Turf Equipment Operator

When you join the City of Guelph, you join a team of over 2000 employees who deliver services the community relies on every day. Together, we are bringing to life Guelph’s vision of an inclusive, connected, and prosperous city where we look after each other and our environment.

As a regional top employer, the City of Guelph values its employees and offers competitive salaries, excellent benefit packages, opportunities for professional development, a healthy work-life balance, and many roles with flexible work options. Our corporate values are integrity, service, inclusion, wellness, and learning. Guelph is consistently ranked as one of the best places in Canada to live, work, and play—all good reasons to consider a career in this beautiful city.

Applications are being accepted for the temporary position of Turf Equipment Operator within Parks. Reporting to the Program Manager, Sports and Leisure Grounds, the successful candidate will perform duties related, but not limited to, daily sports field and parks maintenance, and related services within the City’s parks in accordance with established standard operating procedures, departmental and corporate policies, sound construction principles and practices, and applicable codes, with a focus on quality customer service and continuous improvement processes. Guided by the goals and objectives of the City of Guelph Corporate Strategic Plan and committed to the Corporate Values of integrity, service, inclusion, wellness and learning, the candidate will aid in the achievement of the Community Vision for an inclusive, connected, prosperous city.

Hours of Work:
Any five (5) consecutive days, eight (8) consecutive hours, Monday to Friday, between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. The anticipated start date will be Spring 2024.

Special or Seasonal Events employees in the Parks Department may be required to work shifts in order to accommodate special or seasonal events but shall not be scheduled for more than five (5) days per week, eight (8) hours per day. Shifts may be scheduled as day, afternoon, or night shifts.

Your role

• Perform duties in the development, maintenance and operation of Parks and Recreation activities while working outdoors in all types of weather conditions.
• Operate various types of maintenance equipment such as large mowers, agricultural tractors, front-end loaders and sports field specific equipment such as Toro procore, large area broadcast fertiliser spreader, turf–co topdresser, charterhouse overseeder, Bobcat toolcat and attachments including auxiliary attachments (i.e. Blecavator, RotaDairon, Bannerman infielder) and waste collection vehicles.
• Utilize tools including line trimmers, brush chippers, post pounders, leaf blowers, sod cutters, rakes, shovels etc. to maintain and renovate parks and sports fields.
• Carry out all necessary maintenance and adjustments while keeping the equipment in a safe, clean and tidy condition and perform daily circle checks and report defects and, if necessary, small repairs in a prescribed manner.
• Lead part-time staff and instruct all support staff in the safe and efficient use, care and maintenance of tools and equipment, and maintenance practices.
• Comply with requirements of the Occupational Health & Safety Act, The Highway Traffic Act, all Federal, Provincial and City regulations, policies and procedures.
• Remove and/or flag obstacles hazardous to employees or the public or that interfere with the safe operation of vehicles or equipment, and duly note and report such conditions to a Lead hand or Supervisor.
• Complete daily activity time sheets; Report on variances in daily work plans.
• Immediately report vandalism, mechanical difficulties, damage and hazardous conditions.
• Perform various duties relating to winter control including operating relevant equipment, manual snow and ice clearing, salting and sanding as needed.
• Actively participate in a team environment.
• Perform other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Experience related to the duties listed above, normally acquired through the completion of a Grade 12 diploma and 6 – 12 months related experience in the operation of relevant parks and sports field maintenance equipment in a relevant setting. Candidates with an equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Must possess a Class D-Z licence with a good driving record. Successful candidates will be required to provide a current driver’s abstract prior to their start date to confirm their licence is held in good standing and that it has not been suspended or revoked under the Highway Traffic Act (HTA) or Criminal Code of Canada in the last 5 years. The City of Guelph will take into consideration the number of demerit points and/or nature of the infractions to determine if it meets our requirements.
• Experience and knowledge relevant to turf and sports field maintenance and landscape maintenance/construction activities.
• Proficient time management skills and flexibility in adjusting between a variety of duties.
• A reliable self-starter, able to make decisions, function with minimal supervision, and work as part of a team.
• Possess effective communication skills: able to deal with the public in a cordial manner.
• Able to perform the physical demands of the job including lifting, kneeling and shoveling and be able to actively participate in daily activities, work within live traffic conditions and in all types of weather conditions.
• Possess an understanding of the OTM’s Book 7 for Temporary Conditions, and knowledge of the Occupational Health and Safety Act and other applicable legislation.

Rate
CUPE 241 Grade: 3: $29.43 per hour

How to apply
Qualified applicants are invited to apply using our online application system by May 20, 2024. Please note all applicants must complete the online questionnaire specific to this position at the time they submit their resume and cover letter in order to be considered. Proof of qualifications will be requested at the interview stage.

The City of Guelph is an equal opportunity employer that values diversity in the workplace. We are therefore happy to accommodate any individual needs in keeping with the Ontario Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. If you require an accommodation in order to participate in the hiring process, please contact us to make your needs known in advance.

Personal information collected through the recruitment process will be used solely to determine eligibility for employment. We thank all candidates in advance; however, only those being considered for an interview will be contacted.