Department:
Parks Recreation and Natural Resources
Start Here. Grow Here. Stay Here.
Love the Outdoors? Join Our Natural Areas and Trails Team!
Join the Natural Areas and Trails (NAT) team and help keep our parks and trails in top shape! This hands-on role combines outdoor work with light to heavy physical tasks, including trail maintenance, fence repair, basic carpentry, and general park upkeep. You’ll also gain experience using a variety of small gas-powered tools and support janitorial duties as needed.
Apply today and make a visible impact on our community’s natural spaces!
About the Position
- Provide excellent customer service and enforce park rules
- Perform general grounds and trail maintenance using small equipment (lawnmowers, weed eaters, edgers, leaf blowers, chainsaws, pressure washers) and troubleshoot minor repairs
- Conduct supplemental janitorial duties and routine maintenance of park facilities, including historic structures, common areas, parking lots, and amenities
- Perform simple carpentry tasks, such as repairing fences, picnic tables, and benches
- Assist with special events and programs, including setup, monitoring, cleanup, and closing
- Conduct park patrols and inspections to ensure safety, cleanliness, and proper facility function
- Maintain daily work logs and report safety hazards or maintenance issues to supervisors
- Participate in team projects, including invasive plant control, trail maintenance, and fence clearing
- Operate independently or as part of a team with a high degree of initiative and decision-making
Work Hours:
- Sunday - Thursday
- 7:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
- -OR- 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Schedule is based on business needs
About You
Minimum Qualifications:
- High School Diploma or its equivalent
- One (1) year of experience performing repairs and performing related work in the care and maintenance of parks, facilities and amenities, trails, grounds, or other similar applicable experience
- Valid Florida driver's license by time of hire.
Preferred "BONUS" Qualifications:
- Possession of a Natural Areas Pesticide Applicators License or the ability to work with license holders for herbicide treatment of nuisance and invasive plants
- General operation and maintenance skills with driving a 4-wheel vehicle, power equipment, hand tools and small landscape equipment
- Ability to perform manual labor for extended periods, often under hot and humid conditions
- Knowledge of or capacity to learn a work request management system and Smartsheet reporting
Physical Demands: May occasionally lift and/or move more than 50 pounds, with assistance
Subject to Passing Substance Screening: This position is subject to passing a pre-employment substance screening. An applicant who fails to pass a required drug screening test shall be disqualified from employment in any class for a period of five (5) years
About Everything Else
Starting Pay Rate: $18.21/hr (Step 1)
Potential higher pay (steps) for those with multiple years of experience
Our interview process could include phone interview(s), Microsoft Teams video interview(s), and/or in-person interview(s).
If you are selected to join our team, please click on this link to review the Required First Day Documents. You will need to present the following items on your first day:
1. I-9 Acceptable Documents to show your identity and authorization to work. Use this link to learn more and review the different document options: https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents
- If your position requires a Florida Driver’s License, this must be one of your documents. (Your Florida Driver’s License can serve as one of your documents listed in link above – List B Documents.)
2. U.S. Social Security Card (signed, physical card). This is a requirement of our Payroll Department and failure to provide this document could jeopardize timely compensation. (Your U.S. Social Security Card can serve as one of your documents listed in link above – List C Documents.)
Benefits:
- Enjoy great benefits including Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance, Short-Term and Long-Term Disability, Flexible Spending Accounts, Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Florida Retirement System (FRS) and many, many more! Choose one of three great medical plans, including one with a $0 premium option, with completed preventative visits!
- For more information about employee benefits, please click this link or visit SCGov.net for additional information.
- Utilize our award-winning wellness program including free gyms at multiple Sarasota County Government locations.
- Enjoy 11 paid holidays, 3 personal days and 16 paid vacation days in the first year of full-time employment with increasing accrual rates with years of service. (That adds up to a possible 30 days off in your 1st year!)
A different blend of voices prompt better conversations, choices and results for everyone. Sarasota County – Many Voices, One Team.
We celebrate and value the experiences, backgrounds, perspectives, talents and strengths that make us different.
Our vision is to attract, develop, retain and engage a talented workforce broadly representative of the citizens and communities we serve. To further value creativity, innovation, collaboration and great customer service – internally and externally.
A job applicant with a disability who requires reasonable accommodation to participate in the application/selection process is requested to make known the need for an accommodation to Human Resources or appropriate county staff members. For assistance with the application, please call 941-861-5353.
Sarasota County prohibits discrimination in all services, programs or activities. View the complete policy at scgov.net (keywords: ADA Compliance).
Sarasota County Government is a Tobacco-Free/Drug-Free Workplace.