Salary : $51,152.00 - $82,355.00 AnnuallyLocation : Vienna, VAJob Type: Full Time - PermanentJob Number: 00535Department: Parks and RecreationDivision: Park MaintenanceOpening Date: 11/05/2024Closing Date: 12/1/2024 11:59 PM EasternGeneral Statement of JobAre you passionate about creating vibrant, green spaces and enhancing the beauty of a small-town community? We are seeking a dedicated Horticulture Specialist and Urban Forester to help lead our efforts in preserving and expanding the Town's tree canopy, maintaining diverse plant life, and fostering sustainable, eco-friendly landscapes. If you thrive in the outdoors and have a vision for how plants can shape and enrich public spaces, we'd love to have you join our team!A successful individual in this role will appreciate working primarily in the fields of horticulture and arboriculture, but also includes assisting the greater Parks & Recreation Department and the Town as a whole. The ideal person workswell in a team environment as well as independently, with good communication skills, and an interest in learning multiple skills to become proficient in a variety of tasks that will be part of the regular work performed throughout the year. Work varies daily and seasonally based on need.This position works under the general supervision of the Town Arborist or a designee, and performs skilled, semi-skilled and manual maintenance duties required to preserve or improve the safety, cleanliness, appearance, and appeal of the Town by maintaining, cleaning, repairing, and inspecting the Town's urban forest, landscapes, town facilities, parks, green spaces, and stream corridors. Interested applicants should expect to work outdoors in various types of weather conditions, or indoors depending on individual work assignments. Work environment includes exposure to noise, dust and traffic with extended periods of standing, walking, bending, crouching, lifting heavy objects and operating equipment. Professional growth or career progression is a priority. This role will help prepare someone for a career in Parks & Recreation or other similar fields through progressive learning of complex skills.Work ScheduleMonday through Friday 7:00 AM to 3:30 PMOvertime as necessary and mandatory during emergency situationsAll new employees must satisfactorily complete a background check. A conditional offer of employment may then be made contingent upon the successful completion of a physical exam that includes drug testing.This is a Non-Exempt Position.Duties and ResponsibilitiesThe functions listed below are those that represent the majority of the time spent working in this class. Management may assign additional functions related to the type of work of the class as necessary.Essential Functions:Performs maintenance of landscape areas including landscape beds, hardscaped areas, seasonal display pots and planters, etc. Common activities include, weeding, installation of plants, pruning, etc. Maintains trees and shrubs - including installation, watering, pruning for health, size control, aesthetics, infrastructure and traffic clearance; dismantling, stump removal, installation, watering etc. Maintains greenhouse; sows and establishes annuals plants, bulbs, and herbaceous perennials, graminoids, etc. for installation in landscaped areas and pots/planters. Handles and maintains plant material during off season and awaiting installation. Maintains and repairs irrigation systems in landscape and sports field areas. Participate in invasive plant control activities. Familiar with common landscape trees and plants of the Mid-Atlantic region. Assist Park Maintenance staff with routine and emergency work as needed.Sets up and breaks down Town wide events, such as festivals, concerts, and parades. Also staffs special events - some are mandatory, such as the Independence Day celebrations and the Halloween Parade; the remainder are optional.Responds to snow emergencies by plowing and removing snow and applying ice melt at Town streets, facilities, and sidewalks. Responds to tree related emergencies to clear and abate hazardous situations. Maintains stream valleys and natural wooded areas. Attends training classes, safety meetings and workshops. Maintains necessary certifications such as VDOT flagger and VDOT Basic Work Zone Safety, and attends OSHA 10 class. Adheres to OSHA as well as Town rules and standards. Erects and maintains traffic control devices for work on streets and rights-of-way including performing flagging duties. Refers to and reviews instructions and information from supervisor and/or crew leader, equipment maintenance and repair manuals, progress reports, job evaluations, policy and procedure manuals, codes/laws/regulations, publications, and reference texts, etc.Performs and documents vehicle pre-trip inspections. Operates and maintains a variety of vehicles, equipment, and tools to ensure safe and effective operation per manufactures recommendations. This includes dump trucks, pickup trucks, trailers, utility vehicles/skidsteer and attachments, tractors and attachments, wood chipper, aerial lift devices, arrow board, ball field grooming machine, ATV's, ladders, lawn mowers, snow blowers, water pump, pressure washer, generators, light towers, blowers and chainsaws, line trimmers, hedge shears, drills, auger, carpentry saws, reciprocating saws, rakes, shovels, pitchforks, picks, etc. Routinely works with materials such as wood chips, leaf mulch, soil, infield soil mix, lumber, gravel, stone dust, trash, brush, debris, field absorbent, paint, stain, ice melt, fertilizer, lime, spill kit materials,etc. Operates office equipment such as a phone, computer, printer, scanner, copier and basic software to enter time sheet and respond to emails, texts and phone calls etc. This is an essential position among the Town's work force and subject to work during inclement weather conditions or other designated emergency.Interacts and communicates with various groups and individuals such as direct supervisor, crew members, subordinates, upper management, contractors, vendors, and the general public. Maintains positive relations with co-workers and customers.Additional Duties: Installs, fixes, repairs seasonal holiday displays. Performs related work as assigned.Reports to work for tree, snow or other after-hours emergencies as assigned.Responsibilities, Requirements and ImpactsData Responsibility:Data Responsibility refers to information, knowledge, and conceptions obtained by observation, investigation, interpretation, visualization, and mental creation. Data are intangible and include numbers, words, symbols, ideas, concepts, and oral verbalizations.Collects, classifies or formats data or information in accordance with a prescribed schema or plan to facilitate the identification and extraction of useful information.People Responsibility:People include co-workers, workers in other areas or agencies and the general public.Speaks with or signals to people to convey or exchange information of a general nature.Asset Responsibility:Assets responsibility refers to the responsibility for achieving economies or preventing loss within the organization.Requires some responsibility for achieving minor economies and/or preventing minor losses through the handling of or accounting for materials, supplies or small amounts of money.Mathematical Requirements:Mathematics requires the use of symbols, numbers and formulas to solve mathematical problems.Uses addition and subtraction, multiplication and division and/or calculates ratios, rates and percents.Communications Requirements:Communications involves the ability to read, write, and speak.Reads routine sentences, instructions, regulations, procedures or work orders; writes routine sentences and completes routine job forms and incident reports; speaks routine sentences using proper grammar.Judgment Requirements:Judgment requirements refer to the frequency and complexity of judgments and decisions given the stability of the work environments, the nature and type of guidance, and the breadth of impact of the judgments and decisions.Responsible for guiding others, requiring a few decisions, affecting the individual and a few co-workers; works in a stable environment with clear and uncomplicated written/oral instructions, but with some variations from the routine.Complexity of Work:Complexity addresses the analysis, initiative, ingenuity, concentration and creativity, required by the job and the presence of any unusual pressures present in the job.Performs semi-skilled work involving set procedures and rules, but with frequent problems; requires normal attention with short periods of concentration for accurate results or occasional exposure to unusual pressure.Impact of Errors:Impact of errors refers to consequences such as damage to equipment and property, loss of data, exposure of the organization to legal liability, and injury or death for individuals.The impact of errors is moderate - affects those in work unit.Physical Demands:Physical demands refer to the requirements for physical exertion and coordination of limb and body movement.Performs medium to heavy work that involves walking, standing, stooping, lifting, digging, pushing and raising objects and also involves exerting between 20 to 50 pounds of force on a regular and recurring basis and 50 to 100 pounds of force on an occasional basis.Equipment Usage:Equipment usage involves responsibility for materials, machines, tools, equipment, work aids, and products.Leads or handles machines, tools, equipment or work aids involving moderate latitude for judgment regarding attainment of a standard or in selecting appropriate items.Unavoidable Hazards:Unavoidable hazards refer to the job conditions that may lead to injury or health hazards even though precautions have been taken.Involves routine and frequent exposureto traffic; moving machinery.Safety of Others:Safety of others refers to the level of responsibility for the safety of others, either inherent in the job or to ensure the safety of the general public. (Does not include safety of subordinates).Requires responsibility for the safety and health of others.Minimum Training and ExperienceRequires High School diploma or GED equivalent.Two years of tree and landscape maintenance and/or horticulture maintenance, equipment operation, or other closely related experience. Special Certifications and Licenses:Valid State driver's license.Virginia Registered Technician Pesticide Certification (category 3A & 3B or 9) within one year of employment.Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience with both horticultural work and general tree work.
- Experience with herbicide applications.
- Experience with plant health care.
- Possess a pesticide certification in either the Registered Technician or Commercial Applicator categories.
Americans with Disabilities Act ComplianceThe Town of Vienna is an Equal Opportunity Employer. ADA requires the Town of Vienna to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified persons with disabilities. Prospective and current employees are encouraged to discuss ADA accommodations with management.Benefits viewed are for permanent, full time employees and may differ from part time, benefit employees. Interns, temporary, seasonal and other part time employees are not eligible for benefits.All full time permanent employees of the Town of Vienna contribute 5% of their annual salary to the Virginia Retirement System. 01 Do you have a valid state driver's license?
02 How many years of experience do you have maintaining landscapes? (please indicate n/a if this does not apply to you) 03 Do you have any experience with irrigation systems?
04 Do you have any experience operating a chipper?
05 How many years of experience do you have with shrub or tree pruning? (please indicate n/a if this does not apply to you) 06 How many years of experience do you have planting annuals, shrubs or trees? (please indicate n/a if this does not apply to you) 07 Do you have a commercial pesticide applicator license?
08 If you answered 'YES' to the above question, how many years have you held the credential, what state are you licensed in and what categories are you licensed for? (please indicate n/a if this does not apply to you) 09 Are you a certified registered technician for pesticide applications?
10 If you answered 'YES' to the above question, how many years have you held the credential? (please indicate n/a if this does not apply to you) Required Question