Senior Landscape Technician

Senior Landscape Technician (56357)

Peruque Valley Park - Wentzville, MO 63385

Overview

Salary Range $31.46 - $32.36 Hourly Position Type Full Time Job Shift Day Category Groundskeeping & Landscaping

Description

Under general supervision, this experienced individual contributor serves as a senior-level crew member in the field, performing and leading a variety of routine semi-skilled and skilled horticulture and grounds maintenance duties. This position plays a key role in the care and maintenance of ornamental plants, grasses, shrubs, and trees located throughout the City’s parks, recreation centers, public buildings, and gateway areas.

The Senior Landscape Technician applies specialized knowledge of horticultural practices, tools, equipment, and techniques while leading more complex or specialized work assignments. In addition to hands-on work, this position is responsible for training crew members, assigning and coordinating tasks, monitoring work quality, and evaluating individual skills and performance. The role requires sound judgment, technical expertise, and strong leadership in the field.

Essential Job Duties

• Provide respectful, professional, and positive service in all interactions with co-workers, internal and external customers, community members, and the public.
• Maintain a positive and productive work environment while ensuring compliance with City, Department, and Division policies, procedures, goals, and objectives.
• Develop and implement plans for the successful maintenance of landscaping beds and urban tree canopies, including bioswales, annual and perennial beds, irrigation systems, landscape/waterscape lighting systems, and facility grounds.
• Plan, oversee, and manage major landscape renovation and capital improvement projects, including quality control and coordination of external contractors.
• Oversee assigned staff, including work allocation, training, coaching, and problem resolution.
• Plan, coordinate, and manage landscape beds, bioswales, and urban forests using established schedules for maintenance, irrigation, fertilization, and herbicide, pesticide, and fungicide applications.
• Investigate and respond to complaints, inquiries, and service requests related to City parks, trees, and landscaping.
• Prepare and maintain manuals, instructions, records, files, reports, and work orders.
• Observe symptoms of tree injuries or diseases, make diagnoses, and prescribe appropriate treatments.
• Oversee grounds maintenance for City parks and recreation areas.
• Oversee playground equipment maintenance and repair activities.
• Manage the City’s irrigation program, including installation, maintenance, and repair of irrigation equipment in parks and recreational areas.
• Train and lead daily field operations by assigning tasks based on workload and supervisory direction; ensure staff are trained in proper maintenance techniques, equipment use, and safety procedures.
• Collaborate with co-workers and supervisors to complete tasks efficiently and provide necessary updates.
• Operate City vehicles and equipment, including but not limited to: dump trucks (up to 11,000 lbs. GVW), pickup trucks, vans, skid loaders, tractors, front-deck mowers, and other landscape machinery; may include towing trailers with equipment.
• Operate and perform routine minor maintenance on equipment such as walk-behind mowers, chainsaws, hedge clippers, brush and string trimmers, electric shears, leaf blowers, snow blowers, air compressors, and portable generators.
• Maintain daily records of maintenance work requests from internal and external customers.
• Maintain inventory of supplies and ensure availability of specialized tools and equipment used in landscape maintenance and repair.

The City of Wentzville is committed to being an employer of choice, offering prosperous and meaningful career opportunities and flexibility. The City offers excellent benefits, including health, vision, dental, employer-paid life insurance, long-term disability, a retirement pension, 13 paid holidays, five personal days, vacation time, sick time, tuition reimbursement, an employee assistance program, a discounted recreation center membership and much more.

This job posting will remain open until a sufficient number of qualified applicants are received.

Qualifications

Job Qualifications  – Education, experience, and training that are required or desirable in order to eectively perform the job at the time of hire. An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience will be considered. Additional requirements and/or substitutions may be requested and require the approval of HR.

• Minimum of five years of experience in tree care, landscaping, or irrigation maintenance required, two years in a leadership role preferred.
• Job-relevant certification/license, vocational/technical program completion, or completion of apprenticeship required. College-level coursework that includes business, sport turf management, or a related field preferred.
• Additional job-related advanced degrees or certifications may be considered in lieu of experience.
• Journey-level experience in landscaping, tree maintenance or related trade required.
• Experience in interpreting and working from landscaping blueprints and/or specifications required.
• Certifications preferred, or ability to obtain within 180 days of employment required:
• Missouri Department of Agriculture Applicators license with Category 3 Ornamental and Turf Certification
• Certified Arborist credential
• Valid Class B CDL with airbrake endorsement
• Must possess or be able to obtain a First-Aid/CPR certification within one year of hire date.
• Valid drivers license is required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities  – May be representative, but not all-inclusive, of those knowledge, skills, and abilities commonly associated with this position.

• Thorough knowledge of the principles, practices, methods, tools, and materials used in the construction, maintenance, and repair of landscaped areas and urban forestry.
• Thorough knowledge of principles and practices of horticulture, landscape construction, turf management, landscape planning, and landscape/grounds maintenance.
• Thorough knowledge of most current industry’s irrigation system brands (Toro, Rain Bird, Hunter), including operation, programming, design, maintenance and seasonal adjustments.
• General knowledge of safety procedures and precautions associated with outdoor green industry services and in establishing safe working zones with respect to traffic control. 
• General knowledge of preventive maintenance associated with small equipment maintenance.
• General knowledge of personal computers, including word processing software, performing internet searches and downloading, importing and e-mailing photos and other documents.
• Ability to inspect plant materials and properly diagnose disease and pest infestations and recommend appropriate programs of treatment.
• Ability to safely and eiciently operate motorized equipment such as push and riding mowers, utility vehicles, golf carts, mechanical trenchers, backpack blowers, and sprayers. 
• Ability to read and understand site plan drawings, technical specification manuals and schematics, and provide ‘as built’ revisions to the approved plans as it pertains to underground irrigation systems and landscape improvements. 
• Ability to photo document projects proficiently to include downloading pictures to appropriate back-up or to share with interested parties.
• Ability to properly use hand tools such as hammers, wrenches, picks, shovels, spades, rakes, loppers, saws, or similar tools.
• Ability to communicate eectively and professionally with supervisors, co-workers, and customers by telephone, in writing, and in person.
• Ability to use good judgment and think rationally in diicult or stressful situations.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Ability to anticipate and complete tasks based on defined processes and timelines.
• Ability to eectively organize and prioritize routine, non-routine, and complex tasks to meet deadlines.
• Ability to concentrate on multiple tasks simultaneously and to follow through on processes from end-to-end.
• Ability to work independently under moderate supervision and make responsible decisions.
• Ability to proficiently use basic business software (word processing, spreadsheets, email, presentations) and basic oice equipment.
• Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions, and subsequently to complete required reports and maintenance records/logs.
• Ability to safety drive vehicles used to transport materials, tools, and equipment.
• Regular attendance is a necessary and essential job duty. Job requires being reliable, responsible and dependable.

Salary/Compensation: $31.46 - $32.36 per hour

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