Cemetery Caretaker.

Duties

• Operating small tractors and riding lawn mowers
• Transplanting shrubs
• Digging graves to the proper level; cutting and removing sod, tamping and leveling dirt using hand and power tools
• Digging and squaring graves using pneumatic equipment, picks and shovels
• Assisting in lifting and placing caskets on lowering devices
• Loading and unloading materials
• Aligning headstones
• Cleaning and clearing cemetery grounds of debris using power trimmers, chainsaws, axes, shovels, rakes, blowers, vacuums, etc.
• Weeding, mulching, and applying fertilizer
• Pruning shrubs and low level dead branches
• Removing snow and ice
• Cleaning headstones using sprayer and hand brush
• Cleaning service and administrative areas

Schedule

• May be required to work Monday through Friday to include occasional weekends
• Due to mission requirements, the cemetery cannot be closed for more than 2 consecutive days at any given time
• When a Federal holiday falls on a Monday or Friday, staff may be required to work on that holiday or a Saturday
• All staff are required to work Memorial Day each year
• Overtime, weekends, and holidays required when necessary to meet cemetery needs
• Occasional call-back for emergency overtime work
• Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Available

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship
• Subject to background/suitability investigation
• Designated and/or random drug testing may be required
• Pass a pre-employment medical examination
• Selective Service Registration required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Valid state driver's license (must be maintained)
• Complete application package including Resume, Transcripts, etc.
• Complete online onboarding process
• Acceptable form(s) of identification required for pre-employment (REAL ID compliant)
• 1-year probationary period

Qualifications

Your background must demonstrate work involved in landscaping, grounds keeping, or other related trades experience that includes the use of hand tools and/or power tools, and the safe operation of related machinery and equipment used in cemetery caretaking practices, as described in the duties section.

Experience: Candidates must demonstrate the potential to perform the duties involved in landscaping, groundskeeping, or related trades, including the use of hand tools, power tools, and the safe operation of machinery and equipment used in cemetery caretaking practices. Evidence of this potential can be shown through work, training, or relevant activities that indicate the potential to perform these duties effectively. Both paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps), is creditable. A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours per week; part-time experience is credited on the basis of time actually spent.

Screen-Out Element: Ability to do the job without more than normal supervision.

Job Elements: Technical Practices; Interpret Instructions, Specifications (includes blueprint reading); Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment; Dexterity and Safety; Without more than normal supervision.

Physical Requirements

• Heavy physical effort with reaching, bending, turning, and moving hands, arms, feet and legs to operate equipment controls
• Strain from vibration, jerking, and jolting of equipment over rough surfaces
• Heavy effort when tamping, carrying caskets/urns, lifting/moving grave planks, setting headstones, etc.
• Must be able to walk on hilly, flat, or rolling terrain
• Lift weights up to 50 lbs; occasionally items over 50 lbs lifted with assistance
• Exposure to noise levels exceeding 85 dBA for up to eight hours per day

Working Conditions

• Work performed outdoors in all types of weather (sun, extreme heat, humidity, cold, snow, rain, wind)
• Exposure to dirt, dust, fumes (from motor and exhaust), mud, and water
• Work in areas where pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers are applied (protective equipment worn)
• Risk of injury from grounds maintenance equipment operation

Position Details: Title/PD#: Cemetery Caretaker/PD136120. Full performance level: WG-06. Relocation Expenses: Not Authorized. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Financial Disclosure Report: Not Required.