Are you passionate about working outdoors and contributing to the upkeep of park trails and open spaces? The City of Bellingham Parks Department is hiring a Park Technician for Grounds to help maintain and enhance our beautiful green spaces!

Performs a variety of skilled technical duties and physical labor associated with maintenance, improvements and construction of Park grounds including trails, trail structures and features and irrigation and drainage systems, and other public facilities. Maintains records as required by City policy, state and local laws. Assists Park Specialist and works collaboratively with other teams within the Parks Operations division and staff from other City departments to meet program goals and objectives. This position may be assigned to work in any Grounds program area within the Parks Operations Grounds division, including Turf/Irrigation, Horticulture, and Trails. Provides Specialist with input on designs and how to best implement plans. Operates independently using experience and good judgement to carry out work plans and tasks to meet goals within established parameters. The specific duties, equipment and tools will vary depending on which of the program areas the Technician is assigned. 

Salary Information and Benefits:

This position will start at Step 1 ($30.54/hour). Employees receive step increases annually in accordance with the and City policy. The full hourly range for this position is $30.54 - $37.39. 

For internal candidates, placement within the range is based on City Pay Placement Procedures. 

At the City of Bellingham, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that helps you thrive in both your career and personal life. Join our team and enjoy the peace of mind knowing that you and your loved ones are well cared for. Here’s a closer look at the outstanding benefits that come with being part of our team. You can and

• 10 hours of vacation leave per month, with increased accrual over time
• 12 paid holidays + 1 floating holiday per year
• 8 hours sick leave accrued monthly
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families
• Life insurance and long-term disability coverage
• Flexible spending accounts and medical insurance opt-out program
• Access to an Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Washington State Retirement plan (DRS) for retirement security
• Optional 457 deferred compensation (Retirement Savings Plan) with employer match

Leave accruals are based on 1.0 FTE, accruals are pro-rated if part-time and require employees to be in paid status at least 120 hours/month.

1. Provides support in assigned program area to meet program goals by providing input on designs, work plan implementation, maintenance and construction practices, renovation and schedules.

2. Manages and adjusts daily work schedule of assigned activities to meet demands, usage, ground conditions and availability of equipment. Coordinates with the work activities of others.

3. Inspects and monitors assigned areas for safety concerns and maintenance needs.

4. Leads the work of Park Workers and seasonal employees as assigned. Provides training, day-to-day direction and technical guidance. Provides feedback on performance to supervisor.

5. Operates heavy equipment such as dump trucks, flatbeds, backhoes, tractors, loaders, trucks with trailers and other specialized excavating equipment for a variety of tasks including excavations exposing underground utilities such as gas, water, electrical and fiber optic.

6. Operates a wide variety of equipment such as brush mowers, compressors and attachments, chainsaws, blowers, trimmers, mowers, as well as other power equipment and hand tools.

7. Assists the Specialist in maintaining the inventory of assets by documentation and mapping. Works to establish, monitor and document Park Land Boundaries and documents encroachments and invasive weed locations.

8. Works from plans, maps and drawings using a variety of tools such as laser levels to build and reconstruct areas of trails, turf features, drainage, irrigation and horticulture installation.

9. Trouble shoots, repairs, maintains, and installs irrigation and drainage systems including work on piping, valves, wiring and programming of automatic controllers.

10. Works independently or with a crew to perform horticulture tasks such as pruning, weeding, mulching, planting layout, and planting.

11. Works in the street tree program pruning, planting and removing trees. Involves traffic control, use of aerial lifts and working in the street environment.

12. Constructs trails and trail structures including sub grades, surfacing, drainage, bridges, handrails, fencing bollards, elevated walks, steps, retaining walls, signage and re-vegetation.

13. Implements regularly scheduled maintenance activities such as mowing, seeding, aerification, top dressing, fertilization, pruning, planting, debris removal, ditching, trailside maintenance and other maintenance tasks.

14. Applies pesticides in accordance with City, state and federal regulations under the direction of the Park Specialist.

ADDITIONAL WORK PERFORMED:

1. Performs other related work within the scope of the classification.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Work is performed primarily outdoors in developed and undeveloped areas with frequent exposure to outdoor weather conditions. Work is occasionally performed in an office setting at a desk or computer terminal to attend meetings or training. Frequent exposure to difficult terrain and loud noises. Employees are required to use appropriate safety equipment and follow established safety policies. This is a field work position with continuous physical exertion requirements. 

Physical ability to perform the essential functions of the job, including:

• Occasionally operate a computer and other office machinery such as a keyboard, mouse and phone.

• Frequently communicate accurate information and ideas to others;

• Frequently operate hand tools and power equipment safely;

• Frequently move throughout City facilities and worksite locations;

• Hear and see sufficiently to respond quickly in a noisy, fast-paced environment while meeting mandated safety standards;

• Stand, stoop, bend, dig, reach, kneel, squat, ascend and descent terrain and equipment;

• Two years of experience in grounds care in one or more of the following areas required:

  • Performing turf irrigation and horticulture maintenance of a large facility OR

  • Forestry, trail maintenance and feature construction OR

  • Athletic fields and grounds maintenance.

• Two years of coursework or related training in horticultural, groundskeeping, turf, natural resources field work or similar field may be substituted for one-year of experience.

• Experience in preparation of facilities/fields for special events preferred.

• Employment contingent upon passing a criminal background check and child and vulnerable adult abuse records check.

• New employees must present verification of their ability to work in the United States by the date of hire. Historically, the City has not sponsored employees; any questions pertaining to this should be referred to the assigned recruiter and account manager.

• Valid Washington State driver’s license at time of hire and proof of good driving record. A three-year driving abstract must be submitted prior to hire.

• Positions assigned to the Trails work group must secure and maintain a Commercial Driver’s License within 18 months of hire. Must pass CDL-related drug and alcohol testing throughout term of employment.

• Must secure and maintain a Washington State Herbicide/Pesticide License within 12 months of hire.

• Must secure and maintain a Flagging/Traffic Control Certification within 12 months of hire.

• Must secure and maintain First Aid and CPR certification within 12 months of hire.

• Must complete City Chainsaw Safety Training within 12 months of hire.

**You are encouraged to print a copy of this job announcement for your reference as the process moves along** 

Please ensure your application is complete and all required information has been provided. Standard completeness means all application fields (contact information, personal information, education, work experience, references, and supplemental questions). Application materials should comprehensively document your experience and skills related to the position responsibilities and experience/training requirements. As part of the City’s commitment to reducing bias in the hiring process, Human Resources redacts personally identifiable information for reviewers. Only the documents listed as required will be reviewed. 

1. Minimum Qualifications: Applicants must provide specific, detailed information so an initial determination can be made regarding your level of qualifications for this position. Applicant status will be updated on or around February 5, 2025. 
2. Experience and Training Rating: Applicants that meet minimum qualifications will go through an Experience and Training Rating Applicant status will be updated on or around February 13, 2025. 
3. Oral Board Interview: The top 8 applicants from the Experience and Training Rating will be invited to participate in an Oral Board Interview, tentatively scheduled for the week of February 24, 2025. Applicants must have a passing score of 60% or higher to be placed on the eligibility register. 

If you wish to claim Veterans’ Preference Points, please complete the and upload it to your application with your DD214. 

Please Note: Candidates will receive updates regarding application status via email. Please be sure to check your email frequently, including your spam folders for messages filtered by your email providers.

• The City provides individuals who have been arrested or convicted of a criminal offense an equal and fair opportunity to obtain employment. 
• The City will not inquire about an applicant's criminal history until after a conditional job offer has been made. 
• The City will disregard the prior arrest and conviction record of an otherwise qualified individual unless the offense is directly related to the job position for which the individual has applied. 
• The City will notify an otherwise qualified applicant about a potentially disqualifying conviction and give the applicant an opportunity to submit information regarding the accuracy of the criminal records as well as evidence of mitigation or rehabilitation, as appropriate.