Grounds Technician

Grounds Technician

Facilities Services

Reed College is looking for a Grounds Technician to join our Facilities team to provide important maintenance of our beautiful campus. The Grounds Technician performs preventative and basic maintenance and repair of College grounds including lawns, irrigation systems, plant and paved areas and natural areas of campus.

Reed College offers an exceptional benefits package, including comprehensive and cost-free medical and dental insurance for you, and a 60% discount on medical and dental insurance for your dependents, 403(b) retirement plan with 10% employer contribution (after one year of service), educational assistance for employees and their children, 22 days of paid vacation, paid holidays, half-day Fridays in the summer, and many other campus amenities. This is a full-time, non-exempt, union position scheduled to work 40 hours per week, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with a one half-hour unpaid lunch. Pay for this position starts at $20.50-$22.00 per hour.

Who You Are

• You are interested and able to spend your workday engaged in physical work and in a variety of weather conditions.
• You think that working with plants, turf, trees, shrubs and flowers is satisfying.
• You are comfortable using and maintaining hand tools, power tools, tractors, sweepers and other equipment used in landscape maintenance.
• Safety is essential and you take precautions to make sure the area around you is safe.
• You enjoy being part of a team but you are also able to work independently to meet your assigned goals.
• You like working in a diverse environment and you enjoy interacting with people who have different backgrounds than you.
• You enjoy learning about, maintaining, troubleshooting in-ground irrigation systems
• You are a strong listener and can follow verbal and written instruction.
• You are able to establish and maintain effective working relationships with college staff, students and the general public.
• You are interested in obtaining and maintaining an Oregon Pesticide Applicators License (paid for by the college if hired).
• Take pride in and enjoy a clean, orderly work environment.
• You have an active, valid driver’s license.

What You’ll Do

• Utilize tractors, riding mowers, blowers, sweepers and other power equipment to maintain campus grounds
• Maintain and rejuvenate landscape providing improvements to beds, turf, trees and hardscape
• Provide maintenance and control of invasive plants using an IPM process
• Work with student employees, including assigning them work in order to assist in completion of tasks
• Plant, cultivate and maintain turf areas, shrubs, perennial plants and trees using gardening implements and power operated equipment; repair established lawns and turf areas as needed
• Maintain hard surfaces on college property including roads, parking lots and sidewalks
• Remove litter from campus including leaves, branches, and trash
• Support a variety of campus facilities needs including clearing of ice and snow as needed
• Ensure proper hydration of lawns, trees, and plants
• Maintain sidewalks, driveways, parking lots and other features; performs general cleaning and snow removal
• Performs aeration, thatching and overseeing of established turf areasPrepares and applies fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides to grass, shrub, or trees, by spraying or spreading in accordance with active pesticide license.
• Perform regular and seasonal maintenance and repairs on irrigation systems including any necessary winterizing procedures

Application Instructions

Click below to apply. You will be directed to Interfolio to create a free account and begin your application. A resume and cover letter are required. You can submit these documents in any format, but pdf works best. As you apply online, you will be asked to provide an answer to the following:

If you were selected for this position, how would you use your skills and experience to contribute to equity, inclusion and community growth at Reed?

Applications will be considered as they are submitted so you are encouraged to apply early. Applications will continue to be accepted until the position is filled.

Reed College replies to every candidate. We will confirm that your application is received, and if you are not selected, we will let you know as soon as possible.

Apply for this job

Reed College is committed to building a culturally inclusive community and a work environment that respects and inspires every person. Your unique skills, work history, cultural contributions, and lived experiences are essential to building this community. Members of historically marginalized groups including women, BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color), those with disabilities, members of the LGBTQ+ community, those who have served in the military, and members of other underrepresented communities are invited to apply.