Department: FMC - Grounds Maintenance Salary: Commensurate with education and experience.

Description:

The Senior Groundskeeper performs general grounds work which includes keeping the campus clean of all trash and debris, mowing, trimming, fertilizing, pruning, weeding, raking, seeding, planting flowers and maintaining flowerbeds, trees, and shrubs. Keeps storm sewers clean during inclement weather. Works in the Greenhouse and Nursery operations and maintenance of interior/exterior plants. May perform minor maintenance on roads, curbs, sidewalks, and storm drains. May operate various grounds equipment and is subject to appointment to hurricane ride-out crew.

Pursuant to the State of Texas Executive Order No. GA-48, this position researches, works on, or has access to critical infrastructure and requires the ability to maintain the security or integrity of the University infrastructure. This position requires personnel be routinely reviewed to determine whether or not criminal history or continuous connections for the government or political apparatus of a foreign adversary might prevent the employee from being able to maintain the security or integrity of the infrastructure.

Duties:

• Applies herbicides to different kinds of weeds to prevent propagation. Maintains pesticide records, safety data sheets, and schedules.
• Maintains inventory of necessary chemicals/fertilizers/seeds for horticultural needs.
• Maintains and inventory of plants within the greenhouse and ensure quality growth utilizing growth methods to ensure good quality and quantity for each planting season. Identify diseases on plants and flowers for its treatment.
• Maintains/Cares of all interior and exterior plants, flowerbeds, and grass areas throughout the campus. Grinds stumps, fertilizes, grows, plants, prunes, trims, mulches, and weeds all trees and hedges on campus.
• Operates weed eater, mower and edger around all trees, light poles, ditch lines and curbs on campus. Power blows all hard surfaces and brush cuts fence lines.
• Operates grounds equipment (weed eaters, blowers, chainsaws, hedge trimmers, pressure washers, tamping machines, mowers, edgers), heavy grounds equipment and utility vehicles.
• Prepares for hurricane, freezes, and events and assists other personnel during inclement weather.
• Picks up all trash and debris campus-wide daily. Repairs potholes in streets and parking lots.
• Assists other Groundskeepers to maintain water, fertilize, prune, spray, clean, propagate, transplant, and change-out interior plants and performs related duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

1. High School diploma or GED.
2. Three years of groundskeeping experience.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Two years of education beyond high school (college or technical school).
• Five years of groundskeeping experience.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Knowledge of safe operations for all equipment and knowledge of types of fuel and oil for all equipment.
• Knowledge of plant propagation techniques and growth techniques in greenhouse and nursery production.
• Knowledge of proper tree and shrub pruning methods.
• Designing new flowerbed construction, patterns, color schemes, replanting.
• Ability to work alone and in inclement weather.
• Ability to plan, schedule, and propagate seasonal color change-outs.

All positions at the University of Houston-System are security sensitive and will require a criminal history check. This position also requires a motor vehicle check.

The University of Houston System and its universities are Equal Opportunity Institutions. Everyone is encouraged to apply.