Park Maintenance Specialist-Recreation & Parks,/Bureau of Parks/Park Operations

Howard County: Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community. Howard County Government: Position Summary/Class Description Howard County: Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community. Howard County Government: Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, sustainability, and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2025, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 83 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) – the highest number of annual NACo awards achieved in the history of the State of Maryland, and the highest number of awards out of any county in the State of Maryland which received a collective 136 awards. NACo is the leading organization representing county-level government operations. These awards recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policymaking. What are we looking for? We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations. What you’ll like most about working at Howard County Government: We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government. We have a highly talented, diverse, and inclusive workplace. Your input will not only be heard, but it will be encouraged! We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical, retirement, and wellness programs. As a member of the Howard County Government team, you’ll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work. POSITION SUMMARY/CLASS DESCRIPTION: Performs skilled grounds maintenance on County parks and facilities. Serves as crew leader on projects involving lower level workers. STARTING SALARY HIRING RANGE: $24.36 - $26.22 $50,668 - $54,546 * This is the anticipated starting salary range for this position. Please note that the final salary will be determined by the Office of Human Resources, commensurate with experience and aligned to ensure internal equity with similarly situated roles. CLASS DESCRIPTION: This is specialized park maintenance which typically involves skilled manual work at the crew leader level in the maintenance of park lands, government properties and related facilities and structures, however, some positions may be assigned to park security. Work involves operating equipment and vehicles and the use of a variety of tools and the application of regulated horticultural and landscaping practices. Work includes performing skilled grounds maintenance tasks and directing subordinate crew members or outside contractors as assigned by the supervisor. Operates dump trucks, tractors with attachments, small motor grader and other medium duty construction equipment in the completion of parks and grounds maintenance. Work is performed with general supervision from a technical superior. Assignments are stable in nature and are carried out in accordance with accepted laboring and equipment operation standards and applicable regulations. An employee in this class provides park security services or operates equipment and oversees others to accomplish an assigned part of park or grounds operations in grounds maintenance, sports field preparation, construction or park-site management. Work may include considerable public contact. This is a Classified position, meaning that it is a part of the Howard County Classified Service upon completion of a probationary period of at least six (6) months* This position has been designated as "essential personnel," meaning an employee is expected to report for regular work shift during inclement weather, emergency situations, County holidays and on an on-call basis.* Please note that this position falls within a collective bargaining unit and is represented by AFSCME Local 3085, Local 3888, or Local 1810.* Essential Duties And Responsibilities Park and Facility Maintenance: Performs grounds and turf maintenance, pavilion and picnic area cleaning, and repairs in assigned park regions. Performs trail construction and maintenance. Conducts minor plumbing, janitorial, painting, electrical, and carpentry work. Performs landscape and horticultural maintenance including pesticide application, trimming, edging, pruning, and mulching. Removes graffiti and repairs vandalism. Performs routine playground inspections and repairs. Performs specialized maintenance on unique park amenities (e.g., skills course, equestrian ring). Conducts routine inspection and maintenance of dams, including high-hazard dams depending on assignment location. Assists with sport field maintenance: aeration, seeding, fertilizing, grading, and sod installation. Equipment Operation And Preventative Maintenance: Uses hand tools and power tools including trimmers, chain saws, blowers, and snow blowers. Operates complex vehicles and equipment such as mowers, tractors, loaders, large trucks, aerators, graders, turf shapers, and other bureau vehicles. Performs preventative maintenance on tractors, mowers, skid loaders, and other equipment. Demonstrates equipment methods, techniques, and operations to crew members. Sets up mobile stage. Crew Leadership And Work Planning: Assigns work detail under the guidance of a supervisor. Directs crew in daily projects and ensures work meets quality and quantity standards. Plans daily activities and assigns appropriate tools and equipment. Maintains supplies and materials. Meets regularly with supervisor to determine work via written, verbal, or email communication. Serves on committees as assigned. Administrative And Recordkeeping Duties: Handles administrative paperwork including incident reports, police reports, timesheets, department requisitions, inspection forms, chemical application cards, and vandalism journal entries. Estimates supplies and materials for maintenance tasks and develops requisitions for supervisor approval. Maintains inventory of tools, supplies, materials, and chemicals. Responsible for identifying and applying sustainability practices in all operations. Public Interaction And Customer Service: Requires considerable public contact, including communication with tournament directors and staff, conflict resolution, and addressing disputes, questions, and comments. Communicates and coordinates with recreational staff, tournament personnel, and other county agencies. Assists recreational staff with program setup and teardown. Handles citizen complaints and inquiries. Emergency And Inclement Weather Response: Performs snow removal duties and assists during inclement weather conditions, including supporting Public Works as needed. This position is considered essential and will be required to work emergency situations to include staff the Department's operations center. Performs other related duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Serves as crew leader in charge of full-time park maintenance workers and contingent positions, overseeing personnel and directing the project from start to finish. Coordinates work site environment, safety issues, and ensures proper handling of materials. Answers staff questions on department policies and procedures. Makes recommendations on job performance. Minimum Required Education/Experience Any combination of education and experience equivalent to completion of the 12th grade plus two (2) years of experience in landscaping, park maintenance or a related field; or, completion of an Associate's degree program in horticulture or park/resource management plus experience requiring the use of hand tools and motor equipment; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, AND REGISTRATIONS: Possession of a Maryland Class ACDL License within one year of hire date. Obtain Maryland Professional Pesticide Applicator's Certificate within one year of hire date. CPR and First Aid Certification within one-year of hire date. PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: Associate's degree (A. A.) or equivalent from two-year college or technical school. PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. ... While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to handle and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to sit and reach with hands and arms. ... LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS, AND REASONING ABILITY: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals ...

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Howard County Government is not sponsoring employees in application of the H-1B Visa or providing an extension of an existing H-1B Visa. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Howard County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion. The County prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, ancestry, creed, national origin, disability status, genetics, marital status, military service, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources directly at View email address on click.appcast.io. Requests for accommodations should not be attached to the application. The following is a summary of the benefits available to Howard County employees who hold full-time benefit-eligible positions. Employees in positions covered by a bargaining agreement should consult their union contract for other specific benefits. Additional details are also available in the Employee Manual and in summary plan descriptions which are available in the Office of Human Resources or at FLEXIBLE BENEFITS PLAN: Under the County's flexible benefits plan called CountyFlex, employees may elect to enroll in medical insurance plans, dental insurance plans, optional life insurance, dependent life insurance, and healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts. Employee contributions to these benefits are made on a pre-tax basis. Information concerning enrollment options, plan rates and a benefits comparison chart are available in the Office of Human Resources. GROUP TERM LIFE INSURANCE: Employees receive a group term life insurance benefit equal to 2 times their annual salary at no cost. Accidental death and dismemberment coverage is included. The County pays the entire cost for this benefit. Employees may purchase additional coverage under the CountyFlex benefits plan. PAID LEAVE BENEFITS: Annual and Disability Leaves are accrued over 24 pay periods each year. Personal leave is credited on January 1st each year. Use of Annual, Disability and/or Personal Leave requires supervisory approval. ANNUAL LEAVE: During the first 5 years of employment, employees accrue the equivalent of 13 days per year. From years 6 through 10, the accrual is the equivalent of 16 days per year. From years 11 through 20, the accrual is the equivalent of 19 days per year. From year 21 on, the accrual is the equivalent of 21 days per year. Annual leave may not be used during the first 6 months of employment. A maximum of 40 days may be carried over from one fiscal year to the next. DISABILITY LEAVE: Employees accrue the equivalent of 1 day per month (12 days per year). There is no maximum accrual. This leave may be used for the disabling illness/injury of the employee, spouse or minor child or for a serious medical condition approved under F.M.L.A. Absences of over 3 days must be substantiated by a physician's certificate. PERSONAL LEAVE: Employees receive 6 personal leave days each calendar year to be taken during the calendar year. Employees hired after April 30th receive 4 days of personal leave that year; those hired after August 31st receive 2 days; and those hired after November 30th receive no personal leave for that year. Personal leave may not be carried over. HOLIDAYS: Employees are paid for the following holidays: New Year's Day; Martin Luther King Day; President's Day; Good Friday; Memorial Day; Juneteenth; Independence Day; Labor Day; Columbus Day; Veteran's Day; Thanksgiving Day; Friday after Thanksgiving Day; Christmas Day. OTHER PAID LEAVE: Other paid leave will be granted for approved jury duty, military leave, bereavement leave and official leave. Unpaid leave will be granted in accordance with the Family and Medical Leave Act. RETIREMENT: Howard County sponsors a defined benefit plan for its employees. participation in the plan is mandatory. Employees are required to make contributions to the plan, which are taken on a pre-tax basis. Contribution rates are dependent upon the plan in which the employee participates (general plan, or police and fire plan). The County contributes an additional percentage sufficient to ensure that each plan is adequately funded. Complete details are available in the summary plan descriptions which are available in the Office of Human Resources. Howard County Retirement Plan: Employees contribute 3% of salary to the plan. Sheriff Deputies hired after 7/1/2021 contribute 8.5% of salary to the plan. All eligible Corrections Employees must enroll in the Corrections Employees Enhanced Benefit and must contribute 8.5% of salary to the plan. Howard County Police and Fire Employees' Retirement Plan: Sworn police officers and career firefighters must participate in this plan. Police employees contribute 11.6% of salary and Fire employees contribute 7.7% of salary to the plan. SOCIAL SECURITY: Participation is mandatory. Employees contribute at the current established rate. 457(b) DEFERRED COMPENSATION PLAN: Employees are eligible to participate in an IRS 457(b) deferred compensation program. This plan allows employees to defer a portion of their income on a pre-tax basis. Contributions are invested at the employee's direction on a tax deferred basis. EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM: Employees experiencing problems that affect their personal lives and job performance may take advantage of confidential assessment and referral services. EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE: Employees may apply for reimbursement for tuition costs after completion of 6 months of employment. Prior course approval is required. The maximum annual reimbursement is $2500 contingent upon County funding. PAID PARENTAL LEAVE : Employees who have worked for the county for at least twelve (12) months are eligible for twelve (12) weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the qualifying birth of a child, or the placement of a child with an employee for adoption or foster care. Leave must be used within the 12 months following the birth or placement. LONG TERM DISABILITY BENEFITS: Employees who have completed 6 months of service are enrolled in the LTD plan. After 6 months of disability, plan may pay 60% of base monthly pay up to $2500 per month. The County pays the entire cost of this benefit. DISABILITY LEAVE BANK: Employees have established a Disability Leave Bank to which employees may donate disability leave in order to be eligible to receive salary and benefit protection when they are absent due to a serious disabling illness or injury and have exhausted all accrued leave. Employees are eligible to join the Bank after having completed 1 year of employment. Administration of the Bank, including the review and approval of claims for grants of time, is handled in accordance with the Bank's Rules and Regulations which are available in the Office of Human Resources. VOLUNTARY BENEFIT OPTIONS: Employees may elect to enroll in long term care insurance, critical illness insurance, short term disability income protection, and universal life insurance. CREDIT UNION: Employees may participate in the Tower Federal Credit Union through payroll deductions. Loans are also available to qualified applicants. #J-18808-Ljbffr Howard County Government