Cemetery Caretaker Technician.

This position requires heavy physical effort and the ability to perform a variety of manual tasks in a cemetery setting.

Responsibilities

• Operate small tractors, riding lawn mowers, and other grounds maintenance equipment.
• Transplant shrubs, dig graves to proper levels, 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, and clean cemetery grounds using power trimmers, chainsaws, axes, shovels, rakes, blowers, and vacuums.
• Perform landscaping duties such as weeding, mulching, applying fertilizer, and pruning shrubs.
• Remove snow and ice, clean headstones using sprayers and hand brushes, and maintain service and administrative areas.
• Perform administrative functions, including greeting visitors, responding to requests, answering questions, and preparing interment-related paperwork.
• Meet with next-of-kin, oversee committal services, and enter data to generate interment records.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. citizen.
• Subject to a background/suitability investigation.
• May be required to undergo 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.
• A complete application package, including resume and transcripts, is required.
• Selected applicants must complete an online onboarding process and provide acceptable identification.
• Must possess and maintain a valid Real ID state driver’s license by May 7, 2025.
• Must serve a 1-year probationary period.

Qualifications

To qualify, applicants must demonstrate experience or potential in landscaping, grounds keeping, or related trades, including:

• Use of hand tools and power tools.
• Safe operation of machinery and equipment used in cemetery caretaking.

Screen-out element: Ability to perform the job without more than normal supervision.

Job elements evaluated include:

• Technical practices in grounds maintenance.
• Ability to interpret instructions, specifications, and directives.
• Use and maintenance of tools and equipment.
• Basic computer skills.
• Oral communication and writing abilities.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid work, including volunteer activities. Part-time experience will be credited based on hours worked.

Physical Requirements

• Requires heavy physical effort, including reaching, bending, and operating equipment controls in awkward positions.
• Frequent strain from vibration, jerking, and jolting of equipment over rough terrain.
• Must lift up to 50 lbs; occasionally more with assistance.
• Must walk on hilly, flat, or rolling terrain.
• Exposure to noise levels exceeding 85 dBA for up to eight hours per day.

Working Conditions

• Work is performed outdoors in all weather conditions, including extreme heat, cold, rain, snow, and wind.
• Exposure to sun, dirt, dust, fumes, mud, water, pesticides, insecticides, and fertilizers.
• Risk of injury from operating grounds maintenance equipment.
• Appropriate protective equipment will be provided.

Schedule

• Typically Monday through Friday, with occasional weekends required.
• Cannot close the cemetery for more than 2 consecutive days; may require working on Federal holidays or adjacent Saturdays.
• Mandatory work on Memorial Day each year.
• Overtime, weekends, and holidays may be required, including emergency call-backs.
• Compressed or flexible schedules are not available.

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).