Garden Field Technician III
Department:
Community Garden Program
Reports To:
Community Garden Manager, Aleta Poste
FLSA Status:
Non Exempt
Time Status:
.8 (32 hours a week)
TS Range:
5/6 ($17.05 per hour)
Opening Date:
April 13, 2018
Closing Date:
April 27, 2018
SUMMARY:
Supports Garden Field Technician team in accordance with the duties, responsibilities, and priorities set by the Program Manager and Garden Production Supervisor. Responsible for the overall care and maintenance of Squaxin Island Tribe’s fruit orchards, garden, pasture, and greenhouse spaces. This position is a seasonal position and hours may fluctuate from half time to full time depending on the season. Weekend hours may be required. This is a highly physical position with little time indoors.
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES include the following:
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- Maintains positive morale and supports the goals of the program.
- Conditions and prepares soil, transplants or plants seeds, seedling or bulbs according to instruction and planned design of garden areas;
- Manages composting activities for the garden with guidance from Production Supervisor;
- Is central to the day-to-day agricultural operations, including irrigation, greenhouse operations, pest and disease management, field cultivation, planting, weeding, and fertilizing;
- Assists with harvest and post-harvest handling and distribution for row crops, herbs, berries, medicinal plants, and orchards;
- Participates in garden outreach programs, such as youth activities, classes, events, and workshops;
- Maintains and operates equipment which may include, but is not limited to trucks, trailers; truck/trailer combination, commercial tractors, augers, ditcher, backhoe, mowers, forklift, edger, rototiller, chainsaws, blowers, drills, wood chipper, rollers, rental equipment, lime or fertilizer spreaders, brush mower, lawn mower, weed whacker, etc.
- Assists in maintaining safe, functional, and clean garden storage spaces;
- Performs routine maintenance on all equipment and vehicles; based on agreed upon schedule.
- Attends trainings as required based on the needs of the program.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
This position has no supervisory responsibilities.
QUALIFICATIONS:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Successful candidate must:
- Be a self-starter;
- Be able to work independently;
- Be able to pay attention to detail;
- Be able to perform and endure repetitive physical work;
- Be able to take initiative within a team environment to meet the goals outlined by management;
- Be able to take direction, accept constructive feedback and to support positive team morale.
- Show initiative and be willing to work outdoors in all seasons and all types of weather
- Show sound judgment and decision making capabilities;
- Be punctual and have strong time management skills;
- Be able to adapt to new positions and working with new people;
- Have experience in using Microsoft Word and Publisher, as well as the social media platform Facebook.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE:
High School Diploma/GED and 3 years’ relevant experience in tree pruning and gardening OR 5 years of relevant experience in tree pruning and gardening. Additionally, experience in operating trucks, trailers, truck/trailer combination, augers, ditcher, backhoe, mowers, edger, rototiller, chainsaws, blowers, drills, wood chipper, rollers, rental equipment, lime or fertilizer spreaders, brush mower, lawn mower, weed whacker, etc. is required.
LANGUAGE SKILLS:
Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals.
MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:
Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio and percent and to draw and interpret bar graphs.
REASONING ABILITY:
Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.
CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:
Must have a valid Washington State Driver’s License and be insurable. Must pass a tribal and watch background check. Willing to complete heavy equipment operator training within 6 months of hire.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to sit. Frequently required to work in high precarious places. Regularly required to stand; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl, climb or balance, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Talk or hear and taste and smell. The employee must regularly lift and/or move between 10 to 100 pounds. Regular duties include shoveling, turning, using wheelbarrow with heavy loads, squatting, and climbing ladders. Special vision requirements for this position are close vision (clear vision at 20 inches or less); distance vision (clear vision at 20 feet or more); color vision (ability to distinguish colors); peripheral vision (ability to observe an area that can be seen up and down or to the left and right while eyes are fixed on a given point); depth perception (three-dimensional vision, ability to judge distances and spatial relationships); ability to adjust focus (ability to adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus).
Must be comfortable performing pruning cuts using 12-foot ladder, and using hand tools such as shears, handheld pruners, pruning loppers, and pole pruner.
WORK ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally work with fumes or airborne particles or toxic or caustic chemicals. Frequently work in high precarious places. Regularly work in outdoor weather conditions, extreme cold or heat (non-weather) be exposed to warm, wet and/or humid conditions (non-weather and weather), and work near moving mechanical parts. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
DRUG FREE WORKPLACE:
The successful candidate will be required to have a urinalysis for drug and alcohol screening in accordance with the Tribe’s Drug Free Workplace Policy.
INDIAN PREFERENCE:
Indian Preference will be exercised in the hiring of this position in accordance with the Tribe’s Personnel Policies.
CONTACT:
Human Resources Department (360) 426-9781.