Building and Grounds Assistant
The Wheeler School, Providence, RI
Title: Building and Grounds Assistant Department: Operations
Reports to: Director of Campus Facilities – Farm Last Updated: 10/6/2024
Exempt Status: Non-Exempt Position Status: Full-Time
The Wheeler School, a co-ed, N-12 independent day school with city and farm campuses serving approximately 800 students in the Greater Providence and Greater Boston areas, seeks a full-time Building and Grounds Assistant to join our facilities team in Seekonk, MA.
Ideal candidates for faculty and staff positions at Wheeler are people with a sense of humor, warmth, and humility. They are excellent communicators, with empathy for others and an ability to listen and respond with good intuition. Ultimately ambitious and hard-working, committed to supporting students by offering help and creating new opportunities. In the end, employees at Wheeler love to spend their days with young people and will enjoy all that Wheeler has to offer: creativity, energy, dynamics, and diversity.
This is a full-time, non-exempt position assigned to the operations department responsible to the Director of Campus Facilities on our Farm Campus. The Farm Campus is a 120-acre property with several small buildings, athletic fields, tennis courts, a running track, a swimming pool, a field house, a challenge course, landscaped areas, lawns, forested areas, and trails. This “hands-on” position performs daily grounds and facility maintenance services on a team of other facilities staff members.
Primary Job Responsibilities
- Identify all types of maintenance needs that require attention
- Perform general cleaning, floor maintenance, and simple building maintenance tasks
- Perform landscaping services including but not limited to:
- mowing, trimming, weeding, mulching, planting
- athletic field line painting and field layout, game preparations
- baseball infield maintenance of clay areas, home plate, pitcher’s mound
- cleaning of field areas, including litter and trash
- trail maintenance and tree trimming
- clearing of tennis courts, walkways, and parking lots of leaves, litter and debris
- Clear and remove snow from walkways and parking lots
- Ensure all safety systems are functioning correctly, including smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, fire extinguishers, and emergency lighting
- Maintain records of any work and inspections done on-premises
- Account for inventory of repair supplies used
- Respond to and complete the supervisor maintenance requests
Job Requirements
- Attention to detail and the ability to focus on the task at hand until completed to a high standard
- OSHA10 certification, or be willing to study and pass the exam
- Physical activity, like lifting heavy objects, climbing ladders and stairs, walking long distances, and standing for extended periods
- Be experienced with the tools and equipment required to do the tasks required of this position
- Operate mowing equipment, aerators, line markers, power equipment, hand tools, hand mowers, trucks, plows, snow blowers, generators, and leaf collectors
- Visually inspect, detect, and correct safety hazards that are potential liabilities
- Be a first responder to crisis management situations that may arise, including fire, chemical spills, active shooter, power outages, and weather-related emergencies
- Ability to work collaboratively and in teams when necessary
- Recognize that every day is different and necessitates different job duties
- Work is performed primarily outdoors, depending on the assignment, even in inclement weather
- Be familiar with applicable school policies and procedures, and ensure compliance with them
- Understand the need to work overtime and be available off-hours to respond to emergency management tasks and after-hours emergencies.
- Perform other related duties as assigned by the Supervisor
- Must have a valid driver’s license
Training, Education, and Experience Qualifications
Ideal candidates will have 2-3 years of experience in grounds maintenance and landscaping and knowledge of turf management, tree care, fertilization, and seeding. They will be willing to learn to operate more specialized mowing and loading equipment but must demonstrate a strong desire to continually improve their skills in all aspects of the job.
Physical Demands and Work Environment
The physical demands described here are representative of those that are essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions. The requirements for performing the duties of this position are as follows:
- Frequently required to walk, stand, sit, talk, and hear
- Regularly required to bend, stoop, crouch and/or kneel
- Occasionally required to lift and/or move objects weighing up to 25 pounds
- Majority of work is performed in outside in all weather conditions
To learn more about Wheeler, please visit www.wheelerschool.org and our Careers page here.
How to Apply: To apply for the position, please send a cover letter and resume to jillfeingold@wheelerschool.org, including careers@wheelerschool.org, in the email. Interviews will be held on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Statement on Diversity and Cultural Competency At Wheeler:
We actively seek students, faculty, and staff from diverse backgrounds. We believe that a broad range of experiences and viewpoints enhances learning, enriches life on campus, and better prepares us all for full participation in a pluralistic, democratic society. Through hiring, we seek to further the overall diversity and cultural competency within our community.
The Wheeler School is committed to a policy of nondiscrimination and equal opportunity for all employees and qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or disability, and any other category protected by federal, state or local law.