About This Position
The incumbent works in the Grounds Transportation Unit of Engineering Service under the direct supervision of the Grounds Transportation Unit Supervisor with assistance from the lead gardener, who coordinates, schedules, and assigns all grounds and gardening maintenance, transportation operations, equipment usage, and aerial lift work. Work includes gardening, mowing, leaf collection, snow removal according to seasonal or periodic demand, and station plans.
Qualifications
To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 05/27/2026. 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: Ability to Do the Work of the Position without More Than Normal Supervision Ability to Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment Dexterity and Safety Knowledge of Materials Technical Practices (Theoretical, Precise, Artistic) Use of Measuring Instruments 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/Working Conditions: Work requires frequent walking, standing, bending, stooping, climbing, turning, and moving of hands, arms, feet and legs: Strain is caused by the constant vibration of the equipment arid the jerking, and jolting from operating over rough surfaces. Climbing adders to trim, prune, cut and work on shrubs ·and trees required. Frequently lifts heavy items, such as fertilizer buckets or bags, grass seed, equipment, and furnishings up to 100 pounds.
Because of the location of some of the controls and attachments, the operator is frequently required to work in awkward or strained positions. Incumbent will be subject to a certain degree of discomfort from having to work outside for long periods of time. Exposed to long periods of hot sun, dust, freezing temperatures, bad weather (rain, damp, snow and hail), vibrations and jolting from some equipment.
Also subject to injury such as strains, fractures, cuts, and bruises from lifting , and handling heavy materials and equipment. He/she is exposed to chemicals, pesticides, humus, insecticides, herbicides, and fungicides.
Major Duties
Duties include but not limited to: Incumbent conducts seasonal gardening tasks including fertilizing, preparing seedbeds, transplanting, laying sod, aerating, pruning (trees and shrubs), trimming, and applying chemicals to grounds, plants and lawn according to schedules, project plans and regulations. He/she make determinations pertaining to suitability, weather, percent of moisture in the soil, and stage of plant growth to maintain the horticulture and beautify the station grounds. The gardener will start and maintain seasonal nursery or cold frame beds to assist inventory of proper plants on hand for specific seasons.
The gardener will select necessary fungicides, insecticides, herbicides for control of common plant diseases insects and weeds. Gardening practices also include seeding, treating soil, mowing, removing, bra9ing, and cabling trees or plant life which are diseased or injured, edge and weed a vast lawn, leaf collection, and mulching. Gardener is responsible to maintain a mulch pile for beds and grounds.
Incumbent operates vehicles grossing 5,000-22,000 pounds such as, cars, vans, trucks, buses and other vehicular means of patient transportation., He/she drives assigned vehicles to transport patients and employees around and to and from the station. He/she is responsible to enter vehicle usage and patient transport data into computer systems. The incumbent He/she drives long distances. to swap government vehicles and provide road side assistance to other government drivers.
He/she is responsible for the operation of a tractor w/attachments (disc, tiller, gill to prepare ground for seeding, etc.), farm type vehicles, any make or model of motor vehicle or motorized equipment, skip loader, street sweeper, backhoe/ dump-truck, ambulance or wheelchair van, lawn mowers of various sizes and configurations, four wheel tractor, aerial lift, bobcat, van or cargo vehicle and push/pulled operated equipment as assigned. Incumbent may load and unload patients from patient transport vehicles, cargo trucks and other conveyances; uncrates and unpacks supplies and equipment, operating hand tools, chainsaws, trimmers, edger's, and inspects all equipment for oil, gas, hydraulic fluid, fuel, water, and greasing all fittings. The incumbent assists the automotive mechanic as assigned to perform maintenance on large equipment as described above.
He/she assists by making entries in the computer to record fuel usage, mileage, and maintenance expenses. He/she drives vehicles to and from repair facilities to facilitate oil changes tire rotation, front end alignment, and other routine maintenance of government vehicles. He/she performs vehicle and equipment preventative maintenance services and makes minor adjustments on vehicles and equipment as needed for proper operation.
The incumbent must have knowledge of and experience in good gardening skills including: planting and maintaining flowerbeds, shrubs, trees, a vast lawn with an array of difficulty, mowing, pruning, sodding, trimming, planting, assessing soil mixtures, and preparing and applying pesticides/humus/insecticides, etc. The incumbent must have knowledge in reading blueprints, schedules and plans to determine location and depth of underground lines, cables including high voltage electrical lines to prevent damage. He/she must poses knowledge how to asses plant diseases, distinguish when plants, shrubs and trees require attention to prevent disease and damage.
The gardener must know when and how to plant annuals, perennials, shrubs and trees. Incumbent must poses skills in operating a variety of motor vehicles including tractors and accessories; mowers of any kind, vans, patient transport vehicles, dump trucks, busses, and cars. He/she is responsible to perform maintenance on vehicles/hand tools, tractors, lawn mowers, string trimmers, blowers, etc.
The incumbent regularly operates or maneuvers all' equipment aforementioned, Class 8 CDL preferred, handling, controlling and securing patients/personnel in wheelchair van or ambulance to prevent injury. Knowledge required in securing patients and cargo to prevent damage to self and others. Work Schedule: Mon to Fri 6:45am to 3:30pm Compressed/Flexible Schedule: Not Authorized Position Description Title/PD#: Gardener/PD60220A Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
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 Valid Drivers License Preferred Class B CDL 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) 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.
How You Will Be Evaluated
IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE. Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview.
Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment. The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.
For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document. Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement.
Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position. It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment. Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.
Additional Information
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.
How to Apply
All applicants are encouraged to apply online. To apply for this position, you must complete the questionnaire and submit the documentation specified in the Required Documents section below.
The complete application package must be submitted by 11:59 PM (ET) on 05/27/2026 to receive consideration. To preview the questionnaire, click https://apply.usastaffing.gov/ViewQuestionnaire/12962132. To begin, click Apply Online to create a USA JOBS account or log in to your existing account.
Follow the prompts to select your USA JOBS resume and/or other supporting documents and complete the occupational questionnaire.
Click Submit My Answers to submit your application package.
NOTE: It is your responsibility to ensure your responses and appropriate documentation is submitted prior to the closing date. During the application process you may have an option to opt-in to make your resume available to hiring managers in the agency who have similar positions. Opting in does not impact your application for this announcement, nor does it guarantee further consideration for additional positions.
Beginning September 27, 2025, Federal agencies will only accept resumes up to two pages in length to comply with the Merit Hiring Plan. Resumes longer than two pages will result in ineligibility for further consideration for the position. USAJOBS will not allow you to upload or build resumes longer than two pages, and you will need to update the resumes in your profile before applying for a job.
Resumes should include information relevant to the knowledge, skills, abilities, and competencies of the position to which you are applying. VA is unable to make assumptions about qualifications if not clearly listed.
Resumes must be legible so they can be reviewed for eligibility, minimum qualifications and other position requirements listed in the job announcement. If initial application submission is updated and resubmitted with a new resume, only the most current resume will be reviewed for consideration.
Your resume must be 5MB or less. We recommend saving and uploading your resume as a PDF to maintain formatting and number of pages. We also accept GIF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, RTF, TXT, PDF, ODT or Word (DOC or DOCX).
We do not accept PDF portfolio files. We recommend using a sans-serif font size like Lato, if available. Other widely available options are Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, Open San Source Sans Pro, Roboto or Noro Sans.
Make your page margins 0.5 inches. Consider using 14-point size font for titles and 10-point for the main text in your resume. The resume builder can help you create a resume using these recommendations and uses the information in your USAJOBS profile to help you get started.
Helpful Hints for Creating a Two-Page Resume: Prioritize most relevant and recent experience Use concise, results focused language Align language from the job announcement Focus on demonstrating skills and competencies Remove outdated or unrelated experience Use the USAJOBS resume builder Additional guidance on this new requirement and resume building tools can be found at: https://help.usajobs.gov/faq/application/documents/resume/page-limit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/hiring-information/merit-hiring-plan-resources/applicant-guidance-on-the-two-page-resume-limit/ Special Employment Consideration: VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply, including those eligible for hiring under 5 CFR 213.3102(u), Schedule A, Appointment of persons with disabilities [i.e., intellectual disabilities, severe physical disabilities, or psychiatric disabilities], and/or Disabled veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more. Contact the Agency Contact for information on how to apply under this appointment authority via the Selective Placement Coordinator. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies.
To be qualified, you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified (have a final rating of 85 or more) for this vacancy. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
Required Documents
To apply for this position, you must provide a complete Application Package which includes: Resume SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action The following documents are accepted, and may be required if applicable to your eligibility and/or qualifications for this position. Please make sure you have included other documents required for your application, such as a copy of your transcript (if using education to qualify), SF-50's (current/former Federal employees), documentation to support Veterans Preference claims, or ICTAP/CTAP documentation (for displaced Federal employees).
You will not be contacted for additional information. Cover Letter DD-214/ Statement of Service Disability Letter (VA) Performance Appraisal Professional Certification Resume SF-15 SF-50/ Notification of Personnel Action Transcript SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action (if applicable for Time in Grade and/or Eligibility): Most recent SF-50 if you are a current or former Federal employee An SF-50 showing your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement.
In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade Award 50's do not provide sufficient information and will not be accepted for the purpose of verifying time-in-grade. Examples of appropriate SF-50's include: Within grade increases at the highest grade held; or Promotions with an effective date more than one year old; or SF-50's at the highest grade held with an effective date more than one year old. Veterans' Preference: When applying for Federal Jobs, eligible Veterans should claim preference for 5pt (TP), 10pt (CP/CPS/XP), or for Sole Survivor Preference (SSP) in the questionnaire.
You must provide a legible copy of your DD214(s) which shows dates and character of service (honorable, general, etc.). If you are currently serving on active duty and expect to be released or discharged within 120 days you must submit documentation related to your active duty service which reflects the dates of service, character of service (honorable, general, etc.), and dates of impending separation. Additionally, disabled veterans and others eligible for 10-point preference (such as widows or mothers of eligible Veterans) must also submit an SF-15 "Application for 10 Point Veteran Preference" with required proof as stated on the form.
Documentation is required to award preference. For more information on Veterans' Preference, please visit Feds Hire Vets - Veterans - Job Seekers - Veterans' Preference.