Laborer at City of Seattle, WA

About the Department

About Seattle Center and Waterfront Park:
Seattle Center is the region's premier civic, arts and family gathering place in the core of our city and region, home to more than 30 arts, cultural, and entertainment organizations, family attractions, and tourist amenities.  

In 2025, Seattle Center has expanded its role to provide operations, maintenance and public safety services for Seattle’s new Waterfront Park, a series of new public spaces on Seattle’s downtown waterfront between Pioneer Square and Pier 62.

For more information about us, please see the Additional Information section at the end of this posting.

About this position:

We are seeking a Laborer to perform routine manual labor and cleaning at Waterfront Park, which will consist of 26 blocks of landscaping, piers, beach, promenade, playgrounds, a floating dock and additional public spaces and amenities by the time it is completed in 2025. This position reports to the Grounds Maintenance Crew Chief and works under the supervision of the Grounds Maintenance Lead Worker. These positions provide a unique opportunity to join a new, critical operations team at Waterfront Park, aligned with the existing Seattle Center department and its strong and positive culture.

This job posting may also be used to fill other temporary vacant Laborer positions at Seattle Center, for up to 6 months.

Position Duties

Here’s more of what you’ll be doing:

• Perform routine manual labor in a variety of mostly outdoor work areas. 
• Work will include cleaning park boulevards, sidewalks, fixtures, piers, docks, shorelines, restrooms, and removing garbage. 
• Provide manual assistance to other workers and use various types of hand and small power tools such as hammer, saws, axes, drills, weed-eaters, pressure washers, backpack blowers, and shovels. Perform minor adjustments and repairs to such equipment and Waterfront assets.
• Set out flares, traffic control devices and provides work site protection, as directed.
• Transport, load and unload materials, equipment and supplies. 
• May be required to operate pick-ups and other small, motorized vehicles or operate forklifts in support of maintenance operations, and perform minor repairs or adjustments, lubrication and safety checks on such vehicles.
• May assist in gardening and grounds maintenance work, such as leaf blowing; raking and clearing litter, brush and leaves; removing debris from curb line and storm drains; and assisting in play area maintenance.
• Provide customer service to the public as they visit the Waterfront by exchanging or providing information when requested.

Minimum Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications:

• Ability to perform general laboring/manual work, good physical condition, and the ability to work with hand and power tools is required.

License, Certification, and Other Requirements:

• Must possess a valid Washington State driver license and a good driving record.
• Must possess or achieve certification as a forklift operator within 90 days of appointment.

The following qualifications will be highly valued:

• Experience working in a public facing facility or park environment.
• Possess a general familiarity with small hand tools and power tools, backpack blowers, pressure washers, power scrubbers.
• Be at least 18 years old at time of application. 
• Ability to speak a language other than English to communicate with Seattle visitors and residents.

• Desire to learn all aspects of cleaning park grounds and facilities and provide a welcoming atmosphere.
• Must be able to work safely while meeting tight deadlines.

• Work collaboratively and inclusively with a diverse staff, community, and visitors.
• Be effective as a member of a highly motivated team, as well as independently after being given oral or written instructions. 
• Ability to read and understand Safety Data Sheets, work orders, maps and drawings of park areas.
• Possess excellent customer service skills.

• Able to lift 50 pounds and may participate in work that requires frequent lifting of more than 50 pounds. 
• Able to stand, walk or bend for extended periods of time. 
• Willing and availability to work varying shifts, including weekends and holidays.
• Must be able to work outdoors in all types of weather.
• Shift hours are Tuesday-Saturday 2:00 pm-10:30 pm during peak season (Summer) and 12:00pm-8:30pm during off peak season. 

Other Qualifications

The full pay range for this step-progression position is $30.86 - $32.80 per hour. New employees begin at Step 1 of the pay progression, which is $30.86 hourly. Current City employees’ starting rate of pay will be based on Personnel Rules regarding promotions.

How to Apply:

Applications will be accepted for this position until 4:00 pm Pacific Time on Tuesday, September 23, 2025. To be considered for this position, in addition to completing your application fully, please attach:

1. Completed NEOGOV online application. 
2. Supplemental questionnaire responses. 

Your application may be rejected as incomplete if you do not include the relevant information in the application. Cover letters and/or resumes are not accepted in lieu of a completed application. Applications and/or Supplemental Questionnaires that state "see my resume" or "see my personnel file" are considered incomplete and will not be accepted.

IMPORTANT NOTE: To align with our commitment to equity and the City of Seattle's Race and Social Justice Initiative, Seattle Center is collecting cover letters and resumes without personal identifiers to achieve a blind screening process. 

Driving Record - If you are selected to advance in this hiring process, you may be asked to obtain a complete 5-Year (Full) driving record from the Department of Licensing. Candidates with driving history that does not meet our current safety standards will be disqualified from consideration. Current City of Seattle Employees in a driving position may be required to submit an updated abstract.

Pre-Employment Physical - Due to the tasks associated with this role, you will be required to successfully pass a preemployment physical.

About Seattle Center and Waterfront Park:
Seattle Center is the region's premier civic, arts and family gathering place in the core of our city and region, home to more than 30 arts, cultural, and entertainment organizations, family attractions, and tourist amenities.  Our mission is to create exceptional events, experiences, and environments that delight and inspire the human spirit to build stronger communities. To support this work, Seattle Center employs 220 full-time employees and hundreds of intermittent workers. As a department of the City of Seattle, Seattle Center contributes to the quality of life for Seattle residents--and the region's economy and image as its top visitor destination.

Why work at the City?

The City of Seattle recognizes every City employee must play a role in ending institutional and structural racism. Our culture is the result of our behavior, our personal commitments, and the ways that we courageously share our perspectives and encourage others to do the same. To cultivate an antiracist culture, we seek employees who will engage in dismantling racist policies and procedures, unlearn the way things have always been done, and create and provide equitable processes and services. Seattle Office of Civil Rights)

Benefits: The City of Seattle offers a comprehensive benefits package including vacation, holiday, and sick leave as well as medical, dental, vision, life, and long-term disability insurance for employees and their dependents. More information about employee benefits is available on the City's website at: https://www.seattle.gov/human-resources/benefits/employees-and-covered-family-members/most-employees-plans

Resources for Applicants: For helpful tips on the application process and recruitment process: