Gardener - 502014 & 500637

SUMMARY:

The Gardener performs gardening/horticultural tasks and manual work necessary to maintain university properties.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Removes refuse and trash from campus grounds.
• Creates lists and prioritizes tasks needed to be done in designated areas and communicates with supervisor on those tasks
• Mows, trims, removes leaves, aerates, over seeds, fertilizes and waters lawns using both push and riding power equipment.
• Plants, trims, prunes, mulches, weeds, waters, and fertilizes flowers, shrubs and trees as directed or as necessary to insure proper standards are maintained.
• Maintains a VA Registered Tech spray license or higher with VDACS
• Applies pesticides to lawns, flowers, shrubs, tree beds and other areas as required and completes documentation as required
• Operates equipment on grades and slopes, cut trees and branches with chain saws, pole saws, axes and hand held saws
• Operates chainsaws on trees that are dead or have fallen and blocking roadways, walks, and paths that lead to campus.
• Repairs and maintains campus walk, roads, benches signs, light poles and fountains by cleaning, painting, patching, etc.
• Removes snow and ice and applies sand and chemicals in all areas of campus as directed using hand shovels, brooms, power snow blowers, tractors and trucks equipped with blades and spreaders.
• Operates lawn and grounds equipment including: push and riding power mowers, leaf blowers, hedge trimmers and line trimmers
• Operates large diesel and gasoline powered equipment including backhoe, skidsteer, snow brushes, snow blowers, forklift, tractor, etc.
• Performs operator maintenance on vehicles and equipment including checking fluids, belts, tires, lights.
• Operates Bucket Truck for tree pruning on an as needed basis
• Informs Supervisor of completed work tasks and conditions of campus grounds
• All Facilities employees are expected to exercise behavior in accordance with University policies as well as with the Facilities Mission and statement of Core Values.
• All Facilities employees are expected to comply to safety standards and demonstrate safe work habits.

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL EFFORT:

• Physically capable of working while bending, stooping, kneeling in all weather conditions.
• Physically capable of heavy lifting (minimum 50 pounds).

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Practical knowledge and/or training in gardening and horticultural practices and procedures.
• Practical knowledge and/or training in the pruning, trimming, watering, fertilization and pest control of lawns, shrubs, trees etc.
• Practical identification knowledge of common trees and shrubs in the Virginia area
• Virginia pesticide license
• Knowledge of the safe use and operation of hand and power tools used in grounds keeping.
• Must be able to remember and follow directions in performing daily landscape gardening and Horticultural tasks.
• Ability to work independently making lists of horticultural tasks to be done in assigned area

• Required:  Must have a valid Driver's License and be able to produce a driving record with a minimum of 3 years of driving history in good standing

EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE:

• High School graduate or GED required, two (2) years associate degree in horticulture or related field preferred.
• Commercial or Registered Tech Virginia Pesticide license
• Two (2) years prior gardening and landscape maintenance and/or training preferred, ideally at a college, university, county, city or commercial facility.

WORK HOURS:

• Full-time, non-exempt position
• Monday – Friday, 6:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.; 8 hrs./day; 40 hrs./week; occasional weekend work required
• All Facilities employees are designated as essential personnel and are subject to work outside the normal work schedule on an emergency basis and are also subject to planned overtime work as required by the immediate supervisor.

SALARY STRUCTURE:

Pay Grade 3 ($16.81 to $19.75 per hour)

ABOUT UR:

At the University of Richmond, we’re creative, inclusive, and determined. We’re Spiders, and our mission is to create positive change in the UR community and beyond. Located minutes from downtown Richmond, Virginia, the University of Richmond (www.richmond.edu) blends the intimacy of a small college with exceptional academic, research, and cultural opportunities usually found only at large institutions. There’s only one place like Richmond.

UR is committed to developing a diverse faculty, staff and student body, and to modeling an inclusive campus community which values the expression of differences in ways that promote excellence in teaching, learning, personal development and institutional success. In keeping with this commitment, our academic community welcomes candidates from diverse backgrounds and candidates who support diversity. EOE