Natural Areas & Trails Technician I - Fire Mitigation en City of Greeley

Anticipated Hiring Range: $19.57 - $22.55 hourly

Benefits: This position is benefits eligible. Please view our benefits guide here.

*This position is a full-time, term-limited position funded for 1 year from the date of hire, with the possibility of becoming permanent if additional funding is approved at a later date.  This position is benefit eligible.

Job Summary:

The Natural Areas & Trails (NAT) division, within the City’s Culture, Parks and Recreation Department manages over 2,000 acres of natural areas and the city’s 30-mile trail system including eleven miles of the regional Poudre River Trail. This growing program is seeking a passionate, creative, and motivated professional to join the team as a Natural Areas & Trails Technician l, to strive toward NAT’s vision of a community connected to nature. 

This technician will act as part of the NAT maintenance crew, with work primarily focused on tasks related to wildfire mitigation in the City’s natural areas and adjacent properties. Management tasks may include fire mitigation mowing, chemical application, and native vegetation management (approx. 75% of time). The Technician I will also complete maintenance tasks including landscape maintenance, hard and soft surface maintenance, amenity repairs and upkeep, snow removal, irrigation repairs, small equipment use and preventative maintenance and special event assignments (approx. 25% of time). 

Experience, Knowledge, Skills:

Minimum Requirements

• High School diploma or equivalent.
• Intermediate knowledge (1-3 years) of introduced and noxious plant management practices.
• Obtain a chemical qualified supervisor’s license in Rangeland, Right of Way, and Aquatic
  categories within the first 90 days of employment if applicant does not currently possess one.
• Ability to recognize and analyze safety hazards in landscapes through visual and physical
  inspection.
• Valid driver’s license required and without any driving restrictions
• The ability to operate large machinery and vehicles independently. 

OR

• Any combination of related education, experience, certifications and licenses that will result in a
  candidate successfully performing the essential functions of the job, AND
• Possession of a valid driver’s license.

Preferred

• Experience applying pesticides (1-3 years), with current commercial applicator’s license.
• Snow removal best practices with various equipment and hand tools.
• Proficient in the use of field data collection software (Survey 123, Field Map, GIS, GPS,
  Workforce, etc.).

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Knowledge of Colorado native, non-native and designated noxious plant species.
• Able to perform mathematical calculations as it relates to chemical applications and basic
  carpentry.
• Hand tools commonly used in ecosystem restoration, basic carpentry and snow removal.
• Use of tools including Snow blowers, ATV and UTV, Spray equipment, Trucks and trailers,
  ATV/UTV mounted snowplows, Tractors with mowing, seeding, grading, excavation, tillage and
  cleaning implements.
• Common gas and electric powered landscape maintenance tools, i.e. mower, blower, string
  trimmer, chainsaw, etc.

Essential Functions:

• Conducts fire mitigation duties including mowing and applying pesticides to property line buffers.
  Operate tractors, walk behind mowers, and string trimmers used for mowing.
• Drives trucks and ATVs with a spray rig used for chemical applications, along with hand
  equipment.
• Use of chainsaw and hand saws for fire mitigation tree removal, noxious weeds, and post-storm
  clean up.
• Utilizes Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to effectively control invasive weed species through
  chemical, mechanical, cultural, and biological controls.
• Assists in planting and seeding projects including site and soil prep and vegetation care.
• Leads seasonal, volunteer, and partner agency crews in weed removal.
• Performs routine landscape duties including repairing irrigation systems, string trim, aeration,
  mowing, shelter maintenance, and site cleanup.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Travel

• Category B-Regular Local/Field Based Travel: This position requires regular travel within the County and
  nearby cities. Employees frequently travel to field sites, client locations, or other City buildings as part of
  their job duties. Access to a personal or City fleet vehicle may be required.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• None

Work Environment and Physical Requirements:

Work Environment:

• Marginal to moderate hazards that are typically predictable or well protected against
• Some office work though primarily outside and working on natural areas and trails.

Physical Requirements: 

• Must be able to work alone on trails and natural areas. This role will require autonomy
• Moderate to considerable physical effort that includes working from ladders in awkward positions.
  Frequent use of light or medium weight objects (e.g., 25-50 lbs) and use of medium weight tools.
• Manual dexterity enough to operate hand and power tools.
• Vision enough to perform above listed functions, drive, read printed instructions.
• Hearing enough to take note of cautionary alarms/alerts and/or oral warnings.

EOE Statement: The City of Greeley provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

ADA Statement: We are committed to an inclusive and barrier-free search process. We provide accommodations for applicants requesting accommodation through the search process such as alternative formats of this posting.  Individuals with disabilities in need of accommodations throughout the search process should contact the ADA Coordinator at: [email protected] .

Conditions of Employment: Candidates must successfully complete all pre-employment screenings and employment eligibility verification. Pre-employment screenings include a drug test, a background and national sex offender search, a motor vehicle record search, and for some positions, a physical demands evaluation. For more information about City policies and practices during the recruitment process, including but not limited to EOE, Reasonable Accommodation, and pre-employment screenings, please visit our career page HERE.