City and County of Denver

Open Space Parks Crew Lead – Denver Parks & Recreation

Greater Denver Area Full time

About Our Job

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose — for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills, and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive, and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

What We Offer

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The starting pay range for this position is $29.56– $37.69/hour based on experience and education. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

  • A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service

  • 457B Retirement Plan

  • 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 11 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday and 1 volunteer day per year

  • Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

Location

This position will work Monday – Thursday, 6:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m., with some weekends as needed to accommodate special events or emergency response. This position will report to the City Park Greenhouse, 2500 E 23rd Ave, Denver, CO 80205.

What You’ll Do

Denver Parks and Recreation is seeking an Open Spaces Crew Lead to perform lead work over a crew involved in Denver’s Open Spaces and natural areas maintenance operations. This is a great opportunity for a budding leader to build on their leadership and Open Space management skills while contributing to the resiliency and sustainability of the city’s natural resources!

Job duties and responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Plan and perform noxious weed management practices including applying herbicides, as well as a variety of mechanical and cultural techniques

  • Operate and maintain hand tools, small power tools and other equipment including mowers, string trimmers, chainsaws, tractors, backpack sprayers and UTV mounted sprayers

  • Lead and work in the field with a crew that performs parks maintenance tasks and operations in support of Denver’s Open Spaces

  • Train employees in the day-to-day procedures of the work unit and proficiency in individual knowledge, skills, and abilities essential to work tasks

  • Oversee work to ensure quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of unit activities and output

  • Implement safety standards, ensure compliance, and prepare work records and reports; responsible for overseeing the safety of employees during work operations and making swift and sound judgements to sustain safety

  • Resolve problems, mediate conflicts encountered during daily operations, determine appropriate solutions, and promote teamwork; receive formal and informal grievances and conduct preliminary discussions for settlement when necessary

  • Encourage regular communication with and inform staff or relevant stakeholders of necessary business issues and their impact on the organization

  • Interact with the public in a courteous and respectful manner; form strong and effective working relationships with internal and external stakeholders

  • Plan and perform natural and soft surface trail maintenance

  • Assist in conducting hiring interviews and selecting candidates for job openings

  • Develop goals, document performance, provide performance feedback and formally evaluate the work of employees; provide reward and recognition for proper and efficient performance and assist staff in continual improvement and goal achievement

What You’ll Bring

We value diversity of ethnicity, race, socioeconomic status, sexual identity, gender, religion, language, ability, and experience and exemplify this through the makeup of our team at all levels. You'll be right at home here if you cultivate strong relationships and push yourself, your work, the people around you, and Denver to the next level.

We are looking for a reliable and dedicated professional with growing leadership skills. Our ideal candidate will have strong relationship-building and communication skills. Additionally, our ideal candidate will have:

  • Experience with noxious weed management, GIS, and native restoration work

  • Experience with equipment operation (e.g. trailers, chainsaws, mowers, tractors, seeders, and pesticide application equipment)

  • Experience coordinating and leading landscape maintenance teams

  • Ability to obtain a Qualified Supervisor Pest Control Certificate in Rangeland Pest Control (107) and Turf Pest Control (206) for application of restricted chemicals from the Colorado Department of Agriculture by the end of probation.

Required Minimum Qualifications

  • Education: Graduation from high school or the possession of a GED, HiSET or TASC Certificate

  • Experience: Three (3) years of experience as a member of a crew performing a wide variety of construction, maintenance, and repair work

  • Licensures/Certification(s): Requires a valid Driver's License at the time of application. Completion of the Office of Human Resources' supervisory training courses prior to the end of the probationary period. Acquisition of a Qualified Supervisor Pest Control Certificate in Rangeland Pest Control (107) and Turf Pest Control (206) prior to the end of the probationary period. Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment

  • Equivalency: Additional appropriate education may be substituted for the minimum experience requirements

Application Deadline

This position is expected to stay open until May 22nd, 2026 Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than May 22nd, 2026 at 11:59 pm MST

About Everything Else

Job Profile

CJ1869 Crew Lead

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

Position Type

Unlimited

Position Salary Range

$29.56 - $45.82

Target Pay

$29.56– $37.69/hour based on experience and education

Agency

Parks and Recreation

Redeployment during Citywide Emergencies

City and County of Denver employees may be re-deployed to work in other capacities in their own agencies or in other city agencies to support core functions of the city during a citywide emergency declared by the Mayor.

The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law. 

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Jobs@Denvergov.org with three business days’ notice.

Applicants for employment with the City and County of Denver must have valid work authorization that does not require sponsorship of a visa for employment authorization in the U.S.

For information about right to work, click here for English or here for Spanish.