Cemetery Caretaker.

This position is a full-performance level role at WG-06.

About the role

The Cemetery Caretaker performs jobs requiring mainly manual skills and physical strength, focusing on grounds maintenance and cemetery operations.

Responsibilities

• Operate small tractors and riding lawn mowers
• Transplant shrubs and dig graves to the proper level
• Cut and remove sod, tamp and level dirt using hand and power tools
• Dig and square graves using pneumatic equipment, picks, and shovels
• Assist in lifting and placing caskets on lowering devices
• Load and unload materials
• Align headstones
• Clean and clear cemetery grounds of debris using power trimmers, chainsaws, axes, shovels, rakes, blowers, and vacuums
• Weed, mulch, and apply fertilizer
• Prune shrubs and low-level dead branches
• Remove snow and ice
• Clean headstones using sprayers and hand brushes
• Clean service and administrative areas

Schedule

• Work schedule is Monday through Friday, with occasional weekends required
• Cemetery cannot close for more than 2 consecutive days, so staff may be required to work on Federal holidays that fall on a Monday or Friday, or on a Saturday
• All staff must work Memorial Day each year
• Overtime, weekends, and holidays may be required to meet cemetery needs
• Occasional emergency overtime may require being called back to the facility
• Compressed or flexible schedules are not available

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. citizen
• Subject to a background and suitability investigation
• May be subject to designated and/or random drug testing
• Must pass a pre-employment medical examination
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Must possess and maintain a valid state driver’s license
• Must serve a 1-year probationary period
• Acceptable forms of identification will be required for pre-employment (e.g., REAL ID-compliant driver’s license or state-issued ID effective May 7, 2025)

Qualifications

To qualify, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement (08/11/2026).

• Background must demonstrate work in landscaping, grounds keeping, or related trades, including use of hand tools, power tools, and safe operation of machinery used in cemetery caretaking
• Experience may include paid, unpaid, or volunteer work (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps)
• A full year of work is considered 35–40 hours per week; part-time experience is credited based on actual hours worked

Screen-out Element

• Ability to do the job without more than normal supervision

Job Elements

• Dexterity and Safety
• Interpret Instructions and Specifications (includes blueprint reading)
• Technical Practices
• Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment

Physical Requirements

• Requires heavy physical effort, including reaching, bending, turning, and moving hands, arms, feet, and legs to operate equipment controls
• Subject to strain from vibration, jerking, and jolting of equipment over rough surfaces
• Frequent heavy lifting, such as tamping, carrying caskets/urns, lifting/moving grave planks, and setting headstones
• Must be able to lift up to 50 lbs; occasionally lift more than 50 lbs with assistance
• Must be able to walk on hilly, flat, or rolling terrain
• May be exposed to noise levels exceeding 85 dBA for up to 8 hours per day, which may affect hearing

Working Conditions

• Work is performed outdoors in all weather conditions, including sun, extreme heat, humidity, cold, snow, rain, and wind
• Exposure to dirt, dust, fumes (from motors and exhaust), mud, and water
• Work in areas where pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers are applied; appropriate protective equipment will be worn
• Risk of injury from operating grounds maintenance equipment

Benefits

As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a comprehensive benefits package. Eligibility depends on the type of position held (full-time, part-time, or intermittent). Contact the hiring agency for more information on specific benefits offered.