Grounds and Landscape Specialist (19.5 hrs/wk - Horticulture)



Grounds and Landscape Specialist (19.5 hrs/wk - Horticulture)

Salary

$18,144.75 - $24,462.75 Annually

Location

Costa Mesa, CA

Job Type

Classified Staff

Job Number

O-029-20

Division

Orange Coast College

Department

IS/Math&Sci

Opening Date

12/16/2019

Closing Date

3/11/2020 11:59 PM Pacific

Definition

Summary
Performs a variety of work involving grounds and landscape maintenance of public access grounds, gardens, and athletic venues. Works under the general guidance of an assigned team leader or supervisor. Works primarily as a skilled crew member but on small assignments may work independently with little or no direction.
 
Distinguishing Career Features
The Grounds and Landscape Specialist is fully qualified in grounds maintenance, not to be mistaken for an entry-level position.  To be accepted as a Grounds and Landscape Specialist, incumbents will have one year as a Groundskeeper or Grounds Specialist and demonstrate competency in maintaining a complete site that includes landscaping, horticultural techniques, beautification, litter, and lawn care.
Advancement to Grounds and Landscape Specialist, Senior requires additional specialization such as with high school or higher education grounds, athletic field preparation, and potential exists to the Team Leader position that is capable of performing a versatile range of equipment operation sufficient to do site excavation, advanced athletic field conditioning, and horticulture.

About Orange Coast College (OCC)
Orange Coast College's 164-acre campus is located in Costa Mesa just minutes from Southern California's beautiful beaches. Founded in 1947, with classes beginning in 1948, OCC has grown into one of the nation's largest -- and finest -- community colleges, enrolling more than 25,000 students each semester. OCC has an unwavering commitment to equitable outcomes; inclusive practices; and rich racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity. Ideal candidates for this position share OCC's devotion to educating and improving the lives of our representative student, employee, and community populations. Ideal candidates for this position share OCC's devotion to educating and improving the lives of our representative student, employee, and community populations. We currently enroll 21,498 students, the majority of whom are from racially minoritized populations: 35% of OCC's students
are Latinx, 2% are African- American, 23% are Asian, less than 1% Native American, 31% are White, and 6% are multiracial. OCC engages in a variety of professional development opportunities and partnerships so that we can serve disproportionately impacted groups. Student-centered activities that support OCC's mission include campus-wide student success projects funded by the Office of Student Equity; partnerships with local Hispanic Serving four year institutions; active programs that work to improve the academic achievement of racially minoritized students, such as PUENTE and UMOJA; Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) and Disabled Student Program and Services (DSPS).
 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Incumbents in this position are capable of performing all of the essential duties, however, may specialize in a portion listed below based on the needs of the school sites, other facilities, and projects:
  • Mows, edges, aerates, and re-seeds lawns and public grounds. Trims shrubs, hedges, and trees. Hoes weeds and rakes lawns. Operates and cleans power walking and riding lawn mowers, power blowers, and other motorized equipment requiring a similar skill.
  • Constructs and contours raised beds, gardens, and drainage areas.
  • Plants and cultivates trees, grass, flowers, and shrubs. Applies fertilizer as needed. Spades and otherwise prepares grounds for planting.
  • Removes weeds, blows, rakes, and removes trash and debris from walkways, culverts, stairways, roadways, planters, and parking. Maintains in-ground drains and culverts.
  • Assists with maintenance, repair, replacement and upgrading of irrigation components such as but not limited to sprinkler heads and lines. Digs trenches, unloads and relocates materials, and cleans tools and equipment.
  • Performs other duties as assigned that support the overall objective of the position.

 

Qualifications and Physical Demands


MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
 
Knowledge and Skills:
The position requires working knowledge of the procedures, methods, techniques, and equipment used in grounds and landscape maintenance. Requires basic knowledge of plants and plant types used for beautification in high foot traffic areas. Requires knowledge of the procedures used in the proper application of fertilizers and other additives. Requires basic knowledge of routine maintenance to sprinkler and irrigation systems. Requires sufficient human relations skills to interact with co-workers and staff. Requires sufficient arithmetic skills to calculate weights, proportions, and sums.
 
Abilities:
Requires the ability to learn and perform the essential duties of the position. Requires the ability to plant, cultivate, prune, and care for plants and lawns.  Requires the ability to learn and apply herbicides and pesticides safely. Requires the ability to assist with walkway repairs.  Requires the ability to identify common turf and other plant diseases and pests and take steps to mitigate or eradicate. Requires the ability to use and take care of hand tools, mechanical equipment, and power tools and rolling stock. Requires the ability to maintain accurate records and diagrams. Requires the ability to organize work assignments to meet timelines and deadlines.
 
Education and Experience:
The position requires a High School diploma or equivalent and 2 years of experience in grounds keeping or landscaping or equivalent. Or, any combination of education and experience which would provide the required equivalent qualifications for this position. Or, any combination of education and experience which would provide the equivalent qualifications for the position.

Physical Abilities:
Requires the ability to stand for extended periods of time, walk up to 400 yards uninterrupted, and manipulate (lift, carry, move) light to heavyweights of up to 50 pounds on a regular basis. Requires the ability to push, pull, and guide materials over 75 pounds. Requires the ability to climb (e.g.  ladders), stoop, kneel, and crouch on a regular basis. Requires sufficient hand-eye coordination, hand and finger dexterity including the ability to grasp, and visual acuity to operate common grounds equipment and read instructions and safety information. Requires auditory ability to hear machinery sounds and alarms. Requires near and far visual acuity to read printed materials and observe grounds objects.
Requires speaking ability to carry on ordinary conversations. Requires the ability to work in extreme temperature conditions.

Licenses and Certificates:
Requires a valid driver's license.

Working Conditions
Work is performed mostly outdoors where significant health and safety considerations exist from physical labor and working with machinery.
 

Conditions of Employment


This is a regular, part-time 19.5 hours per week, 10-months per year classified position. The normal hours of work will be Tuesday through Friday from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm and Friday and Saturday from 12:00 pm to 3:30 pm. The effective date of employment will be arranged with the supervisor. (Salary Schedule:  EO-112)
 
Regular attendance is considered an essential job function; the inability to meet attendance requirements may preclude the employee from retaining employment. The person holding this position is considered a mandated reporter under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and is required to comply with the requirements set forth in Coast Community College District policies, procedures, and Title IX. (Reference: BP/AP 5910 ) The Coast Community College District celebrates all forms of diversity and is deeply committed to fostering an inclusive environment within which students, staff, administrators, and faculty thrive. Individuals interested in advancing the District's strategic diversity goals are strongly encouraged to apply. Reasonable accommodations will be provided for qualified applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.
 
The deadline to apply is 11:59 p.m. - March 11, 2020. Application materials must be electronically submitted online at http://www.cccd.edu/employment. Incomplete applications and application materials submitted by mail will not be considered.
 

Additional Information


Applications must be received no later than the posted closing date. There are NO EXCEPTIONS. Electronic applications may be completed by visiting http://www.cccd.edu/employment. Once you have completed an electronic application, you may apply to open positions within the Coast Community College District by submitting the application and all other required materials. Required materials differ for each open position and must be complete when submitted for a specific posting. Instructions for completing applications and applying to posted positions are available online or by calling Applicant Processing at (714) 438-4714.
 
All application materials become the property of the Coast Community College District and will NOT be copied or returned. Information for TDD users is available by calling (714) 438-4755.
 
Application Requirements:
To be considered for employment you must submit a complete application packet. A complete application packet includes:
  • A complete online Classified/Management Employment Application
  • Answers to Supplemental Questions. (clear and detailed responses required as they will be carefully evaluated to determine the most qualified candidate(s) to be invited for an interview; please do not paste your resume, or put "see resume" or "N/A", or leave blank).
 
To ensure consistency and fairness to all applicants, please do not submit materials in addition to those requested. Additional materials will not be considered or returned. Be sure to complete all the questions   and sections of the application. If you do not know an answer, please indicate so, but do not leave any space blank.
 
All applications will be screened under a process of utmost confidentiality by a committee of representatives from the college community. Please note: Possession of the minimum qualifications does not ensure an interview.
 
Any documents that you are unable to attach can be emailed to jobs@cccd.edu. Emails must clearly indicate the job you are applying to and your name.
 
Disability Accommodations:
If you require accommodations in the Application or Examination Process, please notify Human Resources by calling (714) 438-4716 OR (714) 438-4714.
 
The Coast Community College District is a multi-college district that includes Coastline
Community College, Golden West College, and Orange Coast College. The three colleges offer programs in a transfer, general education, occupational/technical education, community services, and student support services. Coastline, Golden West and Orange Coast Colleges enroll more than 60,000 students each year in more than 300 degree and certificate programs.  Since its founding in 1947, the Coast Community College District has enjoyed a reputation as one of the leading community college districts in the United States. Governed by a locally elected Board of Trustees, the Coast Community College District plays an important role in the community by responding to the needs of a changing and increasingly diverse population.

 
Coast Community College District is an Equal Opportunity Employer
The Coast Community College District is committed to employing qualified administrators/managers, faculty, and staff members who are dedicated to student learning and success. The Board recognizes that diversity in the academic environment fosters awareness, promotes mutual understanding and respect, and provides suitable role models for all students. The Board is committed to hiring and staff development processes that support the goals of equal opportunity and diversity, and provide equal consideration for all qualified candidates. The District does not discriminate unlawfully in providing educational or employment opportunities to any person on the basis of race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, or genetic information.
 

Comprehensive Medical, Dental and Vision
We know that the health of our employees and their families is a priority. That's why we offer extensive health care benefits to benefits-eligible employees. We offer the District's PPO plan as well as two HMO's, United Health Care and Kaiser Permanente. We also provide District-paid dental and vision insurance. 

Benefits are available to regular permanent employees working 20 or more hours per week.  Benefits are not available to temporary or short term employees.

District-paid Life Insurance
The District provides Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment insurance benefits, underwritten by ING. This District-paid benefit is equal to one time your annual salary and remains in effect until age 70.

District-paid Disability Benefits
Coast provides both short and long term disability benefits for eligible employees unable to work because of disability due to illness, injury, or maternity.

Voluntary Plans
A variety of voluntary plans are offered through the District to benefits-eligible employees such as Long Term Care, Hyatt Legal, and Section 125 compliant flexible spending accounts.

Enrich Your Profession
Professional Development Programs
The District offers a variety of Professional Development programs for faculty and classified staff that encompasses all types of facilitated learning opportunities, ranging from college degrees to formal coursework and conferences. We encourage lifelong learning that maintains and improves professional competencies, enhances career progression, and keeps our employees on the cutting edge of their profession.

Sabbatical Leaves
Faculty members are encouraged to pursue professional growth leading to the development of increased competence and the improvement of instruction and/or redirection in their current teaching discipline. The District's sabbatical leave program is designed to assist in this pursuit and is available on a semester basis after completing six consecutive years of service.

Academic Senate
The Academic Senate is the governing body at each of our colleges for making recommendations to administration and to our Board of Trustees with respect to academic and professional matters. The Senate consists of elected faculty and has the responsibility for matters related to curriculum and general academic policy.

Time to Refuel
Vacation
Classified, contract staff earn vacation days commensurate with years of service. Classified Management and Administrators earn 22 days vacation per year.

Sick Leave
All contract employees earn sick leave as outlined in the CA Education Code. Sick leave may be carried over from year-to-year and, upon retirement, unused sick leave may contribute to your PERS and STRS retiree benefit.

Holidays
The District observes 21 paid holidays per year.

Jury Duty, Bereavement, Military Leave
Coast grants contract employees called to jury duty a leave of absence, without loss of pay, for the entire length of required service. Other available leaves include bereavement from 3-5 days and military leaves of absence in accordance with applicable state laws.

Great Expectations
Pension Plans
The District participates in the California State Teachers Retirement System (CalSTRS) and the California Public Employees Retirement System (CalPERS) for contract employees. Non-contract employees participate in Public Agency Retirement Services (PARS) plan for the first 1,000 hours of their employment.
Additionally, it is the policy of the Coast Community College District that contract employees who retire from the District with ten or more years of service be afforded the same group insurance benefits until 70 years of age. A Medicare Supplement or GAP plan  is available to retirees and their spouses after age 70.

Annuities
The District maintains a program whereby qualified employees may request through Payroll to have a portion of his or her salary deposited under a tax sheltered annuity plan or an approved deferred compensation plan.

Schools First Federal Credit Union

The Schools First Federal Credit Union is a federally insured, full service, financial cooperative that is a not-for-profit organization. Earnings are used to benefit all members to provide a full range of financial services and offerings.


01
Why are you interested in this position at Orange Coast College at the current time?
02
Describe your previous work experience as it relates to the duties of this position. Emphasize laboratory positions that required a working knowledge of Horticulture and Landscape maintenance.
03
Describe any positions you have held where a significant percentage of your work was performed independently, with limited direction from coworkers and with minimal supervision.
04
Describe any work experience you have that involved troubleshooting equipment, water supply systems or greenhouse/facility issues.
05
If you are asked to do multiple tasks during a 5-hour shift, how do you prioritize the tasks? For example: trimming trees, trouble-shooting a swamp cooler malfunction and assessing how much fertilizer you have on hand to communicate to someone who is waiting to place an order.
06
I understand that a COMPLETE application packet is required for consideration, which includes the following: 1. A complete Coast Community College District online employment application; 2. Answers to all Supplemental Questions, if any (please provide clear and detailed responses, where applicable, as they will be carefully evaluated to determine the most qualified candidate(s) to be invited for an interview. Please do not paste your resume, put "see resume" or "N/A", or leave blank.
  • Yes
  • No
07
Have you ever worked as a short-term temporary employee with Coast Community College District?
  • Yes
  • No
08
If you answered "Yes" to previously worked with CCCD as a short-term employee, please provide your employee number and your dates of employment. Please type N/A if this question does not apply to you.

Required Question

Agency
Coast Community College District
Address
1370 Adams Avenue

Costa Mesa, California, 92626
Phone
714-438-4668
714-438-4714