Gardener – Urban Forestry - Public Works (3417 TEX)

Company Description

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below.

This recruitment may be used to fill positions in this or other divisions.

Application Opening: Thursday, October 16, 2025
Application Deadline: Apply immediately. Application filing will be open at least through Wednesday, October 22, 2025, and will close any time thereafter.
Salary Range: $78,884 - $95,992 Annually
Recruitment IDs: TEX- 3417-158131, RTF0158130-01129527;
                              TEX- 3417-158131, RTF0158130-01129528;
                              TEX- 3417-158131, RTF0158130-01137881;
                              TEX- 3417-158131, RTF0158130-01137882;
                              TEX- 3417-158131, RTF0158130-01137883;

Appointment Type: Temporary-Exempt (TEX), Category 18: This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer and shall not exceed 36 months.

San Francisco Public Works (Public Works) has a far-reaching portfolio with a $453 million annual operating budget, an active capital portfolio that exceeds $3 billion and a workforce of 1,700-plus employees. The department operates around the clock, touching every neighborhood in San Francisco. The staff designs and manages the construction of civic buildings and streets; cleans and greens the right of way; maintains civic buildings; manages multi-million-dollar bond programs; trains people for jobs; keeps the right of way free of hazards; paves the roads; repairs bridges and public stairways; expands accessibility; and works at the forefront addressing some of San Francisco’s biggest challenges. With a mission to enhance the quality of life in San Francisco for residents, visitors and business owners, Public Works is committed to providing outstanding public service through an equity lens.

Please visit the “About Us” section of our website at https://www.sfpublicworks.org/about to learn more about the department’s core values, Racial Equity Initiative, leadership team, history, budget and more.

The Bureau of Urban Forestry (BUF) oversees median maintenance, tree planting, and the healthy maintenance of the 124,000-plus city-owned trees through the voter-backed StreetTreeSF program. In addition, our dedicated crews repair sidewalks and build curb ramps to advance safety and accessibility for the communities across San Francisco. Read more here: Public Works and Our City's Trees.

Public Works currently has multiple vacancies for Gardener (3417) positions within the Bureau of Urban Forestry - Landscaping division.

Job Description

Under general supervision, as a Gardener, you will perform routine maintenance and landscaping renovation tasks to care for athletic fields, squares, parks, playgrounds, stadiums, thoroughfares, medians and/or other landscaped areas. You will prepare soil by rototilling, spading and fertilizing; maintain plants by planting, transplanting, cultivating, irrigating and pruning; identify a large variety of plant material and their cultural requirements; identify pests and diseases, perform techniques such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to control or mitigate the pests and diseases; maintain lawns by raking, edging, mowing, watering, weeding, aerating, fertilizing, and over seeding; maintain grounds by clearing brush and debris, sweeping and raking public activity areas, cleaning up litter and clearing drains; changing sprinkler heads when required; operate power and manual equipment and/or tools such as mowers, watering equipment, gopher traps, and other types of gardening equipment and/or tools; perform routine maintenance on landscaping equipment and/or tools to ensure they are in good working condition; and perform general maintenance tasks on grounds and facilities to ensure clean and safe premises.

Important and Essential Duties:
Your duties as a Gardener may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Prepares soil by rototilling, grading, spading, and fertilizing to promote plant growth and to prevent drainage problems.
• Maintains plants by planting, transplanting, cultivating, irrigating and pruning to promote plant growth and to prevent plant deterioration.
• Identifies and destroys pests and diseases on plants and/or lawn areas by performing techniques such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to control and/or mitigate the pests and diseases.
• Maintains lawn areas by raking, edging