Horticulturist Superintendent

Under general direction of the Director of Public Works and within guidelines set by policies, rules, and regulations, this position is responsible for evaluation, installation, maintenance, and repair of the City’s beautification projects along with supervising crews.

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS

• Inspects landscaped municipal areas; evaluates soil and site conditions; determines the need and use of proper fertilizer type and application rate; supervises, documents, and participates in the application of fertilizer, herbicides, and pesticides. 
• Designs, installs, operates and repairs irrigation systems; orders the appropriate materials and equipment needed to perform. 
• Removes trees/shrubs and trims tree limbs and removes associated debris; supervises grounds keeping tasks, specifically: planting, cutting and maintaining grass, trees, and flowers. 
• Completes and maintains required records and reports. 
• Requisitions materials, supplies, and equipment.   
• Directs and participates in landscape improvement projects and the maintenance of landscaped municipal areas; interprets drawings, sketches, and blueprints for major landscaping projects; orders, purchases and selects plants, supplies, and other materials needed for landscape projects and maintenance; supervises and works with crew members to plant, prune and trim plants, trees, shrubs, flowers, etc. 
• Prepares and/or receives forms, reports, work orders, or documentation; completes, processes, and/or forwards; maintains records. 
• Formulates a work plan to accomplish assigned tasks efficiently and safely based on available personnel and equipment; assigns tasks to crews and workers; obtains equipment, tools, and materials required for the project. 
• Inspects individuals’ work and assigned projects upon completion to ensure standards are met and reports results of all work to the Director.
• Carries out supervisory responsibilities in accordance with the organization's policies and applicable laws. Responsibilities include, but are not necessarily limited to, training employees; planning, assigning, and supervising work; addressing complaints and resolving problems.

• Performs other reasonably duties in a safe manner as assigned by immediate supervisor or other supervisors as required.

Education and Experience:

Bachelor’s or Associate’s Degree in Ornamental Horticulture, Landscape Horticulture, Floriculture or related field preferred; three years experience in landscape maintenance, horticulture or a related field. Three years supervisory experience preferred. 

Special Qualifications:

• Possession of a valid, State of Alabama driver’s license to operate a motor vehicle.   Requirement exists at the time of hire and as a condition of continued employment.
• Must possess and maintain or obtain within six months of employment a current Class A Commercial Driver’s License.  

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: 

• Knowledge of City ordinances, policies, and procedures.
• Knowledge of modern office practices and procedures.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other similar programs).
• Skill in planning and organizing work.
• Skill in utilizing such office equipment as a calculator, typewriter, facsimile machine, and copier.
• Skill in interpersonal relations; establish and maintain effective working relationships with fellow employees and the general public.
• Skill in verbal and written communication.
• Skill in the use small office equipment, including copy machines or multi-line telephone systems.
• Skill in using computers for data entry, word processing, and/or accounting purposes.
• Ability to organize and communicate effectively.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to maintain effective working relationship with other employees and the public. 

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The work is medium work which requires Exerting up to 50 pounds of force occasionally, 

and/or up to 30 pounds of force frequently, and/or up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.  Additionally, the following physical abilities are required: 

• Balancing: Maintaining body equilibrium to prevent falling while walking, standing or crouching on narrow, slippery, or erratically moving surfaces. The amount of balancing exceeds that needed for ordinary locomotion and maintenance of body equilibrium. 
• Climbing: Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles and the like, using feet and legs and/or hands and arms. Body agility is emphasized. 
• Crawling: Moving about on hands and knees or hands and feet. 
• Crouching: Bending the body downward and forward by bending leg and spine. 
• Feeling: Perceiving attributes of objects, such as size, shape, temperature or texture by touching with skin, particularly that of fingertips. 
• Grasping: Applying pressure to an object with the fingers and palm.

• Sitting: Particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Handling: Picking, holding, or otherwise working, primarily with the whole hand. Must have the ability to place records, files, and boxes weighing no more than 25 pounds on shelves about head level.
• Hearing 1: Perceiving the nature of sounds at normal speaking levels with or without correction. Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound.
• Hearing 2: Ability to receive detailed information through oral communication, and to make the discrimination in sound. Must have the ability to hear well enough to carry on a normal conversation with clients both in person and on the telephone.
• Kneeling: Bending legs at knee to come to a rest on knee or knees.
• Lifting: Raising objects from a lower to a higher position or moving objects horizontally from position-to-position. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires substantial use of upper extremities and back muscles.
• Manual Dexterity: Picking, pinching, typing, or otherwise working, primarily with fingers rather than with the whole hand as in handling. Must have the ability to efficiently operate a computer, calculator, fax, copy machine and other related office machines.
• Mental Acuity: Ability to make rational decisions through sound logic and deductive processes.
• Pulling: Using upper extremities to exert force in order to draw, haul or tug objects in a sustained motion.
• Pushing: Using upper extremities to press against something with steady force in order to thrust forward, downward or outward.
• Reaching: Extending hand(s) and arm(s) in any direction.
• Repetitive Motion: Substantial movements (motions) of the wrist, hands, and/or fingers.
• Speaking: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including the ability to convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately and concisely.
• Standing: Particularly for sustained periods of time.
• Stooping: Bending body downward and forward by bending spine at the waist. Occurs to a considerable degree and requires full motion of the lower extremities and back muscles.
• Talking 1: Expressing or exchanging ideas by means of the spoken word including those activities in which they must convey detailed or important spoken instructions to other workers accurately, loudly, or quickly.
• Talking 2: Shouting in order to be heard above ambient noise level.
• Visual Acuity 1: Have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: preparing and analyzing data and figures; transcribing; viewing a computer terminal; and/or extensive reading. Must have the ability to see well enough to interpret data on a computer monitor.
• Visual Acuity 2: Including color, depth perception, and field vision.
• Visual Acuity 3: Visual Acuity to determine the accuracy, neatness, and thoroughness of the work assigned or to make general observations of facilities or structures.
• Visual Acuity 4: Have visual acuity to operate motor vehicles and/or heavy equipment.
• Visual Acuity 5: Have close visual acuity to perform an activity such as: visual inspection involving small defects, small parts, operation of machines; using measurement devices; and/or assembly or fabrication parts at distances close to the eyes.
• Walking: Moving about on foot to accomplish tasks, particularly for long distances or moving from one work site to another. Must have the ability to move freely about the office.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

Work is performed indoors and outdoors. Performance of essential functions may require exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as dirt, dust, pollen, odors, wetness, humidity, temperature and noise extremes, bright/dim light, toxic agents, disease, pathogenic substances, moving mechanical parts, animal/wildlife attacks, animal/human bites, smoke, and/or rude/hostile citizens.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the essential job functions satisfactorily.   Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the primary job functions herein described.  Since every duty associated with this position may not be described herein, employees may be required to perform duties not specifically spelled out in the job description, but which may be reasonably considered to be incidental in the performing of their duties just as though they were actually written out in this job description.