Grounds Keeper

Overview

Shift: April 1st - October 31st: Monday - Friday 7:00AM - 3:30 PM; November 1st - March 31st: Monday - Friday 8:00AM - 4:30PM

The Department of Facilities Services is responsible for the efficient and cost effective operations, maintenance and management of all Tufts University facilities consisting of approximately 5 million square feet of space on three campuses (Somerville/Medford, Grafton, and Boston).

A broad range of services are provided to support the University campuses including: facility maintenance by all trades, capital maintenance, information technology systems for operations (work control, time capture, preventative maintenance), energy and utilities systems, recycling and waste management, event services, residential facilities coordination, grounds maintenance and facility condition assessment and tracking. Facilities Services plays a critical role in planning for the $30M/year deferred maintenance investment.

Related functions, which require close coordination with this department, are public and environmental health and safety, planning, design and construction of capital and deferred maintenance projects including major repairs, renovation and new construction.

What You'll Do

Reporting to facilities management the Groundskeeper is responsible for the tasks associated with the care and maintenance of the lawns, grounds, roadways, sidewalks and other areas surrounding the university campus as needed to sustain the high quality aesthetic appearance and safety of the campus for the Tufts community.

The Groundskeeper provides labor and grounds services which may include but are not limited to: Grass cutting, snow removal, weeding, pruning, sanding, seeding, fertilizing, de-icing and plowing. This position also provides services for university events, including set-ups, building maintenance tasks, installation of lawn furniture and landscaping tasks. The Groundskeeper drives various types of vehicles including but not limited to trucks, automobiles, front-end loaders, skid-steers and vans and uses various types of equipment and tools to move University furnishings and equipment, and to provide set-ups and take-downs for events and special activities. This position performs similar or related duties as required.

This position is considered essential as defined in the Tufts University Employee Handbook.

• Responsible for operating and maintaining in a safe, knowledgeable and confident manner all related tools, equipment and vehicles to include and not limited to hand and riding mowers, seeders, rototillers, aerators, lawn sprinklers, etc. for preparing and maintaining hard and soft scape.
• Instructs Utility workers and work groups in the safe and confident use of tools, equipment, and vehicles as necessary and proper and appropriate methods and techniques to provide necessary soft and hard scape services.
• Responsible for leading Utility workers and work groups assigned to specific projects.
• Responsible for plowing and removing snow and ice from sidewalks, patios, ramps, lots, athletic fields and drives using hand tools, skid steers, truck mounted snow plows, snow blowers, front-end loaders and small and large vehicles.
• Responsible for removal and disposal of dirt, debris, yard waste and rubbish and recyclables from campus. Seeds, weeds, irrigates, aerates, fertilizes, sods, grades, and mows campus grounds using requisite tools, equipment, and vehicles.
• Operates, maintains, and, when necessary, directs the use of all related tools, equipment and vehicles employed in grounds care and labor services.
• Maintains hardscape including playing surfaces, parking lots, drives, walks, ramps. Removes and plows snow using various tools and materials, provides sanding and salting operations.
• Operates irrigation controls and systems; ability to winterize irrigation systems.
• Driving vehicles / using tools necessary to do the job.
• Capable of leading small teams on assignments as necessary.
• Creates and maintains timely and accurate maintenance logs utilizing the university’s continuous maintenance management system (CMMS).
• Recommends spare parts for replacement as necessary.
• Understands and adheres to university operating procedures pertaining to the use of resources, time tracking and logging of timely and accurate maintenance and repair activities utilizing division and university systems of record.
• Provide support to trades-people working on specific tasks.
• Perform daily entries in computerized work order system in a complete, accurate and timely manner.
• Setup and takedown chairs for events and special activities.
• Lead other utility workers or student employees as assigned.
• Assist in training co-workers.
• Perform similar or related duties as required.
• Respond to on-call and overtime requirements as needed.
• Other duties as assigned as required.

What We're Looking For

Basic Requirements:
Knowledge and experience typically acquired by:

• High School Diploma or GED
• Two (2) or more consecutive years of relevant grounds experience required.
• Working knowledge and experience in state of the art groundskeeping methods and techniques such as fertilization, aeration, irrigation, weeding, seeding, sowing and sodding.
• Knowledge of operating and providing upkeep maintenance for equipment and vehicles such as tractors, loaders, mowing machinery, rototillers, hydraulic sprayers, aerators, lawn sweepers, and tractor-mounted snow removal equipment.
• Excellent working knowledge with winter operations for snow plowing and sanding/salting operations with a minimum of three years of experience.
• Ability to operate tractor mounted attachments including but not limited to: snow blowers, Rake-O-Vac, Verti Drain, Verti Cutter, Top Dressers, Slicer Seeders, fertilizers spreaders.
• High level knowledge of and ability to use a variety of hand tools such as shovels, rakes, lawn rollers, saws, pruners, hoses, trowels, tamps, hammers, pliers, wrenches and spading forks, etc.
• Must be physically fit to carry out effectively all the requirements of the Facilities department; including the use and care of grounds equipment and tools.
• Ability to direct the work of and provide hands on guidance for small work groups of employees assigned to specific grounds or labor assignments and projects.
• Mechanical proficiency and use of small power and hand tools is required.
• Knowledge of plant material, planting techniques, pruning, weeding, grass mowing and snow removal and sanding and de-icing operations is necessary.
• Must be conscientious, adaptable and have the ability to communicate and work respectfully with co-employees, students, faculty and staff.
• Experience with computers for creating Word documents, updating work status in facilities related systems and use of e-mail for timely and professional communication and correspondence.
• Capability with the use desktops, laptops, iPads or other devices.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.
• Solid time management skills including the ability to multi-task, tactfully deal with unforeseen challenges and people and work well in a team setting with other technicians and trades professionals.
• The ability to read, write and comprehend the English language is required.
• Must be able to lift at least 70 lbs. and physically meet the requirements of the position job duties.
• Required to work indoors and outdoors and during inclement weather year round.
• 2B hoister's License within 90 Days
• Massachusetts Pesticide Applicators (CORE) license within 90 Days
• Valid US driver’s license

Preferred Qualifications:

• Three (3) or more consecutive years of relevant grounds experience for an institution of higher education.
• Two (2) years of natural and synthetic athletic field experience preferred
• Experience in the use Maximo CMMS system.
• 2B hoister's License Upon Hire
• Massachusetts Pesticide Applicators (CORE) license Upon Hire
• Massachusetts Commercial Pesticide Certification Upon Hire

Special Work Schedule Requirements:

• Flexibility in work schedule required due to campus related emergencies, events occurring nights and weekends and special events such as matriculation and commencement

The pay rate for this position is $35.81 / hour.