Groundskeeper

Employment Opportunity – Groundskeeper – Full-Time

The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens seeks a dedicated Groundskeeper to help maintain the beauty and integrity of the Museum’s gardens, lawns, and outdoor spaces. The Groundskeeper is responsible for helping to ensure that the gardens are safe, attractive, and welcoming for visitors. This role requires attention to detail, horticultural knowledge, and a commitment to preserving the historical and aesthetic significance of the Cummer’s grounds. Candidates should have a passion for gardens and public spaces and become an integral part of our team. Reporting to the Doolittle Family Director of Gardens and Horticulture, this position plays a pivotal role in advancing our vision to achieve excellence in horticulture and aesthetics.

Duties

• Support the Museum’s mission, vision, and values by exhibiting the following behaviors: excellence and competence, collaboration, innovation, respect of the individual, commitment to our community, accountability, and ownership.
• Maintain lawns, gardens, trees, shrubs, and plantings through mowing, trimming, weeding, pruning, fertilizing, mulching, and watering.
• Monitor and care for the health of plants, identifying and treating diseases or pest infestations as needed.
• Assist with seasonal planting, flower bed rotation, and landscape design implementation.
• Maintain walkways, fountains, outdoor furniture, and other garden features, ensuring safety and cleanliness.
• Operate, maintain, and repair landscaping equipment, tools, and irrigation systems.
• Assist with setup and teardown for outdoor garden-related events and exhibitions.
• Monitor and comply with environmental, safety, and horticultural standards.
• Collaborate with Museum staff to ensure the gardens align with the Museum’s aesthetic and visitor experience goals.
• Clean and maintain structural elements in the gardens with emphasis on approved fountains, pools, and walkways.
• Blow leaves from walkways and lawns.
• Weed, water, mulch, deadhead, fertilize, and prune as instructed by the Director of Gardens & Horticulture.
• Complete basic irrigation repairs.
• Assist with inclement weather preparation, including completing safety checks, and inventorying garden furniture and objects.
• Ensure that the garden and surrounding areas are free of garbage and debris.
• Assist the gardener with plant propagation and other plant-related needs.
• Apply all appropriate risk management steps to ensure the safety and security of the grounds, visitors, and staff.
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• High school diploma or equivalent; additional coursework or certification in horticulture, landscaping, or grounds maintenance preferred.
• One year of professional experience in gardening, landscaping, or grounds maintenance with knowledge of horticultural practices, plant care, and landscape maintenance required.
• Ability to operate landscaping equipment safely.
• Strong attention to detail and pride in maintaining visually appealing grounds.
• Physical ability to perform manual labor, including lifting, bending, and working outdoors in various weather conditions.
• Good communication skills and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.
• Passion for excellence, especially pertaining to ensuring the highest quality visitor experience.
• Capacity to perform physical labor in a variety of weather conditions.
• Valid Florida driver’s license, or the ability to obtain one within a reasonable timeframe.
• Ability to communicate in English is required.
• Requires lifting/pushing/pulling 50 to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 25 to 50 pounds of force frequently, and/or 10 to 20 pounds of force consistently.
• Must be able to safely climb and work from ladders, including performing tasks overhead.
• Ability to smell smoke and other chemicals.
• Must be able to work in all weather conditions.
• Must be available to work weekends needed.

Working Conditions and Physical Requirements:

• Telemedicine coverage.
• 403b retirement plan with match up to 5%.
• Early Access to exhibitions before public access.
• Reciprocal membership and admission access to over 2,000 gardens and institutions through:

o AHS (American Horticultural Society)

o NARM (North American Reciprocal Museum Association)

o ROAM (Reciprocal Organization of Associated Museums)

• Discounts in café and Museum store.
• Competitive compensation with opportunity for professional development.
• Did we mention this is a museum and historical gardens? We’re surrounded by beauty.

Our Mission: To create art, garden, and learning experiences that spark discovery and well-being.

Remote work: N/A

Hourly Rate $18

Resume required.

Qualified applicants send résumé to the Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens, Attn: Human Resources Department, 829 Riverside Avenue, Jacksonville, FL 32204 or jobs@cummermuseum.org

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $18.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Benefits:

• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid jury duty
• Paid time off
• Parental leave
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Work Location: In person