Position Summary
As a Maintenance Crew Member, the primary responsibility is to ensure the aesthetic and functional upkeep of outdoor spaces. You will play a crucial role in maintaining and enhancing the visual appeal of commercial and multi-family properties by performing various gardening and landscaping tasks.
Structure
Full-time, non-exempt. Reports to Maintenance Crew Leader.
Functional Roles and Responsibilities
Routine Maintenance:
- Perform regular maintenance tasks such as weeding, pruning, hedging, dead heading (flowering plants, annual color), and trimming to ensure the health and appearance of plants.
- Mow lawns, line trim edges, and maintain a neat and tidy appearance.
- Observation/Identification of irrigation issues:
- Minor repairs as needed (nozzles, risers)
Plant Care and Identification
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As needed, plant, transplant, and detail flowers, shrubs, trees, and other plants according to seasonal and aesthetic requirements.
- o Includes ongoing detail of dead or dying leaves, flowers, damage, or other unsightly conditions.
- Monitor and assess the health of plants – implement fertilization, watering, and pest control as needed.
- Ability to identify the major plant species used in the commercial and multi-family landscape industry in California.
- Ability to understand growth patterns and general maintenance practices for the major plant species used in the commercial and multi-family landscape industry in California.
- Operate and maintain landscaping equipment and tools including the following: Hand Pruners, Loppers,Hedge Shears, Grinders (sharpening), Vacuum (Billy Goat), Lawn Mowers – walk behind, stand on, ride on, electric, etc., Blowers, Hedge Trimmer, Line Trimmers, Stick Edgers, Fertilizer Spreaders, Pole Pruners, Lawn De-Thatchers, Aerators, Overseeder, Chainsaws, Backpack Sprayers.
- Achieve certifications for maintenance and operation of all listed equipment.
- Understand and follow proper loading, unloading, and securing of equipment (for transportation).
- Ensure that all tools and equipment are in good working condition and report any issues promptly.
Hardscape Maintenance
- Maintain pathways, sidewalks, fences, parking lots (if included in contract).
- Report any damage to hardscape elements to ensure the overall integrity of the outdoor environment.
Product Application
- Ability to understand and demonstrate proper application practices/techniques for various products used to control weeds, insects, fungus, and other undesirable elements within the landscape.
- Ability to understand which product to use, why it’s being used, and when it should be used.
- Ability to understand the mix rate, proper application techniques, and product specific parameters including, but not limited to, time of year restrictions, weather restrictions, impacts on surrounding landscapes, re-entry intervals, additional application intervals, and more.
Seasonal Tasks
- Prepare and implement seasonal strategies for planting, pruning, and maintenance.
- Hard pruning of woody shrubs and grasses
- Structural pruning of shrubs and young trees
- Pre-emergent herbicides to control weed growth in planters, lawns, and paver
- Use of PGRs to control plant growth
- Insecticide applications to control aphids, grubs, thrips, and other problematic insects
- Monitoring and cleaning of landscape drains to prepare for inclement weather
- Fertilization of plants, lawns, and trees
- Specialty fertilizers for citrus, annual color, or other
- Aeration or de-thatching of lawns
General Quality Control
- Identification of basic pest issues including, but not limited to – Aphids, grubs, thrips, powdery mildew, spider mites, white fly, racoon/skunk/pig, squirrel, ground squirrel, gopher, mole.
- o Understanding how to properly select a treatment plan to address the issue.
- Identification of over-watering or under-watering situations.
- o Understanding how to assess and report in order to ensure proper action is taken.
- Identification of common weeds found in commercial landscapes – Bermuda grass, Kikuyu grass, Crab grass, Dallas grass, Clover, Dandelion, Nut Sedge, Poa.
- Use of alternating mowing patterns for aesthetic purposes and to eliminate rutting.
Safety
- Understanding of work hazards and applicable safety precautions associated with their assigned work area.
- Follows company policies and procedures.
- Have no accidents due to not following the company safety rules.
- Ability to understand and follow oral instructions.
- Assist driver/crew leader with parking or maneuvering in tight spaces – job sites, company yard, etc.
- Arriving to the yard on-time for scheduled shift to assist crew leaders with loading trucks and trailer with materials and equipment for the day.
- Attending weekly training meetings
- Demonstrate comprehension of weekly safety topics through written certifications.
- Maintaining a clean jobsite.
Client Relations
- Know who the client is.
- Know where the client parks their car.
- Be aware of walkways they use to access their office.
- Always be courteous.
- Always wear a clean uniform.
- Know what to do if a client, tenant, or member of the general public is walking by you, approaching you, or asks you a question.
Administration and Paperwork
- Ability to use QuickBooks Workforce (or other time keeping app).
- Ability to properly fill out manual timecard form when necessary.
- Ability to properly fill out and sign all payroll forms.
- Ability to properly fill out and sign weekly training forms.
Physical Requirements
The physical demands described here 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 the job, the employee is required to:
- Physically perform the basic life operational functions of climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, and repetitive motions.
- Perform medium work exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 20 pounds of force frequently, and/up to 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects.
- Possess the visual acuity to operate equipment and motor vehicles, perform trades tasks, inspect the work of others, and review work for accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness.
Qualifications
- Prefer 1-2 years’ experience, but willing to train candidates with a good attitude and strong work ethic.
- Ability to follow company procedures and safety protocols.
- Ability to receive instruction in English/Spanish.
- Must show up for work at start of shift – if that’s not possible, communicate with a direct supervisor before the start of the scheduled shift.