Job Description

OUTREACH ASSISTANT II – GARDENER

Nature of Work:

Starting pay is $19.15 per hour.

Under the supervision of the Parks and Recreation Maintenance Supervisor, you will: independently maintain select park landscape beds through weeding, mulching and planting; create and coordinate garden plantings and an overall vision in conjunction with Park Operations and Adopt-a-Park activities; plan gardening layouts and design for fall/spring/summer seasons; lead volunteer work days and lead garden talks; provide expertise on perennial and annual plants and native gardening best practices; attend fairs and exhibits for recruiting and educational purposes; purchase plants or seeds as needed; perform various other duties necessary to help with the maintenance of the park system; travel to each park the incumbent works at; transport gardening tools and supplies, compost and brush.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum age of 18 years.
• At least one year of combined gardening experience in plant identification; maintaining landscaped areas and designing perennial, annual and native gardens. Knowledge of native perennial and annual plants.
• Willingness to work a flexible schedule to lead events during weekends and evenings.
• Must obtain CPR/AED and First Aid certification within 30 days of employment. The City offers CPR/AED and First Aid classes, which are free to Parks employees. Please note, your certification must be from an organization that has been approved by the Bureau of Community and Health Systems, Child Care Licensing Division. Please see following link for list of approved organizations: https://www.michigan.gov/lara/0,4601,7-154-89334_63294_5529_49572_49583-82382--,00.html
• Must have a Valid Driver’s License.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master Gardener certification or equivalent.
• Friendly and suitable to working with the public, with experience leading volunteers.
• Strong communication skills and a passion for parks, the environment and beautiful spaces.
• Ability to work a flexible schedule.

Physical Requirements:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that may be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential duties of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

Positions in this class typically require: climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, seeing and repetitive motions.

The work often involves the ability to perform routine moderate lifting and carrying up to 50 lbs. including loading, unloading and moving bags of mulch and soil. Occasional unloading and loading of awkward and heavy objects in and out of the truck bed (trees, wheelbarrows, large plants, tents).

Work Schedule:

This is a full time – temporary position with a flexible schedule. Hours available will be between 30-40 hours a week.