Clarification from the agency

See "Who May Apply" in the "Qualifications" section for more information on who is eligible to apply for this position.

• Plans and carries out gardening work based on project plans, master landscape, long-range facility plans, and supervisor guidance, making independent judgments within the framework of good gardening practices.
• Applies technical knowledge and understanding of growth characteristics of different varieties of shrubs and trees, common diseases and infestation by pests of trees, shrubs and lawns.
• Operates equipment used in landscape maintenance and turf management.
• Assists in the repair and maintenance of gasoline and diesel powered and tractor drawn lawn mowers and other types of grounds maintenance equipment.

Conditions of employment

• Appointment may be subject to a suitability or fitness determination, as determined by a completed background investigation.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain appropriate Secret security clearance and/or background investigation.
• Incumbent is subject to travel TDY up to 15%, to perform assigned duties.
• Incumbent must be able to obtain and maintain operator's licenses/certifications to use a variety of equipment, tractors, and motor vehicles.
• Incumbent must obtain and maintain North Carolina State license/certification requirements for Public Pesticide Operator (Ground) for ornamental and turf pesticides.
• Must attend annual North Carolina re-certification training sessions for continuing certification credit hours (as required by NC State law).
• This position requires the incumbent to participate in training exercises which would require the incumbent to perform normal job functions in a more austere field environment.
• Incumbent is subject to a pre-appointment physical, as well as an annual physical.
• Incumbent is subject to heavy lifting in excess of 45 lbs.
• Incumbent is subject to work in extreme weather conditions.
• This is a drug testing designated position, and requires the incumbent to complete a drug test examination prior to appointment and periodically thereafter.
• Incumbent is required to wear a uniform.
• Incumbent is subject to wear protective equipment, e.g., respirators, safety glasses, etc.

Qualifications

Who May Apply: Only applicants who meet one of the employment authority categories below are eligible to apply for this job. You will be asked to identify which category or categories you meet, and to provide documents which prove you meet the category or categories you selected. See Proof of Eligibility for an extensive list of document requirements for all employment authorities.

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). You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.

There is no specific length of training or experience required. However, you must be able to demonstrate, through experience shown in your written application materials that you possess the sufficient knowledge, skills, and abilities to successfully perform the work of this position without more than normal supervision.

Minimum Qualifications (Screen Out Element): Ability to do the work of an GARDENER (MOTOR VEHICLE OPERATOR) without more than normal supervision: 1) Propagating and cultivating plants and performing gardening work; 2) Pruning and trimming shrubs, trees, and other plants to provide maintenance and care (e.g., proper balance between roots and top growth, natural form retention, increase fruit/flower production; 3) Utilizing hand and power tools (e.g., seeders, spreaders, edgers, hedge trimmers, pruning shears, sprayers, spades, hoes, rakes, mowers) to complete work assignments; and 4) Recommending plants for particular purposes (e.g., shade, boundary lines, ground cover, erosion control, or pleasing appearance). I work under supervision of a work leader or journey-level employee who reviews my work for completion.

Work requires frequent walking, standing, pushing of carts and wheelbarrows, bending, and stooping. Climb ladders. Hand, foot and eye coordination is necessary when operating motor vehicles. Routinely lifts objects up to 50 pounds. with some as high as 100 pounds. Lifting includes plant materials, attachments for tractors and mobile equipment, fertilizer, seed, chemicals, fallen logs from storms, brush, and small engines. Routinely holds 15 pound equipment while weed eating for 4 hours or more. Routinely carries and operates 50 pound backpack sprayers or backpack blowers for 4 hours or more. Wears protective clothing to include respirator for up to 2 hours at a time depending on weather conditions while applying pesticides.

Work is done outside in hot, humid, rainy or cold and windy weather. Work is conducted in extreme cold conditions or up through category 5 heat conditions. There is discomfort due to exposure to hot sun, dirt, dust, and chemical sprays. Incumbent must wear protective clothing such as gloves, goggles, safety shoes, and boots. Hazards include danger of inhaling insecticides or absorbing through the skin. Employee is required to wear protective clothing and equipment in accordance with established health and safety laws. Employee subject to cuts and/or injury from construction, grounds equipment, toxic chemicals, insect and reptile bites. Employee subject to fall from ladder or slip on hard wet/icy surfaces while performing gardening duties.

How you will be evaluated

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

Once the announcement has closed, a review of your application package (resume, supporting documents, and responses to the questionnaire) will be used to determine whether you meet the qualification requirements listed on this announcement. Please follow all instructions carefully when applying, errors or omissions may affect your eligibility.

If, after reviewing your resume and/or supporting documentation, a determination is made that you have inflated your qualifications and/or experience, you may lose consideration for this position.

You may claim Military Spouse preference.

You may claim Priority Placement Program (PPP) preference.

Interagency Career Transition Assistance Program (ICTAP). If you are a Federal employee in the competitive service and your agency has notified you in writing that you are a displaced employee eligible for ICTAP consideration, you may receive selection priority for this position. To receive selection priority, you must: (1) meet ICTAP eligibility criteria (2) be rated well-qualified for the position and; (3) submit the appropriate documentation to support your ICTAP eligibility. To be considered well-qualified and receive selection priority applicants must satisfy all qualification requirements for the position and receive a score of 90 or above. Additional information about the program is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website.

The documents you are required to submit vary based on the authority you are using to apply (i.e., applying as a veteran, applying as a current permanent Federal employee, applying as a reinstatement, etc). Please review the following links to see which documents you need to provide to prove your eligibility to apply: Applicant Checklist for Internal/Merit Promotion Announcements

As described above, your complete application includes your resume, your responses to the online questionnaire, and documents which prove your eligibility to apply. If you fail to provide these documents, you will be marked as having an incomplete application package and you will not be considered any further.

1. Your resume:

• Your resume must be two pages or less and must support the specialized experience described in this announcement. Resumes exceeding two pages will be removed from consideration.
• For each relevant work experience, make sure you include the employer's name, job title, start and end dates (include month and year), for qualifications purposes, the number of hours worked per week, and a brief description that show you can perform the tasks at the required level listed in the job announcement. If your resume does not contain this information, your application may be marked as incomplete, and you may not receive consideration for this position.
• Use plain language. Avoid using acronyms and terms that are not easily understood. The hiring agency will not make assumptions about what's in your resume.
• If your resume includes a photograph or other inappropriate material or content, it will not be used to make eligibility and qualification determinations, and you may not be considered for this vacancy.
• For additional information, to include formatting tips, see: What to include in your resume.

2. Other supporting documents:

• Cover Letter, optional
• Most recent Performance Appraisal, if applicable
• Proof of Eligibility to Apply: Your application must include the documents which prove you are eligible to apply for the vacancy. The Proof of Eligibility document describes authorities commonly used in merit promotion recruitment and what document(s) are required to prove you meet the requirements of the authority. You must meet the requirements of at least one of the authorities listed in the Who May Apply section above to receive further consideration.

NOTE: Documents submitted as part of the application package, to include supplemental documents, may be shared beyond the Human Resources Office. Some supplemental documents such as military orders and marriage certificates may contain personal information for someone other than you. You may sanitize these documents to remove another person's personal information before you submit your application. You may be asked to provide an un-sanitized version of the documents if you are selected to confirm your eligibility.

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