Grounds Maintenance Worker - Catholic Cemeteries

Diocese of St. Augustine•St. Augustine, FL

10h

About The Position

Grounds Maintenance personnel work in a team environment maintaining the cemetery grounds and buildings, ensuring that they are safe, clean, and aesthetically appealing with a focus on continuous improvement. Responsibilities include preparing graves and burial work (installing vaults, concrete crypts, and urns), sodding, seeding, fertilizing, monument and marker setting, operating equipment, and performing other duties as assigned.

Requirements

The ability to respect, promote, accommodate, and not be in conflict with the mission, moral and social teachings, doctrines, and laws of the Roman Catholic Church.
Must maintain a high level of attention to grounds maintenance and repair in terms of quality, detail, and a sense of pride in workmanship.
Must have the ability and experience to work in a team environment.
High school diploma or equivalent is preferred.
Ability to operate hand and ride lawnmowers, trimmers, chainsaws, and knowledge of irrigation procedures and basic irrigation and sprinkler repair is preferred.
Two years of experience in groundskeeping or landscaping is preferred.
Must consistently demonstrate a positive, friendly, respectful and caring attitude with colleagues, the public, and all one serves in word and deed, projecting a welcoming atmosphere to all who visit the cemeteries.
Must successfully pass the required criminal background check prior to employment and must maintain a satisfactory background check.

Responsibilities

Regular attendance is essential for this position with availability for Saturday internments when necessary.
Ensures that the maintenance log/checklist of duties (daily, weekly, quarterly, yearly) as established by the Foreman, are completed in a timely manner, and ready for inspection by the Foreman.
Attends weekly meetings with the Foreman and maintenance team to plan the maintenance priorities for the week and to ensure all issues are completed in a timely manner.
Maintains all aspects of cemetery grounds and buildings including, but not limited to: trimming, edging, mowing, pesticide and herbicide applications, pruning, weeding, planter bed maintenance, picking up trash, and light custodial work.
Cleans mausoleums, statues, interior and exterior glass, and vacuums carpets.
Responsible to maintain a level of personal grooming and appearance befitting the respectful environment of a Catholic place of interment. This includes neatly trimmed hair and beard, serviceable work shirts and shorts or trousers (no holes, rips, tears, wrinkled attire) and properly displaying and wearing diocesan-issued badges, and patches if issued in the future.
Responsible for all aspects of preparation such as digging and setting up graves, teardown, tamping of the grave, and landscaping of both the casket and cremation internment services. This includes proper installation and operation of any shoring, boards, lowering devices, pumps, and other graveside amenities that are required.
Ensures that all burial services and memorial placements at the cemetery are completed accurately and in a timely manner, in keeping with established policies/procedures and as directed by supervisors.
Follows all safety rules and regulations. Brings safety concerns to the attention of the Foreman in a timely manner.
Works at multiple locations within Catholic Cemeteries.
Responds to work orders in a timely manner.
Locates and marks graves, foundations, mausoleum crypts, and lawn-level memorials.
Assists visitors with the location of gravesites in a caring and professional manner utilizing available resources such as cemetery maps and internment records.
Responsible for the safe and reverent transport of human remains, lowering of a casket, opening and closing of a grave, crypt, or niche.
Safely operates all cemetery equipment such as excavators, vault carriers, dump trucks, hand and ride lawnmowers, etc.
Mixes and pours concrete to construct foundations for grave monuments. Sets lawn flush markers in accordance with cemetery rules and regulations.
Affixes appliques and vases to crypt or niche fronts using appropriate fastening techniques.
Repairs and performs preventative maintenance on tools and equipment. Provides input regarding needed supplies and equipment; communicates any equipment maintenance required to the Foreman.
Ensures the maintenance building is in a clean, safe condition, tools and equipment are stored properly; as well as chemicals, paints, and other industrial liquids that are clearly marked with their contents.
Responsible for seeding, sodding, fertilizing, weed control, planting, pruning, riding and hand mowing, insect control, open/close cemetery, etc. when necessary.
Performs other related duties as assigned by the supervisor.