Parks Worker (Full-time) (Medford, Oregon)

Do you enjoy working outside, using your skills in landscaping, irrigation, and equipment operation? The City of Medford is hiring a full-time Parks Worker to help care for and maintain our parks, playgrounds, and open spaces. In this role, you’ll operate a variety of equipment to keep landscapes healthy and safe, support recreation programs and events, and take pride in creating spaces the community can enjoy year-round. We’re looking for candidates with experience in landscaping, irrigation, and equipment operation who thrive in a team environment and value high standards of work. If you’re ready for a hands-on role with great benefits and the opportunity to keep Medford’s parks beautiful, we’d love to see your application. Go to Medfordoregon.gov to apply for this position! Required Education and Experience: *Graduation from high school or GED equivalent; and *Must be 18 years of age; and *Two (2) years of parks or grounds maintenance experience. Preferred Qualifications: *Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) *Forklift, flagger, and/or traffic control certifications *Master Gardener certification *Certified Arborist (ISA) *Playground Safety Inspector certification (CPSI) Available Schedules: *Monday - Friday, 6:30 AM - 4:00 PM *Opportunity for alternate schedule after the first 90-days: *9-80 (nine-hour workdays with a three-day weekend every other week) Compensation & Information on Benefits: This position is part of the AFSCME employee group. The anticipated hiring range for the Parks Worker position is $22.33 (first step) to $23.45 or $24.62 (second or third step). The City of Medford determines starting pay based on an evaluation of relevant education, experience, and qualifications as provided by the applicant in their application materials, alongside others who perform work of comparable character consistent with the Oregon Equal Pay Act. Six steps are included in this salary range, allowing opportunity for annual movement through the steps. Healthcare Benefits: *Medical, vision and dental benefits for employee and family, paid at 100% by the City with the opportunity to buy-up to a lower deductible plan *Life and Accidental Death and Dismemberment insurance – policy value of $50,000 paid by the City *Long-term disability insurance provided by the City *Health Reimbursement Account (HRA-VEBA) contributions provided by the City Retirement Benefits: *Oregon Public Employee Retirement System (PERS) lifetime pension after retirement at no cost to employee *PERS is 100% fully paid as the City pays both the employer and the employee’s (6%) contributions *Deferred Compensation retirement plan (Section 457 Plan) for employee's retirement planning Additional Benefits: *Paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays *Employee Assistance Program (EAP) *The City’s Wellness Program promotes physical, social, emotional, intellectual, financial and environmental wellness with various goals and challenges to participate in throughout the year. Employees may qualify for wellness incentives by completing milestones set within the program up to $200 annually *Access to the City's fully equipped fitness center 24/7 *A well-equipped gym featuring weightlifting benches, dumbbells, cardio machines, and a motivational wall mural. Examples of Job Duties: *Essential Functions of the Position: *Performs general clean up, facility maintenance, landscape maintenance and irrigation of City grounds and beautification areas. *Grooms City grounds by mowing, trimming and edging turf and applying fertilizers and herbicides. *Maintains City grounds: planting beds, walkways, special use areas, etc. by pruning, mowing, blowing, spraying, fertilizing, trimming and edging of City landscapes and turf areas. *Drives City vehicle to various parks and other work locations. *Operates a variety of equipment to include mowers, tractors, large dump bed trucks, front end loaders, backhoes, skid steers, turf care equipment, spray equipment, etc. *Performs weed abatement activities utilizing Integrated Pest Management Strategies. *Irrigates grounds as necessary; monitors irrigation systems and performs basic repairs to damaged or malfunctioning sprinklers. *Cares for plants through watering, weeding, and trimming. *Inspects Park playground equipment as directed; removes possible hazards to ensure safety. *Adheres to safety practices and standards when performing all duties. *Performs preventative maintenance of equipment such as fluid checks, mower blade sharpening, tire filling and patching, cleaning, etc. *Scope of assigned area will depend on departmental and/or citywide operational structure and is at the discretion of the Supervisor. Go to Medfordoregon.gov to apply for this position!