Caretaker Manager

Location: Amelia, Virginia (Virginia Veterans Cemetery) · Department: Dept of Veterans Services, Trades and Operations · Full‑Time Salaried · Closes: Nov 6 2026 · State Role: Trades Technician IV · Pay Band: 4 · Recruitment: General Public

About the role

Directly reports to the Virginia's Veterans Cemeteries Superintendent in Amelia. This hands‑on, working on‑site position is responsible for leading, supervising, and managing Cemetery Caretakers (Senior/Team Leads) and Maintenance Technician; maintains all operational ground equipment and all operational aspects of the cemetery in Amelia. Complies with the cemeteries standard operating procedures (SOPs) and the cemeteries operational policies. This position is a member of the Virginia Veterans Cemeteries Management Team, responsible for the safe operation of the cemetery grounds and burial processes in coordination with the Cemeteries Director, Cemetery Superintendent and Cemetery Administration Manager.

Responsibilities

• Verify each grave, cremation, and memorial site prior to opening; verify placement of temporary memorial markers and document completion.
• Train staff in the proper use of section maps to locate, verify, and open/close grave and cremation sites and to place memorials as directed in SOPs.
• Supervise direct subordinates to safely perform all daily tasks while maintaining operational tempo, utilizing all cemetery light and heavy equipment.
• Perform additional duties as assigned by the Cemetery Superintendent or Cemeteries Director concerning the veterans' cemetery.

Qualifications

• Basic knowledge of all daily cemetery grounds operations, including burials and grounds maintenance.
• Capable and experienced in supervising two to six grounds employees at a medium‑size cemetery (400–700 annual burials).
• Versed in all aspects of daily cemetery operations: grave/cremation site location, grounds/tree and bush bed maintenance.
• Working knowledge of irrigation and sprinkler systems, including basic computer programming, sprinkler head and line repair/replacement, seasonal startup/shutdown, and winterization (blowing out lines).
• Understanding of concrete slab work for benches: mixing, pouring, and finish smoothing.
• Understanding of gasoline and diesel equipment preventive maintenance; enforce pre‑use equipment checks; perform and document all general repairs to cemetery heavy equipment (on‑site or off‑site).
• Fully functional operating all cemetery grounds equipment.
• Ability to train all subordinate personnel; personally create and maintain training documentation for cemetery caretakers.
• Knowledge of building maintenance and ability to oversee minor repairs.
• Basic understanding of OSHA equipment requirements; able to lift/maneuver a 220‑pound grave marker with assistance of one other person.
• Coordinate and supervise snow and ice removal.
• Retain qualifications as lead heavy‑equipment operator, trainer, and equipment qualifier on all full‑size and medium‑size backhoes, tractors, dirt haulers, etc.; must operate equipment hands‑on (digging grave sites) a minimum of one busy burial day per week.

Additional considerations

• Prepare for the 2026 NCA audit.
• Equipment repair and irrigation repair duties.
• Participate in and complete LEADERSHIP, IT, and HR classes.
• Travel to other veteran cemeteries to gather improvement ideas for Amelia operations.
• May be required to perform duties outside