Maintenance Technician Groundskeeper

This position is responsible for completing maintenance of the grounds and ensuring an attractive and safe grounds area/s for the students, faculty, staff, and the public. This position is responsible for upkeeping lawns, trees, shrubs, flowerbeds, athletic fields, and other landscaping elements of Saint Martin's Abbey and Saint Martin's University. The work in this position involves the use of large and small equipment, including tractors, mowers, loaders, trenchers, chainsaws, weed-eaters and other maintenance equipment. This position performs routine to semi-skilled grounds construction and maintenance work. Irrigation experience is a plus.

Ranked by Niche as the second (#2) most diverse private college in Washington State in 2020, Saint Martin's is extremely proud of our student diversity. Our university treasures persons of all abilities, ages, ethnicities, genders, nationalities, orientations, races, and religions. In particular, we know that students educated in an ethnically diverse setting perform better academically and reap greater professional success than their peers from more homogeneous learning environments. We proudly celebrate that our student population is 51% undergraduate and 32% graduate students of color. We are committed to pursuing an employee community that reflects a similar, if not the same percentage.

Therefore, we intentionally encourage and request that members of historically underrepresented groups apply to join this community. All of us, from all backgrounds, are making a commitment to do and be better for our students, faculty and staff.

Established in 1895, Saint Martin's University serves as the educational mission of Saint Martin's Abbey. The Abbey is a Catholic Benedictine monastery, whose members pray, work, and live together on the University campus.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES

Essential Functions & Responsibilities - Essential functions, as defined under the Americans with Disabilities Act, may include any of the following representative duties, knowledge, and skills. This list is ILLUSTRATIVE ONLY, and is not a comprehensive listing of all functions and duties performed by incumbents of this position. Employees are required to be in attendance and prepared to begin work at their assigned work location on the specified days and hours. Factors such as regular attendance at the job are not routinely listed in job descriptions, but are an essential function. Essential duties and responsibilities may include, but are not limited to, the following.

Groundskeeper

• Cut lawns, using power mower. Trim and edge around walks, flower beds, and walls, using clippers, weed cutters, and edging tools. Prune shrubs and trees to shape and to improve growth or remove damaged leaves, branches, or twigs, using shears, pruners, or chain saw. Clean equipment using appropriate materials.
• Plant grass, flowers, trees, and shrubs, using shovels and hose or sprinkler system.
• Rake and bag leaves. Clean grounds and removes litter. Clean equipment using appropriate materials.
• Spray lawn, shrubs and trees with fertilizer, herbicide, and insecticide using sprayer.
• Drive our grounds truck and load fallen limbs and roadside trash onto truck, and deliver refuse to landfill.
• Return all equipment to the designated location at the maintenance facility at the end of each shift and clean the maintenance areas.
• Provide a record of grounds and landscape watering and chemical spraying by keeping daily logs of areas watered and duration of watering and the application of chemicals, including areas sprayed, amount and type of chemicals used, substances sprayed and reason, and the wind speed and direction at time of spraying.

Grounds Maintenance

• Operate snow removal equipment to maintain streets, sidewalks, and driveways. Spread salt on public passage ways to prevent ice buildup.
• Clean out drainage ditches and culverts using shovel and rake. Perform ground maintenance duties, using tractor equipped with attachments, such as movers, lime or fertilizer spreaders, lawn roller, and snow removal equipment.
• Remove unsightly trash and debris from public areas by regularly inspecting grounds, drains, manhole covers, etc., for debris; raking, sweeping and bagging leaves, debris, dirt and trash from streets, sidewalks, parking lots, tunnels, and transporting the trash to designated central collection points on a daily basis. Reduce the likelihood for the spread of diseases and unsightly appearance of trash containers in outdoor public areas by emptying, cleaning and disinfecting trash and cigarette receptacles on a regular basis, and removing, repairing and installing trash and cigarette receptacles on University property on an as needed basis.
• Sharpen tools, such as weed cutters, edging tools, and shears, using sharpener. Make minor repairs on equipment, such as lawn mowers, spreaders, and snow removal equipment, using hand tools and power tools. Replace worn or damaged parts, such as hoses, wiring, and belts in machines and equipment, such as vehicles, riding mowers, etc.

Other duties

• Report observed maintenance needs to lead/senior groundskeepers and/or director, facilities management. Make log entries as required in preventative maintenance logs.
• May assist in the repair of streets and sidewalks with asphalt, cold patching materials, and concrete, using shovel, hand roller, trowel, level, and long-handled tamp.
• May assist in helping the maintenance staff for repairs and moving equipment on campus.
• May operate machinery to dig trenches for water and sewer pipe.
• May set up or remove folding tables, chairs, barricades, traffic cones or similar objects.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

COMPETENCIES

• Ability to read and understand basic operating and maintenance manuals, simple instructions and short memos.
• Ability to keep and maintain accurate written records and time sheets.
• Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to members of the campus community and the general public.
• Operate power driven machinery and hand tools in a safe manner. Demonstrate safe, efficient mechanical operation of tractors and other motorized equipment.
• Knowledge of fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides used in grounds care and gardening. Demonstrate knowledge of horticulture to ensure the successful growth of plants, trees and shrubbery.
• Knowledge of methods and materials used in construction/maintenance work.
• Knowledge of the principles of operation of diesel and gasoline engines.
• Mechanical aptitude; knowledge of maintenance tools.
• Maintain awareness of proper safety precautions at all times.
• Constantly observe condition of property and immediately reports and/or initiates action to correct unsafe conditions. Maintains safety of self, personal protective equipment and clothing at all times.
• Positively motivate student workers.
• Communicate effectively with staff, faculty, students and management with the ability to work well with other people of diverse background.
• Demonstrated commitment to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working and learning environment
• Supports and enhances a sense of belonging and success of students from traditionally marginalized populations.
• Demonstrate multicultural knowledge, awareness, and skills needed to identify equity, inclusion and social justice issues related to employees and students from diverse populations, including people of color, diverse socioeconomic backgrounds, first generation students, special needs, and other from historically marginalized identities.
• Must be able to work well in a stressful environment with little or no supervision.
• Must be supportive of a Catholic, Benedictine philosophy of education.

REQUIREMENTS AND/OR CONDITIONS OF EMPLOYMENT

• High school diploma or GED.
• Two years prior experience in lawn care and landscaping. Grounds maintenance training, horticultural and arborist training preferred. Irrigation experience is a plus
• Pesticide handler training preferred. Must obtain WADA Pesticide Applicators License within twelve (12) months of employment.
• Possession of a valid standard Driver's License with no major violations. An CDL is a plus.
• Successfully pass a criminal background check.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORKING ENVIRONMENT

Work is performed outdoors. Physical demands include:

• Physical strength, stamina and agility.
• Ability to follow oral and written directions.
• Works with cleaning fluids, chemicals, pesticides, and insecticides, paints, cleaning agents or similar solutions using only normal protective equipment.
• Coordinates the movement of more than one limb simultaneously (Example: operating the clutch and accelerator on a car).
• Moves debris, dirt or other material from one place to another using a shovel, spade or other tool.
• Operates power driven machinery such as a lawn mower, vacuum sweeper, buffer or other similarly sized equipment.
• Must wear appropriate safety gear/apparel as directed and abide by the University, state (WISHA), federal (OSHA) safety policies and procedures.
• Moves objects (50-75 pounds) long distances (more than 20 feet).
• Ability to be mobile campus-wide for appropriate business needs.
• Operates a variety of standard office equipment requiring continuous or repetitive arm-hand movements.
• Reading, writing, speaking, hearing, standing, bending, sitting.
• Lifts arm above shoulder level (Examples: painting, stocking shelves, or working on the underside of vehicles).
• Bends or stoops repeatedly or continually over time (Example: reading a water meter).
• Walks over rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces.
• Works in a variety of weather conditions with exposure to the elements.