Do you love to work in a great community? Then the Woodridge Park District located in Woodridge, Illinois is for you! We have an opening for a full-time Landscape Specialist for our Planning, Development & Natural Resources department. As a five time Illinois Distinguished & Accredited Agency Award recipient, the Woodridge Park District serves approximately 35,500 residents with over 690 acres of parks and sites offering over 1,000 programs each year. A person in this role is responsible for landscape management practices for all landscape plant material on park district managed properties.

Essential Duties include but are not limited to the following: care, maintain, and culture all plant material (annual & perennial plants, ground covers, ornamental grasses, shrubs, trees, lawns/turf) to include but not limited to: plant removal, plant installation, transplanting, pruning, cutting, mulching, aerating, weeding, seeding, sodding, edging, trimming, watering, mowing, application of fertilizers, pesticides, & herbicides as needed, and turf & prairie/native seeding; identify problems or failures of existing landscape installations, propose and implement solutions for issues identified; create planting schedules/plans with cost estimates; obtain proposals and seek availability for plant material & landscape equipment purchases and complete purchasing process when approved; accept delivery of plant orders to include counting quantities and determining acceptable quality of material upon delivery, rejecting material not meeting quality standards for installation; coordinate delivery, installation and maintenance to ensure viability of landscape plantings; assist with supervising contracted plant material/landscape installation projects and administer plant/weed maintenance 3rd party contracts; follow and maintain planned landscape designs and report back to Superintendent of Planning & Development any problem areas; assist Superintendent of Planning & Development with bed/landscape design and assist in creating landscape management plans; gather & remove litter, debris, leaves, branches, dead plant material, etc. as assigned; report any hazards observed to manager to comply with district-wide safety initiatives; inspect and clean debris from storm water management structures (e.g. grates, catch basins, etc.); assist Natural Resource Manager with management of natural area vegetation, (wetlands, prairie, woodland understory) and assist with prescribed burns of natural vegetation; participate in assigned department wide responsibilities including: rotational weekday and weekend snow team clearing activities, rotational on-call weekend responsibilities, special event support, and other duties as assigned when needs arise, sometimes shifting to the parks division of Parks, Planning & Development Department. A full job description is available upon request.

Education & Training- Minimum education/training required: certificate of completion in landscape management, horticultural science or related field from an accredited college or university. Or Associate’s Degree in landscape management, environmental/horticultural science or related field from an accredited college or university. Or 2 years of equivalent professional work experience.

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations- Valid Illinois State driver’s license. Obtain and maintain a State of Illinois Commercial Pesticide Operators/Applicator’s license. Obtain and maintain first-aid certification. Obtain and maintain adult CPR/AED certification.

Other Qualifications- Advanced knowledge of landscape management practices and plant material. Advanced understanding of turf, plant materials, plant care and culture practices, pruning techniques, horticultural equipment, pest identification, and general maintenance practices. Ability to plant, maintain, and care for turf, perennials, annuals, ground covers, shrubs, and trees. Ability to administer all functions of the best landscape management practices. Ability to operate vehicles and heavy equipment including, but not limited to: tractors, end loaders, skid steers, backhoe, and large mowers. Ability to operate power equipment, such as hedge trimmers, string trimmers, lawn mowers, snow blowers, chain-saws, electric clippers, sod cutters, pruning saws, power edgers, etc. Ability to use hand tools such as shovels, rakes, pruning saws, saws, hedge/brush trimmers, axes, etc. Ability to calculate, prepare, mix, spray/spread fertilizers, herbicides, or insecticides using hand or automatic sprayers or spreaders. Ability to follow directions and once a job is assigned and the ability to work with limited daily supervision. Ability and willingness to safely and efficiently pivot to another task should manager determine priority over previous assignment. Knowledge of personnel management and the ability to supervise part time and seasonal department employees. Knowledge of computer software programs including Microsoft Office and the Internet. Ability to work professionally and effectively with the general public, cooperating agencies, businesses, organizations, civic groups, and park district employees. Ability to resolve differences and problems that arise with contractors, patrons, and employees in a cooperative and respectful manner.

Attributes: - We are seeking a dedicated individual who is a self-starter with an eye for detail that strives for excellence and has an innate ability to interact with the public, an staff; understands strong customer service; possess good organizational skills; good written & oral communication skills; skilled in time management; and able to problem solve in unexpected situations.

Full-Time benefits include medial, dental, vision, life insurance, AFLAC, IMRF, Fitness/Aquatic memberships and more.

Please apply online by following this link:
https://www.paycomonline.net/v4/ats/web.php/jobs/ViewJobDetails?job=71852&clientkey=5B8237E265A8F604D9F7D6B514B96B92