Laborer III

Laborer III / GS 13

"Preserving the Past, while Innovating our Future!"

The City of Alexandria is located in northern Virginia and is bordered by the District of Columbia (Potomac River), Arlington and Fairfax counties. With a population of approximately 157,600 and a land area of 15.75 square miles, Alexandria is the seventh largest city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Alexandria has a charming waterfront and is a unique and historic place to live and work. About one-quarter square miles in the city have been designated as a national or local historic district. We proudly embrace our rich history and seize the endless opportunities that lie ahead. If you are interested in working for the vibrant City of Alexandria, we invite qualified candidates to apply for our Laborer III position in the Department of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities – Park Operations Division.

Guiding Principles driving our work:

• Aligning the work we do with our Strategic and Business Plans.
• Executing against our strategy and ensuring accountability for our results.
• Promoting and encouraging a culture of leadership and ownership at all levels of the organization.
• Promoting a culture of service excellence, creativity and entrepreneurship.

Overview of the Position

The Laborer III is a front-line lead worker responsible for completing skilled tasks and assisting with crew leadership. A Laborer III provides technical guidance to a group of Laborers and/or Equipment Operators engaged in general landscape maintenance and repair of a park, open spaces, public grounds, and other public assets. A Laborer III must be able to perform physical labor and operate a series of vehicles, equipment, and tools safely and efficiently. Functional areas of responsibility for the Laborer III may include organizing maintenance of assigned City parks, trails, recreation facilities, open spaces and natural areas, and participation with assigned facets of the Department’s response to snow and other storm related operations. Maintenance responsibilities may include tasks associated with athletic fields, playgrounds, tennis and basketball courts, lighted facilities, picnic shelters, access roads and parking areas, signage, and park seating. The incumbent also may act in place of a Laborer Supervisor and perform a range of other functions on behalf of the Park Operations Division, including providing support for the planning and implementation of capital projects and representing the Department on a number of City Work Groups and planning organizations. The Laborer III works closely with a Laborer Supervisor and/or Park Manager, Park Facility and Operations Support, Natural Resources, Park Planning and others to ensure coordination of efforts throughout the Department. The incumbent in this position is responsible for maintaining maintenance standards, providing exemplary customer service, preforming public outreach, and ensuring that service delivery methods meet the City’s goals and community needs in a safe and cost-effective manner.

About the Department

The mission of Recreation, Parks & Cultural Activities is to enrich the City of Alexandria by creating meaningful experiences through public spaces, cultural activities, and programming. The Department’s vision is to improve the well-being of every person in our community by connecting them to each other and their environment. The Department of Recreation, Parks and Cultural Activities received national accreditation from the Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies (CAPRA). National accreditation requires park and recreation agencies to meet 155 standards representing elements of effective and efficient park and recreation operations.

What You Should Bring

You should bring your broad-based knowledge of the principles and practices of park/landscape management; personnel supervision, and project management. You will lead your team in a highly effective manner to provide the best services, open spaces and facilities in the City of Alexandria. Your ability to use computers and various software programs, write and edit various forms of informational materials as well as communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing. Your commitment to exceptional customer and public service while being responsive, professional, courteous and accountable will be highly-valued in this role.

What we do in Park Operations Division

Park Services is one of four (4) operating Divisions of the RPCA: Recreation Services, Park Services, Cultural Activities, and Leadership and Management. These four Divisions coordinate their work to provide a full range of recreational and cultural programs, facilities, parks, and related services.

The Park Services Division is responsible for the maintenance and management of all public parks, open spaces, urban forest, natural lands, and environmental education in the City of Alexandria. In addition, the Division is responsible for managing specific capital projects funded in RPCA’s Capital Budget. The City’s parks, facilities, and programs are utilized by the residents of Alexandria and visitors from other jurisdictions.

The Laborer III will:

• Establish and implement maintenance plans and standards for all parks, trails, athletic fields, and other recreation facilities.
• Provide high level of customer service utilizing Call.Click.Connect and Cityworks information and data management systems; minimize response times and numbers of outstanding service requests and work orders.
• Assist with scheduling, supervising, and providing technical guidance to staff that are engaged in the maintenance of parks and other City owned property and facilities and ensures that environmental policies are adhered to;
• Evaluate the performance of employees supervised and participate in the interviewing, hiring, evaluating and scheduling of staff;
• Operate and supervise the operation of and is responsible for the general maintenance and minor repair of dump trucks, snow plow and spreader attachments, leaf trucks, crew cabs, backhoes, front-end loaders, graders, tractors and connected trailers, air compressors, air hammers, chain saws, lawn mowers, farm tractors, fork lifts;
• Participate in the pick-up and disposal of leaves, driftwood and other debris from City parks, curbs and gutters, right-of-ways, sidewalks, catch basin inlets, dog exercise areas, stream beds, culverts, drainage ditches and along the riverfront;
• Follow and apply written and oral instructions; reads construction site plans, contract specifications, and inspects the work of others to assure compliance with approved plans and specifications;
• Assure the safety of employees, pedestrians, citizens' homes and property, and passing vehicles through the exercise of safe work practices
• Write daily and weekly work reports including: preparing damage claims, accident/incident reports;
• Conduct systematic inspections of parks, ball fields and other City properties maintained by the Department and plan and implement Long-range maintenance projects such as those for improving turf on ball fields and maintaining esthetic qualities of City parks;
• Provide factual data and information for use in preparing operating budgets, and monitors expenditures as budgets are executed;
• Coordinate and schedule professional services other city departments including, streets maintenance, Water Sewer, Solid Waste, Street Cleaning, General Services departments to maintain and assist with the overall operations; or the Police Department in the enforcement of ordinances applicable to all City property
• Will be considered “Essential Personnel” and may require temporary assignment to duties and shifts which may include working in inclement weather; assist with and supervise crews removing snow and ice from City streets, sidewalks, school properties, trails, marina slips, and decking and applying sand and/or salt as needed;
• Perform related work as required.

Minimum & Additional Requirements

High School Diploma or GED; at least three years of experience in performing semi-skilled/skilled maintenance or construction tasks; knowledge of turf and/or grounds maintenance; and three years experience as a lead worker in any related trade; or any equivalent combination of experience and training which provides the required knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Possession of a valid Commercial Drivers License.

Preferred Qualifications

3-5 years experience in one or more of the following areas: park maintenance, landscape maintenance turf maintenance, landscape construction/installation and have the ability to perform the tasks of the position independently and to make decisions, especially in the absence of the supervisor; ability to maintain effective working relationships; ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both verbally and in writing.

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform successfully the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls, and reach with hands and arms. The employee is frequently required to stand, walk, stoop, kneel, or crouch. The employee may occasionally lift up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities are required, which include close vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus. The employee may work flexible shifts to include nights and weekends. The employee is required to be able to drive a City or personal vehicle and sometimes work in adverse weather conditions.

Notes

This position requires a complete criminal record background check and drug screening prior to employment