Summary This position serves as a gardener within the Facilities Management Section at the Kansas City VA Medical Center. The incumbent is required to work with minimal supervision to perform a wide variety of duties to improve and maintain the appearance of lawns, trees, shrubs, plants, walkways, recreational areas, roads and parking lots at this facility. Responsibilities The duties of this position include but are not limited to: Perform seasonal gardening tasks such as fertilizing, preparing seedbeds, transplanting, laying sod, aerating, pruning, and trimming a variety of plants, seeds, and plant materials. Applying chemical according to specific instructions. Use of a variety of hand and power operated garden tools including seeders, spreaders, edgers, pruning shears, and sprayers. Measure, prepare and apply water, seed, fertilizer, and chemical control agents using mechanical spreaders and sprayers. Lay sod, mow, trim, aerates and lawn areas. Use heavy equipment such as chain saws and power mowers. Cleans, oils, adjusts blades on power mowers. Duties include work which requires mainly physical abilities and effort in doing laboring duties. Frequent walking, standing, pushing, bending, and stooping is required. Frequent lifting of heavy objects such as bags of fertilizer and grass seed required. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 6:30 am to 2:30 pm Position Description Title/PD#: Gardener/PD08299A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with VA. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary/trial period Subject to background/security investigation Pre-employment physical required Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/29/2025. EXPERIENCE: A specific length of training and experience is not required, but you must show evidence of training or experience of sufficient scope and quality of your ability to do the work of this position. Evidence which demonstrates you possess the knowledge, skills, and ability to perform the duties of this position must be supported by detailed descriptions of such on your resume. Applicants will be rated in accordance with the OPM Federal Wage System Qualification Standards. SCREEN-OUT ELEMENT: Your qualifications will first be evaluated against the prescribed screen out element, which usually appears as question 1 in the on-line questionnaire. Those applicants who appear to possess at least the minimal acceptable qualification requirement are considered for further rating; those who do not are rated ineligible and are eliminated. The potential eligibles are then rated against the remainder of the Job Elements: Dexterity and Safety Interpret Instructions, Specifications (other than blueprint reading) Measuring Instruments Technical Practices Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Without more than normal supervision 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; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Work will be performed over 96 acres and, as such, requires frequent walking and the use of a tractor for transportation of equipment and materials. Frequent bending, stooping and standing are required due to the nature of the work. The gardener will climb ladders to prune, plant material or to place Christmas lights. He/she will be required to lift heavy objects such as fertilizer, salt, plant material and maneuver loaded wheelbarrows. Working Conditions: The majority of work is done outdoors. The gardener will be subject to discomfort from long periods of heat and humidity, cold, wind, rain and snow, and will perform responsibilities with minimum interruption under these conditions. He/ she will be exposed to chemical sprays and dusts. He/she will be provided protective clothing and equipment such as gloves, respirator, safety shoes and boots. During periods of extreme weather, such as heavy rain or severe cold, the incumbent may be given assignments to assist other members of the section in moving materials and equipment, shop maintenance and other tasks which may be outside the range of gardening. Education Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
