Groundskeeper II

Join the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) and be part of a team committed to creating a positive impact in the lives of fellow Texans. At HHSC, your contributions matter, and we support you at each stage of your life and work journey. Our comprehensive benefits package includes 100% paid employee health insurance for full-time eligible employees, a defined benefit pension plan, generous time off benefits, numerous opportunities for career advancement and more.

About the Role

Come work in an environment where we truly value and respect those we serve and believe in the mission that all people can achieve a higher level of wellness and independence. The state supported living centers serve people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who are medically fragile or who have behavioral problems. The centers provide campus-based direct services and supports at 13 centers located throughout the state.

If you are looking for a place to work where you can establish a career that is filled with purpose, this is the job for you! The Groundskeeper performs complex groundskeeping work at a State Supported Living Center or State Hospital. Maintains and improves the appearance of grounds and flower beds for the facility, including mowing, weeding, fertilizing, and ensuring the effective operations of sprinkler systems. As needed, works some weekend and/or after-hours callouts, to respond to situations impacting safe facility operations. Works under limited supervision with moderate latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

Responsibilities

• Performs routine groundskeeping duties at the facility including mowing, trimming, fertilizing, removing and planting trees and shrubs, and plants new flowerbeds.
• Maintains cemetery grounds, sets head stones, excavates graves for funerals, and sets up casket devices and tents (if the SSLC has a cemetery).
• Mixes and sprays pesticides and herbicides. Treats for insects around buildings.
• Performs litter control/trash pick-up. Moves dumpsters for commercial company trash pick-up.
• Uses gas- and power-operated tools to complete work safely and efficiently. Properly cleans and stores tools and other equipment after each use.
• Performs minor repairs and preventative maintenance on tools as needed and reports major issues to the supervisor. Completes tool inventory as required.
• Follows the daily, weekly, and monthly scheduling of work in the grounds section/department. Works as a team member with other groundskeepers.
• Safely operates tractors with implements such as front-end loaders and backhoes for digging out tree stumps, cleaning up debris, moving large amounts of gravel, sand, mulch, and other landscaping materials.
• Ensures roads, parking lots, and sidewalks are safe and free from debris.
• Works beyond normal duty hours during inclement weather to remove ice/snow from sidewalks, roadways, clear debris from catch basins during heavy rain, and other related duties.
• Safely and humanely traps and removes live animals, disposes appropriately of dead animals, and takes proactive measures to abate future issues.
• Performs general maintenance, repairs, and construction work for the facility in collaboration with maintenance staff commensurate with skills and abilities.
• Drives trucks (non-Commercial Driver License) as needed to haul materials and transport items around the facility such as furniture, wheelchairs, and beds.
• Attends work on a regular basis and may be required to work a specific shift schedule, extended shifts, and/or overtime in accordance with agency leave policy.
• May serve in an on-call status on a rotating schedule as required to meet operational needs of the facility.
• Performs other duties as assigned to ensure the overall safe operations of the facility, including disaster response and/or recovery or Continuity of Operations (COOP) activation.

Requirements

• Experience in groundskeeping work.
• Graduation from a standard senior high school or equivalent is generally preferred. Experience and education may be substituted for one another on a year-for-year basis.
• Experience operating power equipment such as mowers, power clippers, tractors, chain saws, backhoes, or pruning shears.
• Prefer six (6) months of work experience in professional groundskeeping.
• Must possess a valid Texas driver’s license or obtain it no later than 90 days after hire date. Applicants with an out-of-state driver’s license must provide an original certified driving record from the state of driving licensure.
• Must pass a fingerprint criminal background check, pre-employment drug screen, and registry checks including the Client Abuse/Neglect Reporting System (CANRS), Nurse Aide, Medication Aide, and Employee Misconduct and HHS List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE).
• Males between the ages of 18 – 25 must be registered with the Selective Service.
• All State Supported Living Center employees are subject to random drug testing.
• Must be at least 18 years of age to be considered for employment at a state-operated facility.

Skills

• Knowledge, skills, and ability to safely fell and remove large trees in and around buildings and other infrastructures.
• Knowledge, skill, and ability associated with minimizing the presence of nuisance animals such as rodents, snakes, and feral cats.
• Skill in safely operating power equipment such as mowers, power clippers, tractors, backhoes, and a variety of hand and power tools used in construction/repair.
• Ability to meet facility driver requirements.
• Ability to speak and read English is preferred.
• Ability to read, understand, and apply a variety of inter-related instructions such as those found in guidelines, regulations, and policies.
• Ability to perform basic mathematical computations.
• Ability to communicate effectively.
• Ability to follow written and oral instructions.
• Ability to train and lead others.
• Ability to stand/walk for extended periods of time.
• Ability to work in hot and/or cold conditions.
• Ability to work harmoniously and productively with co-workers and residents.
• Ability to lift and carry 50 to 100 lbs.
• Ability to withstand long periods of standing, bending, and walking.
• Ability to maintain and care for hand and power tools and equipment.
• Ability to learn to detect diseases in plants and grasses.
• Ability to learn basic knowledge of horticulture and apply that to job duties.

Qualifications

• Chemical application (herbicide) license is preferred.
• Pesticide license is preferred.

Pay

Salary Range: $2,769.08 - $3,547.58 per month

Schedule

• Full-time
• Day shift (First)
• Flexibility in work hours may be required, including overtime and/or extended hours.
• Must be willing to work weekends and holidays.
• May be required to work beyond normal duty hours during inclement weather.

Benefits

• 100% paid employee health insurance for full-time eligible employees.
• Defined benefit pension plan.
• Generous time off benefits.
• Numerous opportunities for career advancement.