Parks Worker II- Open Space

City of Arvada; United States; On-site; USD 34,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

The City of Arvada is seeking a Parks Worker II – Open Space to maintain and enhance our open spaces, trails, and natural areas. Responsibilities include turf management, irrigation scheduling, weed control, and proper equipment operation in various weather conditions.

Ideal candidates have a strong background in landscape maintenance, irrigation systems, and habitat care, with the ability to work independently or as part of a team.

Qualifications

• Education: High School/GED required.
• One year or more of park maintenance experience.

Responsibilities

• Maintains a safe working environment for self, co-workers and public.
• Maintains Park integrity through turf management, irrigation, weed control and habitat care.
• Inspects equipment and tools for safety.
• Inspects, repairs, and maintains trails, irrigation systems, signs, wildlife habitat areas, and park amenities.
• Prepares parks for special events.

Skills

Irrigation systems

Trail maintenance

Equipment operation

Pesticide application

Horticultural knowledge

Overtime availability

Education

High School/GED

Job description

Internal Candidates must apply through Jobs Hub in Workday. All positions close Friday morning at 12:01am. Pay Range: $24.41-$33.38 Hourly.

This recruitment will fill two vacancies: one available for immediate hire and the second available for hire effective January 1, 2027. The Parks Division is seeking an experienced and motivated team member for the position of Parks Worker II – Open Space.

This role is essential to the care and maintenance of our City’s natural areas, trails, and open space amenities. From repairing fences and maintaining soft and hard surface trails to applying appropriate horticultural and weed control practices, this position helps preserve the integrity and accessibility of our open space network. The ideal candidate will bring a strong background in landscape maintenance, irrigation systems, equipment operation, and habitat care—along with the ability to work independently and as part of a dedicated team.

Essential Job Functions

• Maintains a safe working environment for self, co-workers and public.
• Maintains Park integrity through a turf management program (mow, irrigate, chemical application, aeration, fertilization, and top dress), shrub and tree maintenance, trash and graffiti removal, vandalism repair, and snow removal as required.
• Performs duties related to construction: concrete, retaining walls, drainage, grade work, erosion control, and installation of amenities.
• Operates large and small equipment, including but not limited to (mowers, snowplows, tractors, loaders) as required.
• Inspects equipment and tools for safety.
• Inspects, repairs, and maintains traffic medians, park sprinklers, turf, playground equipment, and park amenities.
• Schedules and programs both manual and computerized irrigation systems.
• Performs record-keeping duties for playground, backflow, operation equipment, tasks, expense reports, and pesticide application forms.
• Assists other park maintenance staff with typical standard maintenance duties.
• Prepares parks for special events.
• Assigns and inspect the work of seasonal employees, volunteers, and community service.
• Performs snow removal as assigned.
• Ability to operate snow equipment (manual and machine) during winter storms.

Open Space

• Inspects, repairs, and maintains trails, fences, irrigation systems, signs, wildlife habitat areas, and other park and open space amenities, including soft and hard surface trails.
• Identifies weed species and correctly and safely apply appropriate pesticides.
• Maintains Park and open space integrity through accepted horticultural practices such as mowing, weed control, fertilization, pruning, trash and graffiti removal, vandalism repair, amenity repair, and snow removal.
• Completes required reports concerning but not limited to vehicle and equipment repair, vandalism, pesticide and fertilizer applications, equipment and employee accidents, mowing, trash pickup, timesheets, and daily task sheets.

Other Job Functions

• Attends training, seminars, and meetings as required.
• May perform operation and maintenance of viewing/interactive water fountains.
• May perform maintenance of the Old Town District.
• May perform lake operations.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

• Strong knowledge of sports facilities: tennis/pickleball/basketball courts, skate parks, disc golf, exercise courses, football/soccer/baseball fields, volleyball, and lacrosse.
• Strong knowledge and experience with urban park maintenance, including horticultural practices, landscape, construction, herbicides, and irrigation system maintenance.
• Strong knowledge of irrigation pipe repair, valve repair, and troubleshooting of wiring problems.
• Ability to assign and inspect work of seasonal employees.
• Flexibility to work scheduled and unscheduled overtime.
• Ability to operate large and small equipment efficiently and safely, including, but not limited to, jack hammers, picks, shovels, moles, trenchers, backhoes, pitchforks, and volt‑ohm meters, mowers, slope mowers, tractors, dump trucks, loaders, large fertilizer spreaders, snowplows, woodchippers, and pesticide application equipment as required.
• Strong manual dexterity skills to operate maintenance tools including but not limited to chain saws, power tools, push spreaders, string trimmers, snow blowers, pesticide sprayers, edgers, pole and hand pruners.
• Ability to inspect, repair, service and maintain assigned equipment and make minor adjustments and repairs and ensure they’re in safe operating condition.
• Ability to inspect, repair, and maintain trails, fences, irrigation systems, signs, wildlife habitat areas, and other park and open space amenities on soft and hard surfaces.
• Basic computer skills.
• Ability to maintain park and open space integrity through accepted horticultural practices such as mowing, weed species identification, control, fertilization, application of appropriate pesticides, pruning, trash and graffiti removal, vandalism repair, amenity repair and snow removal.
• Ability to effectively communicate information, both verbally and in writing, to support organizational objectives and interact positively and cooperatively with all levels of personnel within the city.
• Ability to work scheduled events on weekends and evenings as needed.
• Must be able to operate a motor vehicle.

License & Certification PW II must have the following certifications based on their area of focus:

• Open Space: Colorado Department of Agriculture Pesticides Applicators license: Category #109 (Industrial & Right of Way Weed Control), & #206 (Turf Pest Control).
• OSHA 10-hour Training.

Education Degree High School/GED Education Required Yes

Work Experience Related One (1) or more years of experience in park maintenance.

Physical Demands

Physical Demands Strenuous to extreme physical effort that includes frequent use of heavy objects (e.g., 50+ pounds) and may also use heavy tools or require strenuous application in awkward positions.

Hazards

Hazards Marginal to moderate exposure to conditions that are unpredictable and may lead to injury.

Work Environment

Work Environment Regular exposure to heat and noise along with working outside in the elements.

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Vision: We Dream Big and Deliver Mission: We are dedicated to delivering superior services to enhance the lives of everyone in our community.

Values: Innovation: We excel in creativity, flexibility and the use of best practices while valuing diverse backgrounds, ideas and perspectives. Passion: We are a high performing, inclusive team inspiring each other to pursue excellence. Opportunity: We value our diversity, embrace possibilities, face challenges, persevere and take action to deliver quality results.

The City’s Core values are in every employee’s individual Performance Plan which helps us to reinforce our expectations for living and working by our Core Values. Every City employee is expected to perform his/her job to the highest professional standards. This includes upholding the City’s values with integrity and accountability, acting in a manner that is respectful and inclusive towards others, and adhering to the City’s policy on employee conduct as detailed in the personnel rules sec. 70-143.

The City is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. We have consistently received Top Workplace awards since 2012. Most recently, we received USA Today's Top Workplaces Award.