Groundworker Arborist bei City of San Bernardino, CA

About the Department

Do you enjoy working outdoors and take pride in keeping your community beautiful? The City of San Bernardino is looking for a dedicated and safety-minded Groundworker Arborist to join our Public Works Department. In this hands-on role, you’ll help maintain the City’s trees and green spaces, contributing directly to the health, safety, and appearance of our parks, streets, and public areas.

This position is ideal for someone who enjoys physical, outdoor work and is interested in growing a career in arboriculture or urban forestry. You’ll work as part of a supportive team that values safety, professionalism, and pride in maintaining San Bernardino’s natural beauty.

Position Duties

The Ideal Candidate:
The ideal candidate is dependable, hardworking, and enjoys being outdoors in all types of weather. You take pride in hands-on work that keeps the community safe and looking its best. You understand the importance of teamwork and safety in every task — from setting up a work zone to trimming or planting a tree.

You’re comfortable operating tools and light equipment, eager to learn new arboriculture techniques, and not afraid to get your hands dirty. You communicate well with teammates and the public, stay alert in dynamic environments, and bring a positive, can-do attitude to every job site.

If you’re looking to build your skills in tree care, landscape maintenance, and public service — this is the place to grow.

Throughout the day, you might assist with trimming overgrown branches, operating a wood chipper, grinding stumps, or planting new trees. You’ll ensure public safety around work zones, interact courteously with residents, and maintain clean, safe job sites.

By the end of the shift, you’ll help clean and secure tools, complete basic work reports, and take pride in seeing the visible difference your team made to the community’s landscape that day.

Minimum Qualifications

Education and Experience:
High School Diploma, G.E.D.; and at least one (1) year of experience in landscape or tree maintenance in a municipal setting or with a private tree or landscape maintenance company; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.
 
Licenses, Certifications, and Equipment:
A valid State Class C driver’s license is required.

Knowledge of:

• Safe working practices. 
• Power-driven equipment used in the planting, felling, pruning, maintenance, and removal of trees and shrubbery. 
• Names and characteristics of common shade and ornamental trees used in parks and parkways in the local area. 
• Basic work order input. 
• Basic site plans. 
• Equipment maintenance practices and methods. 

• Performing basic and supports work in the trimming, planting, pruning, maintenance, and removal of trees and related plants. 
• Safely utilizing the power wood chipper to cut up trees and branches under supervision. 
• Using chain saws, hand saws, power and manual pruners, blowers, rakes, and riding lawn mowers. 
• Tying and staking new trees. 
• Understanding and carrying out oral and written instructions. 
• Communicating clearly and concisely, with citizens encountered at work sites. 
• Establishing and maintaining effective relationships with those contacted in the course of work. 
• Complying with all safety policies and procedures in work settings (including working in traffic). 
• Performing specific assignments provided by senior arborists as they relate to urban forestry preservation and care. 
• Working in teams and independently when required. 
• Performing basic landscape duties such as mulching, seeding, raking, mowing. 
• Loading and unloading maneuver a variety of materials such as brush, limbs, and mulch weighing up to 150 pounds. 
• Watering plants and trees using portable equipment. 
• Providing customer service.

Recruitment Timeline

This recruitment will close on Sunday, November 9, 2025, at 11:59pm, or until a sufficient number of applications have been received. 

Applications review: Week of November 10, 2025

1st Interview: Week of November 17, 2025, or agreed upon date by both HR recruiter & Dept (TENTATIVE)

**All dates are subject to change at the discretion of the personnel officer**

Other Qualifications

All applicants are required to submit an online application through the City’s official website at www.sbcity.org. This recruitment will remain open until Sunday, November 9, 2025, at 11:59 PM or until a sufficient number of qualified applications have been received.

Applications must be fully completed and clearly demonstrate that the minimum qualifications for the position are met. All information provided is subject to review, investigation, and verification. While resumes may be uploaded as supplemental documentation, they will not be accepted in place of a fully completed City application.

Following the initial screening, the most qualified candidates whose backgrounds best match the needs of the City will be invited to continue in the selection process. Meeting the minimum qualifications does not guarantee advancement. Candidates will remain under consideration until a final selection is made and an offer is accepted. The City of San Bernardino reserves the right to close the recruitment at any time and may determine that none of the applicants, including those who meet the minimum qualifications, are suitable for the position.

Successful candidates shall be required to: 

• Pass a reference and background verification. References will not be contacted until mutual interest has been established.
• Degree verification
• Pass a pre-employment medical exam, which includes a Drug screen. 
• Starting salary based on education and/or experience and internal equity. 
  

E-Verify Participation

The City of San Bernardino participates in the E-Verify program. In compliance with federal law, all employers are required to verify the identity and employment eligibility of individuals hired to work in the United States.

Accordingly, the City will provide information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to confirm authorization to work in the United States.

For more information about E-Verify, please visit the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website at www.uscis.gov

Disclaimers

The City of San Bernardino is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. The City follows a nepotism policy, which may impact hiring decisions if an applicant has relatives currently employed by the City.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the City provides reasonable accommodations for individuals with disabilities. Each request is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. To request an accommodation, please contact the Human Resources Department directly at (909) 998-2060. 

This bulletin is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute a contract, expressed or implied. Its contents may be modified or withdrawn without prior notice.

For questions regarding this recruitment, contact Human Resources at [email protected]. Additional information is available at www.sbcity.org.