Climbing Arborist

WHO YOU'D BE WORKING FOR

We're not the biggest tree care company in the Pacific Northwest, and we don't want to be. We're 25 years stable, 75% repeat business, and we've barely marketed a day in our history.

Ownership changed hands recently. Not private equity, not a rollup, and nobody's dressing this company up to flip it. Two owner-operators bought it to run it. Money goes into the company instead of out of it, decisions get made in days instead of quarters, and the ladder above you isn't already full. The plan is to build the best damn tree care company in the PNW without losing the craft, the care, or the crew that got us here.

The ownership here gives a damn about the people who do this work. You get told the truth, including when it's inconvenient. You get paid what the work is worth, and you get told how we got to your number. Good work gets rewarded whether you've been here twelve years or six weeks, and we mean in your paycheck — raises tied to what you can actually do, certifications that move your rate, TRAQ assessments you earn from. Standards apply the same to everybody, owners included. You should be able to feel that on a Tuesday afternoon, not just in a job posting.

If you want a nameplate at a corporate giant and a free fleece vest at the holiday party, this isn't it.

HOW THIS CREW WORKS

You know what this job is, so we'll skip the part where we tell you it's hard. Here's what's actually different from shop to shop.

Our climbers work the ground too — brush, chipper, cleanup. Nobody here is above it, and that's one of the reasons this crew is good. Same at the yard: when the truck comes back, the whole crew cleans the saws, coils the ropes, and sweeps out the truck. No shop guy does it after you leave.

If you've come from a place where climbers don't touch that, this will be a change. If it sounds like the kind of crew you'd want to be on, keep going.

THE ROLE & WHERE IT GOES

We've got the reputation and the repeat business. What we need is another great climber — someone who works clean, works safe, knows trees, and makes good calls up there without anybody standing underneath telling them how. Your judgment counts here. You're not calling a regional office for permission to change a rigging plan, and you're not being second-guessed by someone who hasn't been in a tree in fifteen years.

We promote from the inside before we hire from outside, and the path isn't a mystery: get your ISA certification with us paying for it, carry TRAQ and earn from the assessments you perform, take a crew of your own when you're ready for it. Our crew leads are part of company management — in the room for decisions about scheduling, equipment, safety standards, and hiring, not surveyed about them afterward.

If you want to be a great climber and nothing else, that's a real career here and we'll pay you well for it. If you want more than that, there's more here to take.

WHAT YOU'LL ACTUALLY DO

• In the tree most days — pruning, removals, sectional dismantling, and rigging
• Make the call on rigging and removal sequence, and be able to explain your reasoning
• Run the bucket when the bucket is the right tool. Aerial lift work is part of the job here, and we're not precious about who's in it
• Cabling and bracing. Not every tree is a removal, and knowing the difference is part of the job
• Prune like an arborist, not a landscaper. Proper cuts, and the ability to tell a customer why we're not topping their tree
• Direct your ground crew clearly and respectfully. A good climber makes their groundsperson better
• Inspect your climbing gear, saws, and rigging daily. No exceptions
• Take care of the tools, the gear, and the trucks. Not mechanic work — upkeep. Clean saws, sharp chains, coiled ropes, fueled equipment, a swept-out truck. The whole crew does this, not just you
• Work the ground too. Drag brush, feed the chipper, help with cleanup. Our climbers are part of the crew, not above it
• Be a professional in front of customers. You're in their yard, near their house

WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR

We hire on character and reliability before skill. We can teach skill. We can't teach showing up.

• Reliable. On time, ready, every day, doing what you said you'd do. This is the one we won't bend on
• Character. How you treat your crew, your customers, and the work matters to us
• A genuinely good climber. At least 2 years climbing full-time, not here and there. Two years or ten, we're open — what matters is that you're past new and you work clean. SRT and DdRT, throwline, confident rigging. Aerial lift experience is a plus, and we'll get you comfortable in the bucket if it's new to you
• A tree person. You know species, you know how they fail, and you can tell a customer why we're not topping their maple
• No prima donnas. Our climbers do ground work right alongside everybody else
• Genuinely safe. Not slow — safe. There's a difference and you know it. You know what you can take down, and you know when to stop and get another set of eyes on it
• Teaches. A climber who brings a groundsperson along is worth more here than one who doesn't
• Year-round, all weather. This is the PNW. The work doesn't stop for rain, and neither do we
• Current CPR and First Aid, or willing to get certified right away. We'll cover it
• Valid Washington driver's license. Everybody here drives our vehicles, so we run a driving record check before hiring. No CDL needed

CERTIFICATIONS

No certification required to apply. Great climbers and real tree people first — that's what matters in the tree.

ISA Certified Tree Climber, ISA Certified Arborist, or both is a strong plus and factors into where you land in the range. One says you can work safely in a tree, the other says you know trees well enough that a customer should listen to you. Don't have them? We'll help you decide which to go after first, and we'll pay for you to get there.

PAY & BENEFITS

• $30.00–$40.00 per hour, DOE. Skill and experience set where you start. Certifications in hand help, and ones you earn here help again
• Raises are earned on what you can do, not time served
• Overtime and storm work as available. W-2, full-time, year-round
• Paid time off and paid company holidays
• $1,000 referral bonus once your referral hits six months. Every employee, no cap on how many
• Monthly phone stipend
• Primary PPE and tools provided; climbing gear provided or gear allowance available
• Company-paid safety and equipment training, plus support for certifications and specialty training. If you carry TRAQ, you earn from the assessments you perform. We'd rather invest in your next credential than watch you go somewhere else to get it

Straight talk: no traditional health plan or 401(k) today. We're working to bring health coverage in early next year. We'd rather tell you that than surprise you in week two, and we're happy to talk total comp in the meantime.

THE PRACTICAL STUFF

Schedule and location. Monday through Friday, generally a 7:00 start when the light allows, shifting in the darker months. Storm season can mean occasional weekend work, and overtime when the work is there. Yard on the Renton/Issaquah line, jobs across Greater Seattle.

Driving record. Our crew drives our vehicles, so we run a driving record check before hiring.

Drug and alcohol policy. This is a safety-sensitive position, and we're identifying it as one: impairment on this job presents a substantial risk of injury, to you and to everyone working around you. We don't drug test to get hired. We do test after any incident, and any time there's reason to think someone is impaired on the job. On the job it's zero tolerance — no alcohol, no cannabis, no impairment of any kind. What you do on your own time is your business, right up until it shows up at work.

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Send a résumé if you have one. If you don't, tell us where you've climbed, how long, and what you're good at. We read every one of these ourselves.

Not the right time for you, but you know somebody good? Send them our way.

Blue Ribbon Tree is an equal opportunity employer. We hire on ability and character, and we welcome applicants from every background. If you need an accommodation in the hiring process, tell us and we'll work it out.

Pay: $30.00 - $40.00 per hour

Benefits:

• On-the-job training
• Opportunities for advancement
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Referral program
• Safety equipment provided

Application Question(s):

• Our climbers also work the ground — dragging brush, feeding the chipper, helping with cleanup. Are you good with that?
• How many years have you climbed full-time? Tell us briefly what a typical day looked like.
• Describe a removal or rigging job you're proud of, and how you decided on your sequence.
• Do you currently hold ISA Certified Tree Climber, ISA Certified Arborist, both, or neither? If neither, are you interested in getting certified with our support?
• This is a safety-sensitive position. There is zero tolerance for impairment on the job, and we test after any incident. Do you understand and accept that?

License/Certification:

• Washington State Driver's License (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Renton, WA 98059 (Required)

Work Location: In person

Salary : $30 - $40