Lead Horticulture Technician

Description

The Lead Horticulture Technician is responsible for maintaining the landscape of their assigned area. The Lead Horticulture Technician must work hours appropriate to meet the needs of the Zoo. This may require weekend, holiday, and early or late shift start times.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Support and oversee day-to-day tasks of assigned horticulture team members
• Prune and weed landscaped areas
• Maintain irrigation systems and ensure they are working properly
• Hand water all plantings that are not established
• Install plants when necessary
• Assist other departments and staff when requested
• Complete assigned tasks in an orderly and efficient manner
• Further horticulture knowledge during tenure at the Zoo
• Spray herbicide in areas that need attention
• Over seed any and all exhibits in assigned area
• Ensure overall health and quality of plants in assigned area, relaying all issues to the Horticulture Manager
• Assist keepers with exhibit maintenance when exhibit falls in your assigned area
• Notice and remove broken/dead tree limbs in assigned area, relaying unreachable branches to the Horticulture Manager
• Relay any and all work requests to the Horticulture Manager
• Assist the Horticulture Manager with turning the compost pile with a skid steer
• Repair broken not functioning irrigation heads and lines
• Keep all necessary equipment clean and in proper working order
• Learn to operate heavy equipment to assist the Horticulture Manager when necessary
• Design/learn to design annual beds in assigned areas
• Mentor new staff when Horticulture Manager is unavailable
• Relay any issues at the park to the Horticulture Manager when he is absent

Skills

• Ability to work with little or no supervision
• Ability and motivation to learn the plants on grounds and their proper care
• Ability to help guide new employees through daily tasks
• Ability to interact professionally with both staff and visitors
• Ability to perform assigned tasks in an organized and efficient manner
• Ability to professionally and safely use small, medium and heavy equipment and tools required for the execution of assigned tasks
• Ability to identify issues in assigned area and work to find an efficient expedient solution

Physical Responsibilities

Staff must frequently stand and walk for most of an 8–10-hour shift and regularly bend, kneel, reach, climb, and perform repetitive motions while cleaning, maintaining grounds, or performing facilities repairs. These roles require frequently lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling up to 50 lbs and occasionally heavier items with assistance, as well as safely navigating ladders, stairs, uneven surfaces, and wet or slippery areas. Adequate vision, hearing, hand dexterity, and clear communication are necessary to operate tools, equipment, vehicles, and radios safely. Work occurs both indoors and outdoors year-round in all weather conditions, with routine exposure to dust, dirt, chemicals, cleaning agents, noise, and equipment vibration. Positions may involve using power tools, machinery, or motorized vehicles and require adherence to established safety procedures. PPE such as gloves, protective footwear, eye and hearing protection, or respirators may be required depending on the task. Schedules may include early mornings, evenings, weekends, holidays, and occasional overtime based on operational needs. The role must learn new tasks, remember processes, maintain focus, complete task independently, and make timely decisions in the context of a workflow.

Reasonable Accommodations

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Education

A minimum high school diploma or GED equivalent is required. A background in landscaping or grounds maintenance is preferred. A valid drivers license is required.

Pre-employment requirements

• All candidates are required to successfully complete a criminal background check and drug screening prior to hire.
• Pre-employment and annual tuberculosis (TB) screenings are a condition of continued employment.

Pay Range

$22.29 - $22.29 USD