Parks & Grounds Worker

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, 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.placer.ca.gov.

Placer County offers a comprehensive benefits package to employees, including:

• Holidays: 14 paid holidays per year, 2 of which are floating holidays*
• Vacation leave: 10 days/year with ability to accrue 25 days/year
• Sick leave: 12 days/year*
• Cafeteria plan: 6% of employee’s salary will be contributed towards employee to use towards 401(k), dependent care, medical co-insurance, or cash
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance available for employees and dependents
• $50,000 life insurance policy at no cost to employee
• CalPERS retirement plans
• Retiree medical insurance
• Deferred compensation
• Education allowance: up to $1,200 per year
• Bilingual incentive: incumbents may be eligible for bilingual incentive pay depending upon operational needs and certification of proficiency.

*Amounts will be prorated for part-time employees and employees hired after the first of the year.

The information above represents benefits currently available to permanent Placer County employees and may be subject to change. Applicants should inquire about the most current benefit package during hiring interviews or by contacting the Human Resources Department. For a detailed listing of benefits, please 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 perform grounds, gardening and landscaping duties in the maintenance of County parks, median areas, and lawn and garden areas around County buildings; to perform maintenance and repair of tools and equipment; and to perform routine maintenance and general construction related to parks facilities.

This is the full journey level class within the Parks and Grounds Worker series.  This class is distinguished from the Maintenance Worker by the assignment of the full range of duties.  Employees at this level receive only occasional instruction or assistance as new or unusual situations arise and are fully aware of the operating procedures and policies within the work unit.  Positions in this class are flexibly staffed and are normally filled by advancement from the entry level.

This class is distinguished from the Senior Parks and Grounds Worker in that the latter performs more technical and complex work and may exercise technical and functional supervision over maintenance personnel.

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

• Plant, cultivate and irrigate lawns and flower beds; prepare soil for transplanting; mow and edge lawns; prune and trim trees, hedges, and shrubs; weed assigned areas, apply fertilizer, and mix and apply pesticides and herbicides; and install, maintain, and repair irrigation systems and components.
• Clear and rake grounds, playgrounds and playing fields; clean walks, parking lots, and storm drains; dispose of trimmings and other debris; dig trenches and post holes either manually or with mechanical assistance; clean and maintain trails; and maintain native vegetation.
• Inspect, service, repair and otherwise maintain various types of grounds equipment, including mowers, rototillers, edgers, hedge trimmers and other power driven and mechanical equipment.
• Perform routine carpentry, plumbing, and electrical work including repairing faucets, sinks, and toilets, framing, rough carpentry and painting, pouring concrete, and lighting and wiring in parks facilities.
• Perform daily sanitation duties and maintenance of parks rest rooms, campsites and picnic areas; perform minor playground equipment repair; accept and receipt parks fees and maintain appropriate records.
• May remove snow and ice on a seasonal basis.
• As a Maintenance Worker perform a variety of unskilled and semi-skilled tasks in Parks and Grounds.
• 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.

Experience:  Two years of responsible experience performing duties similar to those of a Maintenance Worker assigned to the Parks and Grounds Division or to another County division in Placer County.

Training:  Equivalent to the completion of the twelfth grade.

Required License or Certificate:

• Possession of a Qualified Applicator Certificate from California Department of Pesticide Regulation is desired.
• Possession of a valid Class A or B driver's license with air brakes and tanker endorsements may be required depending upon the position.  Proof of adequate vehicle insurance and medical clearance may also be required.

Knowledge of:

• General use and purpose of materials, equipment, and methods used in parks and grounds maintenance.
• Principles and practices of work safety.
• Parks and grounds policies and procedures.
• Use and purpose of common materials, equipment and methods used in parks and grounds maintenance, including irrigation and sprinkler systems.
• Tools, equipment and methods used in semi-skilled building trades and construction work.

Ability to:

• On a continuous basis, know and understand operations, and observe safety rules.  Intermittently analyze problem equipment; identify and locate equipment and tools; interpret work orders; remember equipment and tool location; and explain job to others.
• Intermittently, sit while completing work papers; walk, stand, bend, squat, climb, kneel, twist, and reach while operating equipment and performing grounds and maintenance work; perform simple and power grasping, pushing, pulling, and fine manipulation; regularly lift very heavy weight.
• Work with various cultural and ethnic groups in a tactful and effective manner.
• Act quickly and calmly in emergency situations.
• Obtain information through interview and deal fairly and courteously with the public.
• Analyze situations quickly and objectively and determine proper course of action.
• Work assigned shift.
• Use hand tools, rakes and shovels.
• Perform heavy manual labor.
• Understand and follow written and oral instructions.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.
• Operate light trucks and related grounds equipment to prepare areas for landscaping or planting of lawns and debris removal.
• Operate sprayer, chainsaw, weedeater, tractor, leaf sweeper, chipper, forklift, and various hand and power tools.
• Service, repair, and adjust various mechanical and electrical groundskeeping equipment and tools.

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), reproductive health decision making, 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.