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Major duties and responsibilities include:

• Studying the local suitability of the weather, degree of moisture in the air, soil and stages of plant growth to decide when and where the work will be accomplished.
• Must determine the quantities of plants, seeds, etc. needed for specific areas.
• Using own judgment, directs and performs tasks such as watering of all lawns, policing grounds, snow and ice removal, use of hand and power tools, mowing of lawns utilizing push type and riding lawn mowers, weed eaters, weeds flower beds, trims shrubs and trees, and mulches shrubs and flower areas.
• Cleaning all engineering storage areas when required.
• Responsible for the maintenance and minor repair of all equipment utilized by grounds maintenance.
• Knowledge of the use of grounds equipment, mowers, weed-eaters, snow blowers, hand tools, tractor, edger, fork-lift and street sweepers, and will be required to do maintenance and preventive maintenance of all grounds equipment.
• Diagnosing and controlling plant diseases, planting and transplanting plants and proper watering practices.
• Determining the proper type, time of season and application of fertilizers and herbicides for contractor application.
• Trimming and pruning plants as needed to maintain growth and appearance.
• Reproducing plants through cutting, grafting, rooting and the layering process.
• Performing maintenance and repair on all sprinkler systems.
• Ensuring that all equipment is maintained, is oiled and in safe operating condition before use, must properly clean and check equipment before storing, and report to supervisor any equipment not in proper or safe operating condition.
• Performing other duties as assigned.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 7:30am to 4:00pm

Recruitment & Relocation Incentives: Not authorized

Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved

Conditions of employment

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Pre-employment physical required
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider:

• your performance and conduct;
• the needs and interests of the agency;
• whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and
• whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.

Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

Qualifications

PHYSICAL EFFORT AND WORK CONDITIONS: The employee performs in a physically demanding role that requires stamina, dexterity, and balance to perform the tasks assigned to this position. Employee must be physically fit, as work tasks require frequent walking, standing, bending, stooping, pushing of carts, lawnmowers, edger's and wheelbarrows. Work tasks may involve occasional lifting and carrying heavy (approximately 50 pounds) objects with frequent lifting and carrying of moderately heavy objects (up to 40 pounds) such as grass seed, trash bags, ice melt, containers, trimming, and waste. Other physical effort involves pulling, climbing, and working with hands overhead. Employee must have the ability to be on their feet for long periods, either standing, walking, or working off ladders. Must be able to climb ladders to prune and/or trim shrubs and trees. Physical demands are approximately 90% field work and 10% office work. The field portion will require that the employee perform service and maintenance-type work in all weather conditions, ranging from extreme summer heat to extreme winter cold. All work activities shall be performed in a way that ensures the safety of not only the incumbent, but colleagues and the public as well.

The employee shall be able to work in an office environment, sitting or standing for long periods, and in a field environment subject to extreme temperature conditions. Duties will require performance for long periods and may occur under all weather conditions to include hot, dry, wet, cold, and freezing conditions. Work may occur during daylight or after dark conditions when special care must be taken. The employee shall also frequently work around facility and site infrastructure systems to include electrical, pressurized liquids or gases, dust, dirt, soils, fumes, fuels, chemicals, solvents, and other potentially hazardous systems or compounds. Exposure to these environmental conditions exposes the employee to potential hazards. In the performance of the duties, the employee must be alert to these hazards, don appropriate PPE, and take measures necessary to deal with the working conditions before they present a safety hazard and cause injury.

Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualifications. For this position, the job element method is used to match what you, the applicant, can do against what the work calls for. Your knowledge, skills and abilities will be compared to the knowledge, skills and abilities (called job elements) needed for success. Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element (WG-2 and higher only; screen-outs are not applicable to WG-1). Applicants who appear to meet the screen out element are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated from consideration. The potential eligibles are rated against the remainder of the job elements. While a specific length of training and experience is not required, your responses to the questionnaire must be supported by detailed descriptions of your experience on your resume.

You will be rated on the following Job Elements as part of the assessment questionnaire for this position:

• Ability to Do the Work of the Position without More Than Normal Supervision
• Dexterity and Safety
• Interpret Instructions, Specifications (other than blueprint reading)
• Materials
• Measuring Instruments
• Technical Practices
• Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment

IMPORTANT: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. All experience listed on your resume must include the month and year start/end dates. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. If your resume does not support your questionnaire answers, we will not allow credit for your response(s).

Your responses to the assessment questionnaire will be reviewed along with the information provided in your resume and supporting documentation to determine if you are qualified for the position. If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and or experience, your rating may be lowered and/or you may lose consideration for this position. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

Candidates who apply under All U.S. Citizens announcements will be rated and ranked using Category Rating procedures. Qualified candidates will be assigned to a quality category. The categories are defined as follows:

• Best qualified - applicants possessing experience that substantially exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are highly proficient in all requirements of the job and can perform effectively in the position;
• Well qualified - applicants possessing experience that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in some, but not all, of the requirements of the job; and
• Qualified - applicants possessing experience and/or education that meets the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors.

Application of Veterans' Preference: Category rating and selection procedures place those with veteran's preference above non-preference eligibles within each category. Preference eligible applicants that meet the eligibility and qualification requirements and who have a compensable service-connected disability of at least 10 percent are listed in the highest quality category.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.