MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR GROUNDS / TREE MAINTENANCE SUPERRVISOR

Code: 06714 Unknown Unknown

Official job specification

The text below is the official specification published by the New Jersey Civil Service Commission. The plain-language summary and analysis above are derived from it by NJ Civil Service Navigator. Source: the official specification page at NJ CSC.

Definition

Under direction, supervises and works with staff responsible for the care and maintenance of outdoor areas such as recreational areas, gardens, lawns, athletic fields, and indoor/outdoor turf; operates a variety of equipment, tools, and machinery used to care for and maintain grounds; supervises staff and work activities; performs other related duties as required.

Under direction, supervises and works with crews performing tree and shrub maintenance; may climb trees when necessary; when assigned to an electric utility unit, supervises and works with crews performing tree and shrub maintenance primarily around electric power lines, to minimize storm and short circuit hazards; does other related duties as required.

Examples of work

• Supervises and works with a team of grounds maintenance workers.
• Ensures staff keeps lawns, gardens, parks, and other outside areas healthy and visually appealing.
• Trims and cuts grass and hedges.
• Operates equipment such as lawn mowers, weed trimmers, edgers, leaf blowers, snow blowers, hedge trimmers, and other equipment associated with ground maintenance and landscaping activities.
• Performs minor maintenance on mowers and other equipment such as changing oil, lubricating parts, and adjusting parts.
• Supervises the storage of equipment and supplies.
• Measures, grades, grooms, and marks athletic fields and other recreational/game areas, including the use of leveling equipment.
• Maintains the safety and cleanliness of grounds, including removing litter, sweeping walkways, raking leaves, spreading salt, and removing snow and ice.
• Maintains the safety of playgrounds and recreational areas by filling holes, regrading ball fields, and keeping play areas free of debris and dangerous obstructions.
• Makes minor repairs to recreational equipment such as goal posts, soccer nets, and
• other equipment.
• Plants, waters, and maintains shrubs, trees, lawns, and flowers.
• Sets up bleachers.
• Sprays for weeds and insects using unrestricted chemicals.
• Constructs, assembles, positions, and makes minor repairs to various playground, park, and sport equipment.
• Paints signs, benches, tables, bleachers, and other items as required.
• Maintains and makes minor repairs to hand tools, automotive and mechanical equipment, and facilities.
• Mixes and pours cement, and rakes asphalt to repair and patch walks and/or recreational areas such as tennis courts.
• Loads and unloads trucks.
• May clean restrooms.
• Supervises the work operations and/or functional programs and has responsibility for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting, and/or disciplining of employees.
• Prepares clear, sound, accurate, and informative reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Supervises the establishment and maintenance of essential records and files.
• May install, maintain, and repair in-ground water irrigation systems.
• Will be required to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
• Supervises and works with crews performing tree and shrub maintenance tasks.
• Climbs trees using individual climbing gear such as saddle and rope; may work from a vertical lift truck when conditions are unsafe to climb or remove dead or diseased limbs or top trees.
• Uses pole shears, saws, axes and other cutting tools to prune trees or remove dead limbs; operates and feeds branches into chipper.
• Cares for trees damaged by storm or disease by trimming, topping, and/or removing damaged or hazardous limbs, following established industry guidelines.
• Scrapes decayed matter from cavities in trees using shovels or picks and fills holes with cement to promote healing and prevent further deterioration.
• Cuts down trees using chain or hand saws.
• Supervises the work operations and/or functional programs and has responsibility for effectively recommending the hiring, firing, promoting, demoting, and/or disciplining of employees.
• Installs guying and bracing to prevent wind damage and encourage correct growth.
• Uses ropes and pulleys to remove tree branches.
• Bags and transplants trees and shrubs using burlap and shovel.
• May mix premeasured chemicals according to specific directions and spray trees, shrubs, and plants, to control pests and disease.
• When assigned to an electrical utility unit, supervises and works with crews performing utility line clearance tree trimming operations.
• When assigned to an electric utility unit, operates aerial truck, pole saw, chain saw, chippers, winches, stump grinders or other mechanized equipment as necessary for maintenance of utility properties and rights-of-way.
• When assigned to an electric utility unit, uses insulated stick or other approved personal protective equipment to remove limbs from power lines or energized equipment.
• When assigned to an electric utility unit, fells trees interfering with power service, using chainsaws.
• When assigned to an electric utility unit, may apply herbicides to deter unwanted tree or vegetation growth, or weed killer to control vines, weeds or poison growth near electric power lines, poles or other infrastructure.
• Fertilizes trees to promote growth using appropriate methods and equipment.
• Applies herbicides to kill brush and weeds.
• Plants trees and shrubs by digging holes, setting, back-filling, watering and bracing.
• Visually inspects trees and shrubs to diagnose diseased, infested, damaged or unsafe conditions.
• Performs minor maintenance to equipment or tools used.
• Ensures safety procedures, rules and regulations are followed.
• May operate motor vehicles and light construction equipment on a limited basis.
• Supervises and may perform a variety of tasks such as planting grass seed, placing sod on areas, cutting brush, mowing grass, and loading and unloading refuse, removing snow, and so forth.
• Prepares clear, sound, accurate and informative reports containing findings, conclusions and recommendations.
• Conducts and supervises the maintenance of essential records and files.
• Will be required to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and computerized information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.

Experience

Three (3) years of experience in the care and maintenance of grounds; one (1) year of which shall have been in a lead worker and/or assistant supervisor capacity.

Three (3) years of experience in the care and maintenance of trees and shrubs, which shall have included the use and/or operation of manual or mechanical equipment used to climb trees; one (1) year of which shall have been in a lead worker or assistant supervisor capacity.

License

Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.

Appointees will be required to possess a driver's license valid in New Jersey only if the operation of a vehicle, rather than employee mobility, is necessary to perform the essential duties of the position.

Appointees may be required to possess a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and applicable endorsements for the class and type of vehicle being operated. The responsibility for ensuring that employees possess the required motor vehicle license, commensurate with the class and type of vehicles they operate, rests with the Appointing Authority.

Knowledge, skills and abilities

• Knowledge of the procedures, materials, tools, and equipment used to care for and maintain grounds.
• Knowledge of the occupational hazards and safety precautions applicable to groundskeeping and maintenance work.
• Ability to perform a variety of indoor and outdoor manual labor tasks involved in the care and maintenance of grounds.
• Ability to cut grass, rake leaves, and weed.
• Ability to operate equipment/machinery used in maintaining grounds and/or turf.
• Ability to perform preventative maintenance on equipment and tools.
• Ability to keep grounds free of debris and dangerous obstructions.
• Ability to supervise assigned staff and plan, organize, and implement projects within the unit.
• Ability to give, understand, and follow oral or written instructions.
• Ability to plant and care for flowers, trees, and shrubs.
• Ability to sanitize and clean restrooms.
• Ability to work harmoniously with associates and others.
• Ability to mark athletic fields and care for equipment, materials, and supplies.
• Ability to prepare clear, sound, accurate, and informative reports containing findings, conclusions, and recommendations.
• Ability to learn how to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
• Ability to read, write, speak, understand, and communicate in English sufficiently to perform duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
• Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible if they can perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
• CODE: 5/2/2022
• <b>TREE MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR</b>
• Knowledge of safe working practices involved in climbing, topping and sawing limbs off trees, felling trees, lowering limbs and operating motorized hand equipment such as chain saws, chippers, stump grinders and/or other types of related equipment.
• Knowledge of current NJDOT guidelines for traffic control when working in public rights- of-way.
• Knowledge of established industry standards for forestry methods and tree care.
• Knowledge of the methods, practices, tools and materials used in the care and maintenance of trees and shrubs.
• Knowledge of the occupational hazards and safety precautions involved in tree maintenance work.
• Knowledge of the common varieties of trees and their structure.
• Knowledge of knots, hitches and rigging used to lower limbs and tree tops.
• Knowledge of the safety precautions used when working around high and low energized electric power lines when assigned to an electric utility unit.
• Knowledge of the techniques used to distinguish exposed live parts from other parts of electric equipment and determine the nominal voltage of exposed live parts when assigned to an electric utility unit.
• Knowledge of the safe clearance distances and the corresponding voltages when working near unguarded, energized overhead lines when assigned to an electric utility unit.
• Ability to climb trees using a ladder, climbing hooks and belts, or other equipment.
• Ability to observe proper safety precautions when climbing and working at various heights around energized electric power lines when assigned to an electric utility unit.
• Ability to use or operate chain saws, stump grinders, chippers, handsaws, axes, wedges and other power and hand tools used to perform tree maintenance tasks.
• Ability to supervise employees and evaluate the performance of their work.
• Ability to tie various knots used in tree maintenance work.
• Ability to perform mechanical and manual operations.
• Ability to lift, push, and pull heavy objects for short distances.
• Ability to prepare clear, sound, accurate and informative reports containing findings, conclusions and recommendations.
• Ability to conduct and supervise the maintenance of essential records and files.
• Ability to learn to utilize various types of electronic and/or manual recording and information systems used by the agency, office, or related units.
• Ability to read, write, understand and communicate in English sufficiently to perform the duties of this position. American Sign Language or Braille may also be considered as acceptable forms of communication.
• Persons with mental or physical disabilities are eligible as long as they can perform essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation. If the accommodation cannot be made because it would cause the employer undue hardship, such persons may not be eligible.
• CODE: 03/14/2018
• DUAL TITLE CODE:

Note

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.

Appointees may be required to possess valid licensure as a Commercial Pesticide Applicator in one or more categories pertinent to the position. The appointing authority is responsible for certification and license verification.

Appointees may be required to obtain valid certification as a Commercial Pesticide Applicator in one or more categories pertinent to the position. Licensure and certification must be obtained within a specific timeframe designated by the appointing authority.

Appointees may be required to complete training and/or obtain valid certification as a Certified Fertilizer Applicator (CFA) or Trained Fertilizer Applicator (TFA) issued by Rutgers University. If pertinent to the position, certification must be obtained within a specific timeframe designate by the appointing authority.

Appointees may be required to possess a valid Commercial Driver's License (CDL) and applicable endorsements for the class and type of vehicle being operated. The responsibility for ensuring that appointees possess the required motor vehicle license and applicable endorsements rests with the appointing authority.

The examples of work for this title are for illustrative purposes only. A particular position using this title may not perform all duties listed in this job specification. Conversely, all duties performed on the job may not be listed.

For positions assigned to electric utility units, applicants will be required to possess three (3) years of experience climbing, trimming, topping and cutting trees around electric power lines, which shall have included the use and/or operation of manual or mechanical equipment used to climb trees.

Appointees may be required to possess a Pesticide Applicator Certification in the appropriate category/ies issued by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. The responsibility for ensuring that appointees possess the required certification rests with the Appointing Authority.