

Equipment operation

CDL

Pesticide applicator license

ArcView GIS

PowerPoint

MS Excel

MS Word

Desktop publishing

Education

Associate's degree related to conservation

Bachelor's degree in wildlife biology/natural resources/park management

Tools

ArcView GIS

PowerPoint

MS Word

MS Excel

Desktop publishing

Job description

General SummaryA Full-Time/Non-exemptPosition, this employee is responsible for parkmaintenance at Diamond Lake and natural resource management on county wildlifeareas. Under general supervision of theDirector, this employee plans and implements grounds maintenance practices forpurposes of recreation and conservation, facility maintenance, camperregistration, and park patrol. Thisemployee will assist with plans, development, and coordination of resourcemanagement plans and implementation on all county conservation areas. Weekend, holiday, and evening work will berequired.

A. EssentialFunctions (mayinclude, but not limited to the following):

1. Develops and coordinates resource management plansand implementation on all county conservation areas, and coordinates field operations with the Director and other CountyConservation Staff.

2. Assistswith the Board’s safety programs, equipment inspections, and coordination oftraining for all department personnel.3. Assistsin the department purchasing functions, including cost analysis of materialsand supplies for all field operations.

4. Planand execute the maintenance of park facilities and grounds to ensure they are kept inan orderly, function, and sanitary condition.Will remove and dispose of trash on all county conservation areas.

5. Supervisesand participates in capital improvement projects, including land acquisitionand development, and new construction of recreational facilities.

6. Maintainsand operates large and small equipment, including all department ownedvehicles, tractors and implements, commercial mowers, no-till drills, treeplanters, tree spade, chain saws, pruners, and a wide variety of power handtools.

7. Assistswith prairie grass establishment, maintenance, seed harvest, and prescribedburns. Acquiring an S-130 and S-190certification will be required.

8. Participatesin fish and wildlife management on public and private lands including: generalforestry practices, tree planting, weed control, pruning, culling trees, treeidentification, planting food plots, wood duck nesting structures, Canada gooseroundups, bluebird nest structures, fisheries monitoring, creel clerking, andconstruction of fish habitat.

9. Patrolsthe campgrounds at Diamond Lake and enforces the Conservation Board’s rules andregulations. Collects fees for use of park facilities, keeps records ofereipts, requisitions supplies and equipment, and prepares reports asrequired.

10. Providesa safe environment for park users and administers First Aid in case ofaccidents. First Aid and CPR certifications required.11. Maintainsdaily diary, including job site, functions, and hours. Maintains records of vehicle and equipmentmaintenance, pesticide/herbicide applications, scientific collections, andemployee training.

12. Operates personal computers, spread sheets,desk-top publishing applications, Pictometry, PowerPoint applications, digitalcameras, scanners, etc.

13. Will help maintain and further develop thecounty’s web site and will provide written media for the local papers and socialmedia sitespertaining to environmental topics, programs, and activities of the County Conservation.

14. Willparticipate in continuing education programs, keeping current with newdevelopments in the conservation field and continuing professional growth.

15. Willwork with local conservation groups, chapters, or associations in PoweshiekCounty. Creating partnerships with thesegroups to continually improve our county’s natural resources on public andprivate land.

16. Willresearch and write grants to supplement the county conservation budget forvarious conservation related projects.

17. Willhelp maintain and clean office areas, shop areas, and the meeting facilities(Foster Center).

B. PhysicalDemandsWalking, standing, lifting, carrying,bending, climbing, seeing, and able to use hands to manipulate tools is allrequired in the maintenance operation of the parks. Driving pickups and tractors with manualtransmissions, hearing, and speaking to communicate with the public and otherstaff members will be required.

C. CognitiveDemandsAbility to think for oneself to carryout maintenance operations in a safe and efficient manner, and able to thinkand act professionally in situations dealing with emergencies or enforcing parkrules and regulations. Knowledge ofvarious natural resources fields, such as wildlife, fisheries, forestry, andpark management, and able to apply that knowledge for practical use in thefield, and able to communicate that information to help educate the public.

D. WorkEnvironment and EquipmentMost of the work outside can be in alltypes of weather (rain, sun, wind, snow).Operating noisy equipment such as tractors, mowers, small engines, andpower tools will be common. Work inmaintenance shops operating saws, drills, welder, torches and a variety ofother power and hand tools will also be common.Types of equipment commonly used would include self-propelled commercialmowers, grass trimmers, chain saws, tractors with loaders, oxygen/acetylenetorches, all types of hand and power tools, pickups, dump trucks tree spades,tree planters, tree bars, drip torches, rotary mowers, native grass seed drills,jon boat and motors; equipment trailers, 3 pt. blades, disc, harrows, UTV, various sprayer units; 3pt. post auger; personal computers, spread sheets, desk-toppublishing applications, ArcView GIS, PowerPoint applications, digital cameras,scanners, copy machines,telephones, calculators, MS word programs, and MS excel programs.

E. Supervisionof OthersThis individual will help supervise seasonalworkers, volunteers, and community service workers.

F. EntryQualificationsMinimum requirement - completion of an Associate’s degree related to the conservation field ora Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in wildlife biology, natural resources,park management, or related field, and two years’ experience in the naturalresource management field.Individual must possess a valid driver’s license and must possess oracquire an Iowa pesticide applicators license and CDL.All applicants must be U.S. citizensand must become residents of Iowa upon appointment and be able to obtain avalid Iowa Driver’s license. Must be atleast 21 years of age but not more than 65 years of age, on date ofappointment, and cannot have a criminal record.This individual is required to pass apre-employment physical, drug screen, and complete a Job Placement Assessment(JPA).

G. Other

1. Marginal functions of this position that areincidental to the performance of the fundamental job duties have been excludedfrom our job descriptions.

2. Allrequirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodateindividuals with disabilities.

3. This jobdescription in no way states or implies that the description includes everyduty to be performed by the employee occupying the position. Employees will be required to follow anyother job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related dutiesrequested by the Conservation Board or Director.

I have carefully read and understand the contents of thisjob description. I understand theresponsibilities, requirements, and duties expected of me. Iunderstand that this is not necessarily an exhaustive list of responsibilities, skills,duties, requirements, efforts orworking conditions associated with the job. While this listis intended to be an accuratereflection of the current job, the Employer reserves theright to revise the functions andduties of the job or to require that additional or differenttasks be performed as directed bythe Employer. I understand that I may be required to workovertime, different shifts, or hoursoutside the normally defined workday or workweek. I alsounderstand that this jobdescription does not constitute a contract of employment noralter my status as an at-willemployee. I have the right to terminate my employment at anytime and for any reason, andthe Employer has a similar right.

Poweshiek County is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In compliance with the Americans withDisabilities Act, the County will consider reasonableaccommodations for qualified individualswith disabilities and encourages prospective employees andincumbents to discuss potentialaccommodations with the Employer.

Qualifications

2 year college accreditation in conservation or related field, or the equivalent of. Must be able to lift 50lbs and work outdoors through seasonal weather conditions. A strong and independent work ethic is necessary.