45 South 23rd Street • Suite 101 Pittsburgh, PA 15203-2120
P: 412.682.7275 • F: 412.622.0160

Seasonal Restoration Gardener Job Description
About the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy - The Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy (PPC) is an official non-profit partner of the City of Pittsburgh, working to restore the city's regional parks.  Public parks are democratic spaces where all people, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, orientation, culture or economic status can exercise, recreate, learn and connect with nature.  Through ecological restoration, capital projects, education and volunteer programs, and year-round free events, The Parks Conservancy promotes our park system as a vibrant and vital contributor to the physical, social and ecological health of our community.    
About the Seasonal Restoration Gardener position – The Horticulture and Forestry (H&F) Department within the PPC is comprised of staff members who specialize in horticultural and ecological tasks. The nature of the work is primarily field based (90%) and occurs both in classical perennial garden beds as well as off-trail in wooded areas of the parks. Work may include garden installation and maintenance, invasive plant management, and occasional trail building and green infrastructure maintenance. This work will be done by manual labor, assisted by hand tools and small powered tools. The PPC also utilizes volunteer events to assist with certain field-based tasks; the seasonal RG will assist in running these events. Specific tasks vary seasonally, depending on the phenology of local plants and weather conditions. The seasonal employee can expect to work independently and with other staff members.
Overview of Responsibilities: In general, these are the types of work which occur seasonally:
April, May and June – 
•	Spring plantings (includes large B&B trees, shrubs, perennial and annual plants in the landscapes and smaller restoration-sized trees in the woodlands). 
•	Mulching and fertilizing perennial garden beds
•	Maintenance of perennial gardens (weeding, watering, and deadheading)
•	Targeted invasive species removal in the woodlands to promote forest restoration. 
July, August and September – 
•	Maintenance of perennial gardens (weeding, watering, and deadheading)
•	Watering new trees planted in park landscapes
•	Leading and running volunteer events to help accomplish needed tasks
October and November –
•	Fall plantings (Large B&B trees, small restoration trees, and shrubs)
•	Dividing and transplanting perennial plants across park sites
•	Mulching, weed control, seed collection, and cutting back perennial plants to put garden beds to “sleep” for the winter. 
•	Invasive plant control and removal, with a focus on woody vines and shrubs
•	Assisting with installation of holiday lights 

Desired Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
•	Comfortable working outdoors in all seasons and weather conditions
•	Identification of woody and herbaceous plant species, or willingness to learn
•	Able to traverse difficult terrain on and off-trail in the parks (hills, streams, dense thicket, etc.)
•	Able to learn and follow instructions and safety protocols
•	Effective and amicable communicator with co-workers, city workers, volunteers, and park users
•	Strong time management skills and ability assess and determine priorities on site 
•	Able to lift 50 pounds and perform manual labor daily
•	Comfortable working alone and as part of a group
•	Strong work ethic and attention to detail
•	Positive attitude and passion for healthy and beautiful park spaces

To be considered
This is a part-time seasonal position. The successful candidate will be expected to work 30-hours per week  throughout the term of their employment. Occasional weekend work might be requested, but comparable time will be given off within the week to compensate those hours. Seasonal employees must undergo a background check by the PPC before beginning employment.

This seasonal position is compensated for time, but is not eligible for health benefits, paid time off or participating in the retirement program.

Interested candidates can contact pgruszka@pittsburghparks.org