Senior Horticulture Technician (58784)

The City is seeking a dedicated and experienced Senior Horticulture Technician to join our team. This senior-level field position is responsible for performing, leading, and overseeing complex semi-skilled and skilled horticulture and landscape maintenance tasks across City parks, recreation centers, public buildings, and gateways.

As a crew lead, you will serve as a technical subject matter expert and hands-on leader, training crew members, coordinating daily work tasks, and ensuring high-quality results. You will play a vital role in maintaining the health, beauty, and safety of the City's urban canopy, landscape beds, irrigation systems, and park facilities.

Key Responsibilities & Essential Duties

Crew Leadership & Field Supervision:

• Train, guide, and direct crew members in daily maintenance tasks and proper equipment operation.
• Assign work, coordinate field operations, and ensure tasks are completed safely and efficiently.
• Provide coaching, support, and skill evaluations for crew members.

Horticulture & Landscape Management:

• Develop and implement maintenance plans for annual/perennial beds, bioswales, urban tree canopies, and facility grounds.
• Plan schedules for fertilizing, irrigation, and herbicide/pesticide/fungicide applications.
• Diagnose tree injuries and plant diseases; prescribe and apply appropriate treatments.
• Plan, oversee, and manage major landscape renovations and capital improvement projects, including managing external contractors and quality control.

Grounds, Facilities & Irrigation:

• Oversee general grounds maintenance for city parks, recreation areas, and public spaces.
• Manage and maintain park irrigation systems, including installation, routine maintenance, and repairs.
• Oversee playground equipment maintenance and safety repairs.

Equipment Operation & Maintenance:

• Operate vehicles and heavy equipment, including dump trucks (11,000 lbs GVW), pickup trucks, vans, skid loaders, tractors, front-deck mowers, and towed trailers.
• Safely operate and perform minor maintenance on power tools and small machinery (chainsaws, string trimmers, hedge clippers, leaf/snow blowers, generators, air compressors, etc.).
• Maintain tool inventories, ensuring special tools and equipment are available and well-maintained.

The City of Wentzville is committed to being an employer of choice, offering prosperous and meaningful career opportunities and flexibility. The City offers excellent benefits, including health, vision, dental, employer-paid life insurance, long-term disability, a retirement pension, 13 paid holidays, five personal days, vacation time, sick time, tuition reimbursement, an employee assistance program, a discounted recreation center membership and much more.

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This job posting will remain open until a sufficient number of qualified applicants are received.

Job Qualifications - Education, experience, and training that are required or desirable in order to effectively perform the job at the time of hire. An equivalent combination of education, training, and experience will be considered. Additional requirements and/or substitutions may be requested and require the approval of HR.

• Minimum of five years of experience in tree care, landscaping, or irrigation maintenance required, two years in a leadership role preferred.

• Job-relevant certification/license, vocational/technical program completion, or completion of apprenticeship required. College-level coursework that includes business, sport turf management, or a related field preferred.

• Additional job-related advanced degrees or certifications may be considered in lieu of experience.

• Journey-level experience in landscaping, tree maintenance or related trade required.

• Experience in interpreting and working from landscaping blueprints and/or specifications required.

• Certifications preferred, or ability to obtain within 180 days of employment required:

• Missouri Department of Agriculture Applicators license with Category 3 Ornamental and Turf Certification

• Certified Arborist credential

• Valid Class B CDL with airbrake endorsement

• Must possess or be able to obtain a First-Aid/CPR certification within one year of hire date.

• Valid drivers license is required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities - May be representative, but not all-inclusive, of those knowledge, skills, and abilities commonly associated with this position.

• Thorough knowledge of the principles, practices, methods, tools, and materials used in the construction, maintenance, and repair of landscaped areas and urban forestry.
• Thorough knowledge of principles and practices of horticulture, landscape construction, turf management, landscape planning, and landscape/grounds maintenance.
• Thorough knowledge of most current industry's irrigation system brands (Toro, Rain Bird, Hunter) including operation, programming, design, maintenance and seasonal adjustments.
• General knowledge of safety procedures and precautions associated with outdoor green industry services and in establishing safe working zones with respect to traffic control.
• General knowledge of preventive maintenance associated with small equipment maintenance.
• General knowledge of personal computers, including word processing software, performing internet searches and downloading, importing and e-mailing photos and other documents.
• Ability to inspect plant materials and properly diagnose disease and pest infestations and recommend appropriate programs of treatment.
• Ability to safely and efficiently operate motorized equipment such as push and riding mowers, utility vehicles, golf carts, mechanical trenchers, backpack blowers, and sprayers.
• Ability to read and understand site plan drawings, technical specification manuals and schematics, and provide 'as built' revisions to the approved plans as it pertains to underground irrigation systems and landscape improvements.
• Ability to photo document projects proficiently to include downloading pictures to appropriate back-up or to share with interested parties.
• Ability to properly use hand tools such as hammers, wrenches, picks, shovels, spades, rakes, loppers, saws, or similar tools.
• Ability to communicate effectively and professionally with supervisors, co-workers, and customers by telephone, in writing, and in person.
• Ability to use good judgment and think rationally in difficult or stressful situations.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment.
• Ability to anticipate and complete tasks based on defined processes and timelines.
• Ability to effectively organize and prioritize routine, non-routine, and complex tasks to meet deadlines.
• Ability to concentrate on multiple tasks simultaneously and to follow through on processes from end-to-end.
• Ability to work independently under moderate supervision and make responsible decisions.
• Ability to proficiently use basic business software (word processing, spreadsheets, email, presentations) and basic office equipment.
• Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions, and subsequently to complete required reports and maintenance records/logs.
• Ability to safety drive vehicles used to transport materials, tools, and equipment.
• Regular attendance is a necessary and essential job duty. Job requires being reliable, responsible and dependable.