Gardener

Summary

The employee will serve as a Gardener at the VA Sierra Nevada Health Care System, in Reno, NV. The primary purpose of the position is to provide ground keeping and gardening throughout the facility as assigned. The employee is expected to have skills in gardening and groundkeeper maintenance and upkeep.

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Duties

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

• Performs a full scale of ground keeping tasks to include seasonal planting, fertilizing, transplanting and pruning.
• Operates a variety of hand and power garden tools such as fertilizer, spreader, portable sparer, hedge trimmers, weed eaters, pruning and shears.
• Operates, stores and maintains equipment such as commercial pressure, power lawn mowers, edger trimmer, pruners and weed eaters.
• Provides corrective action for plant management, insect and disease control.
• Performs pressure washing driveways, building, exteriors, sidewalks, exterior railing and other miscellaneous landscape features.
• Operates highly spiraled carpet cleaning equipment, scrubs, strips, waxes and polishes floors using heavy powered scrubbers, buffers, pressure washers, etc.
• Drives forklifts as needed to transport heavy loads such as soil, plants, pallet and ice melts.
• Demonstrates knowledge of the deployment, mixing, application and current laws and guideline of restricted use pesticides.
• Maintains landscape in a healthy, disease-free and attractive condition.
• Performs trench digging, minor sprinkler head/risers repair work, raking and other duties associated with normal lawn and flower bed maintenance.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Wednesday - Sunday, 6:00 am - 2:30 pm

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized.

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Pre-employment physical required
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements ( Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the following requirements:

Selective Placement Factor (Screen-Out) - A Selective Placement Factor (SPF) has been identified for this position. Selective Placement Factors (SPF) are a prerequisite to appointment and represent minimum requirements for the position. Applicants who do not meet the SPF are ineligible for further consideration.

The SPF for this position is: Requires a valid/current state Driver's License. ( Please DO NOT provide a copy of your driver's license. We cannot accept pictures. This requirement will be verified during interview.)

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Performing gardening tasks (e.g., fertilizing, seeding, transplanting, sodding, aerating, trimming/pruning, etc.); using a variety of hand and power-operated garden tools and equipment (seeders, spreaders, trimmers, shears, sprayers); driving forklifts as needed to transport heavy loads such as soil, plants, pallet and ice melts; and providing corrective action for plant management, insect and disease control. (This experience must be documented on your resume.)

Physical Effort: The work requires frequent walking, standing, pushing of carts, bending, crawling and stooping. The employee must be able to lift heavy objects such as fertilizer, salt, plant material and maneuver loaded wheelbarrow. Often lift and handle materials weighing over 23 kilograms (50 pounds) and carry chemical solutions and equipment weighing up to 18 kilograms (40 pounds) for extended periods.

Working Conditions: The majority of work is done outdoors. In working outside, the employee is subject to discomfort from long periods in the hot sun and sometimes to chilly or rainy weather. Being exposed to dirt, dust, mud and sometimes to chemical sprays and dusts, they may wear protective clothing such as gloves, safety shoes and boots. There is chance of minor injuries such as bruises, cuts and scrapes and occasional possibility of broken bones from falls.

During periods of extreme weather, such as heavy rain or severe heat, the employee may be given assignments to assist other members of the section in moving materials and equipment, housekeeping and other tasks which may be outside the range of groundkeeper.

Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success. Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element (WG-2 and higher only; screen-outs are not applicable to WG-1). Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements. While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume.

You will be rated on the following Job Elements as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Dexterity and Safety
• Interpret Instructions, Specifications (other than blueprint reading)
• Materials
• Measuring Instruments
• Technical Practices
• Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
• Without more than normal supervision

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

Education

This job does not have an education qualification requirement.

Additional information

Receiving Service Credit for Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed.

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.

Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.

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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.

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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.