Summary This position is located in the Grounds and Transportation Section of the Environmental Management Service Line (EMS) at VA Puget Sound Health Care System (VAPSHCS), Seattle, Washington. Responsibilities Perform seasonal gardening tasks such as preparing soil to be planted with flowers, shrubs, trees and other varieties of vegetation. Mow lawns, weed-eat, trim, and prune shrubs and trees and maintain flowers, shrubs and lawns. Apply herbicides and insecticides. Collect and dispose of outside debris and garbage. Remove snow from roadways, sidewalks, parking lots, steps and entrances. Install exterior signs, sweeps, shovels, cleans, drains, digs and fills in holes, ditches and trenches with pick and shovel when requested. Operate vehicles to transport personnel, supplies and/or equipment including pickup trucks, panel trucks, flatbed trucks, in a restricted traffic environment on and between government installations. Manage the height, width, length, and weight of vehicles in order to operate the vehicles safely on short runs following limited or prescribed routes. Recognize developing maintenance problems when conducting inspections of vehicles and report technical problems to the supervisor. Use a variety of hand and power-operated garden tools and equipment such as seeders, spreaders, edgers, hedge trimmers, pruning shears and sprayers. Perform other duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 6:00 AM to 2:30 PM PDT. Position Description Title/PD#: Gardener (Motor Vehicle Operator)/PD40705A and PD40703A Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not authorized. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorize. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 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). The Selected Applicant must possess a valid driver's license as a condition of continued employment. 5 CFR § 330.502 - General restriction on movement after competitive appointment applies. As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period or trial period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/28/2026. DRIVING REQUIREMENT: Must have an unrestricted State Driver's License. Must be cleared (upon hire) by Occupational Health to drive a government vehicle. 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: Drive Safely Interpret Instructions, Specifications (includes blueprint reading) Motor Vehicles Operate Safely (Non-Motor Vehicle) Reliability And Dependability Without more than normal supervision Work Practices 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: The work requires frequent walking, standing, pushing of carts and wheelbarrows, bending and stooping. The incumbent occasionally climbs ladders to prune or trim and frequently lifts heavy objects such as bags of fertilizer, grass seed, etc. The incumbent also exerts light physical effort to operate hand and foot controls on the vehicles and frequently handles objects weighing up to 40 pounds when loading cargo. The incumbent, with assistance of other workers or weight handling equipment occasionally handles heavier objects while loading cargo. Moderate physical effort may be required to couple towed equipment to the vehicle. This position has a driving requirement. Working Conditions: The gardening work is performed outside, subject to long periods in the sun, or rainy weather and chilly or cold weather. Exposure to direct, dust, mud and chemical sprays may require wearing protective clothing such as gloves, safety shoes and boots. There is a chance of minor injuries such as bruises, cuts, and scrapes and occasionally the possibility of broken bones because of accidents or from falling objects when loading and unloading the vehicle. Education There is no educational substitute for this position. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit for 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.
