Ground Crew Aide (Display Horticulture)

Job Description

Position Summary:
Assist the Collections and Horticulture staff with the care of Arboretum grounds.

About Us

The Morton Arboretum–a great outdoor museum and a magnificent garden of trees–is a
nonprofit organization with a vision for a greener, healthier, more beautiful world where people
and trees thrive together. The Arboretum ranks among the leading arboreta of the world in size,
age, quality of specimens, and programs and initiatives for the conservation and planting of trees.

Duties & Responsibilities

Essential Functions:
Duties will be assigned according to current projects in progress. Work may involve some of the following tasks:

planting, dividing, and transplanting trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and herbaceous plants
weeding, mulching, and watering
cultivating and fertilizing
arboricultural work, including removal of dead wood, structural pruning, and the removal of dead or declining plants
hedge trimming
edging beds, brush cutting
removing litter, twigs, leaves, and other material from assigned and adjacent areas
chipping brush by operating a brush chipping machine
invasive species surveillance and control
monitoring and controlling threatening insects, diseases, and nuisance animals
Learn, understand, and demonstrate the ability to safely operate and maintain tools and equipment used in daily work. This may include safely and properly using and mixing pesticides.
May assist in preparing and maintaining garden or collection for special events, exhibitions, and other large-scale grounds projects.
Demonstrate alignment with the Arboretum’s employee core values.
Other duties as assigned.

Education and Experience

Qualifications:
Ability to operate small equipment and use hand tools required.

Success Factors:
Ability to perform physical labor indoors and outdoors, requiring strength and endurance, in all kinds of weather. Ability to be flexible, self-motivated, neat, and safety-conscious in use of tools. Good communication skills.

Physical Demands and Work Environment: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform these essential functions.
Physical Demands: Requires significant amount of physical activity: limited lifting and carrying (up to 60 or 100 lbs. assisted), bending, pushing, pulling, standing, walking, kneeling, and traveling by vehicles. Sense of vision and hearing in the normal range with or without correction. Sense of touch and the ability to wear Personal Protective Equipment required.
Work Environment: Work is primarily performed outdoors in all weather conditions. May have exposure to loud or prolonged noise and/or vibration. Tobacco use is not permitted anywhere on Arboretum grounds.
Equipment: Hand gardening tools including loppers, pruning shears, rake, saw, shovel; power equipment including backpack blower, chain saw, edger, lawn mower, rototiller, weed whip; Cushman cart, pick-up truck, tractor, bicycle, two-way radio.

Application Instructions

Link to apply: https://mortonarb.org/join-support/employment/