Parks & Grounds Worker - Supervising

Placer County is comprised of over 1,400 square miles of beautiful and diverse geography, ranging from the residential and commercial areas of South Placer, westward through the historic foothill areas of Auburn, Foresthill, and Colfax, and to the County's jewel of the North Lake Tahoe basin. Placer is a great place to live, work, play and learn. For more information about Placer County, please visit www.visitplacer.com.

Placer County offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees. The following information represents benefits currently available to permanent Placer County employees and may be subject to change. Applicants should inquire as to the most current benefit package during hiring interviews or by contacting the Human Resources Department.

Click here to view General benefits

For more information regarding the benefits Placer County has to offer, please visit Placer County's Human Resources website.

To plan, organize, direct and supervise parks and grounds maintenance operations within the Parks and Grounds Maintenance Division of the Facilities Services Department; and to perform a variety of technical tasks relative to assigned area of responsibility.

The Supervisor level recognizes positions that perform full, first-line supervisory responsibilities including planning, assigning, and evaluating the work of subordinates and is responsible for a program area within a work unit or department.

Receives general direction from a Senior Supervising Parks and Grounds Worker or management and supervisory staff.

Exercises direct supervision over assigned maintenance personnel.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Participate in and perform parks and grounds maintenance duties requiring a high level of skill and independent judgement including landscaping, gardening, and associated basic building and mechanical trades work such as plumbing, painting, masonry, carpentry, and electrical.
• Recommend and assist in the implementation of unit goals and objectives; establish schedules and methods for parks and grounds maintenance activities; implement policies and procedures.
• Plan, prioritize, assign, supervise and review the work of staff involved in parks and grounds maintenance work crew activities.
• Evaluate operations and activities of assigned responsibilities; recommend improvements and modifications; prepare various reports on operations and activities.
• Participate in budget preparation and administration; prepare cost estimates for budget recommendations; submit justifications for personnel, supplies, materials, and equipment; monitor and control expenditures. 
• Participate in the selection of staff; provide or coordinate staff training; conduct performance evaluations; recommend discipline; implement discipline procedures as directed.
• Answer questions and provide information to the public; investigate complaints and recommend corrective action as necessary to resolve.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers, other County employees and the public using principles of good customer service.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

It is the responsibility of applicants to identify in their application materials how they meet the minimum qualifications listed below. 

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

Experience: Three years of increasingly responsible experience in groundskeeping or park maintenance.

Training: Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade supplemented by college course work in arboriculture, horticulture, forestry, park management or a related field.

Required License or Certificate:

• Possession of a Qualified Applicator Certificate from California Department of Food and Agriculture is desired.
• May need to possess a valid driver's license as required by the position.  Proof of adequate vehicle insurance and medical clearance may also be required.

Knowledge of:

• Principles and practices of landscape design and layout, grounds maintenance, and basic building trades.
• Equipment, tools and materials used in parks and grounds maintenance.
• Principles of supervision, training and performance evaluations.
• Principles of budget monitoring.
• Principles and practices of work safety.
• Pertinent local, State and Federal laws, ordinances and rules.

Ability to:

• Organize, implement and direct parks and grounds maintenance operations/activities.
• On a continuous basis, know and understand parks and grounds maintenance operations, and observe safety rules.  Intermittently analyze problem equipment; identify safety hazards; locate equipment and tools; interpret work orders; remember equipment and tool location.
• Intermittently, sit while completing forms or reports or operating a piece of equipment; stand, walk, bend, squat, climb, kneel, twist, and reach while mowing, trimming, pruning, spraying, clearing, or performing a variety of building trades activities; perform simple and power grasping, pushing, pulling, and fine manipulation; visual acuity sufficient to review and assess vegetation conditions and inspect in-progress and completed building trades work; regularly lift very heavy weight.
• Perform heavy manual labor and operate a variety of hand and power tools used in parks and grounds maintenance activities.
• Work assigned shift, including weekends, holidays and odd or irregular hours.
• Supervise, train and evaluate assigned staff.
• Interpret and explain pertinent County and Department policies and procedures.
• Assist in the development and monitoring of an assigned program budget.
• Develop and recommend policies and procedures related to assigned operations.
• Work with various cultural and ethnic groups in a tactful and effective manner.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work, including volunteer groups that assist in parks and grounds maintenance activities.

Training & Experience Rating (100%)

Based upon responses to the supplemental questionnaire, the applicant’s education, training, and experience will be evaluated using a pre-determined formula. Scores from this evaluation will determine applicant ranking and placement on the eligible list.

Prior to the date of hire, applicants must undergo a fingerprint test by the Department of Justice, pass a medical examination (which may include a drug screening and possibly a psychological evaluation), sign a constitutional oath, and submit proof of U.S. citizenship or legal right to remain and work in the U.S.  For some positions, applicants may also be required to submit proof of age, undergo a background investigation (which may include a voice stress analysis and/or a polygraph), and/or be bonded. Additionally, positions in law enforcement classifications and those supporting law enforcement functions will be required to complete a conviction history questionnaire prior to or during the interview process. Applicants for positions with access to Medi-Cal billing software or who are licensed providers must clear the Federal Exclusion List, credentialing, and social security verification. Failure to clear these requirements may result in an employment offer being withdrawn.

The eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be certified as a substitute list for a substantially similar classification.  For this purpose, a substantially similar classification is one at a lower level in the same classification (example: entry level vs. journey level) and/or a similar classification (similar work performed, similar training and experience qualifications required). If you are contacted for an interview by a County department, you will be informed of the classification and other relevant information. If you choose not to interview for a substantially similar classification, you will remain on the eligible list for which you originally applied.

Placer County offers an expedited process for qualifying certain applicants for interviews. Candidates currently employed, or employed within the last year, by a public agency operating under a personnel civil service or merit system may be eligible to be placed on a Public Agency Eligible List and certified as eligible for appointment to a similar job assignment without going through the examination process. For more information on the Public Agency Eligible List, to download forms, or to apply, please click here.

Thank you for your interest in employment with Placer County. Placer County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to an active nondiscrimination program. It is the stated policy of Placer County that harassment, discrimination, and retaliation are prohibited and that all employees, applicants, agents, contractors, and interns/volunteers shall receive equal consideration and treatment. All terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, transfer, and promotion will be based on the qualifications of the individual for the positions being filled regardless of gender (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, race (including traits historically associated with race, including, but not limited to, hair texture and protective hairstyles such as braids, locks, and twists), color, ancestry, religion (including creed and belief), national origin, citizenship, physical disability (including HIV and AIDS), mental disability, medical condition (including cancer or genetic characteristics/information), age (40 or over),  marital status, military and/or veteran status, sex (including parental status, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and related medical conditions), political orientation, or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Please contact the Human Resources Department at least 5 working days before a scheduled examination if you require accommodation in the examination process. Medical disability verification may be required prior to accommodation.

For questions regarding this recruitment, please contact Beth LaChapelle, Administrative Technician, at elachape@placer.ca.gov or (530) 889-4064.