Arborist Assistant Jobs (NOW HIRING)

With competitive pay, great benefits, and endless opportunities, working for the City and County of Denver means seeing yourself working with purpose - for you, and those who benefit from your passion, skills and expertise. Join our diverse, inclusive and talented workforce of more than 11,000 team members who are at the heart of what makes Denver, Denver.

The City and County of Denver offers a competitive salary commensurate with education and experience. The hiring range for this position is $27.89- $31.00/hour. We also offer generous benefits for full-time employees which include but are not limited to:

• A guaranteed life-long monthly pension, once vested after 5 years of service

• 457B Retirement Plan

• 140 hours of PTO earned within first year + 11 paid holidays, 1 personal holiday, 1 wellness day and 1 volunteer day per year

• Competitive medical, dental and vision plans effective within 1 month of start date

In this position you can expect to work in-person, five days a week, starting at our Forestry Headquarters (945 S. Huron St., Denver, CO 80223). This position will work Monday-Friday, 6:30AM - 3:00PM.

Denver Parks and Recreation (DPR) recognizes the importance of diversity in the representation of our organization to best serve our customers and community. To that end, DPR is committed to:

• Examining department policies and processes that value diverse perspectives and eliminate barriers to inclusion

• Identifying where inequities exist and implementing strategies to ensure equitable outcomes

• Strengthening diversity in Parks and Recreation services by transforming policies to institutionalize equity

• Reinvesting in resources aimed at ensuring DPR is an equitable and just organization

Denver Parks and Recreation's Forestry division is seeking an Arborist Technician II to perform lead work in the field of arboriculture and general forestry work to support Denver's urban forest. This position primarily includes tree pruning and tree removal. It could also on occasion include stump grinding, planting, transplanting, watering, fertilizing,insect/disease identification, pest application, and inventory.

Job duties and responsibilities of this position include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Perform lead work when Crew Lead is not available

• Prune dead, diseased, or broken limbs from trees utilizing rope and saddle, chainsaw, handsaw, and other related equipment involved in tree maintenance

• Inspect and identify tree diseases and insects and environmental stress.Take samples from diseased or insect-infested trees for laboratory analysis

• Observe and follow arboriculture industry standards, safety rules, and regulations

• Train and guide the work of potentially less experienced and less knowledgeable Arborist Technician I, Utility Worker, and Park Seasonal Laborer positions

• Monitor safety practices and correct unsafe practices as needed

• Operate a wide variety of heavy and power equipment in pruning and removing trees, including a mobile aerial lift unit, log loader trucks, tandem dump trucks, crane trucks, water trucks, front end loaders, skid steers, tractors, stump grinders and chippers

• Maintain records and prepare daily activity reports

• Assist with developing or modifying work plans, methods, and procedures; determine work priorities and develop work schedules to provide adequate staff coverage.Provide work instruction and assist employees with difficult and/or usual assignments.Assign and distribute work, review work for accuracy and completeness and return assignments with recommendations for proper completion

• Resolve problems encountered during daily operations and determine appropriate solutions

• Document situations that may be cause for disciplinary action and provide this information to the supervisor

• Perform preventative maintenance and basic repair on equipment and machinery

• May perform snow removal

We are looking for a knowledgeable and experienced arborist with budding leadership skills. The ideal candidate will be adept at ensuring safety and passionate about the goals of the division. Additionally, the Arborist Technician II will need to be able to work effectively within a team and display sound decision-making and communication skills.

Our ideal candidate will have:

• Experience leading and training less experienced seasonal/part-time workers

• Experience with technical rigging, advanced pruning, and removals

• Experience with:Tree Keeper (or another tree inventory program) and Microsoft Excel, Word, and Outlook

• Three or more years of arboriculture experience

• Education requirement: Graduation from high school or the possession of a GED, HiSET or TASC Certificate.

• Experience Requirement: Three (3) years of experience in tree identification, diagnosis and management of abiotic and biotic plant stresses and advanced tree pruning and removing techniques.

• Education/Experience Equivalency: Additional appropriate experience may be substituted for the minimum education.

• Licenses/Certifications:

  • Licenses and certifications must be kept current as a condition of employment.

  • This job requires driving. Requires a valid Driver's License at the time of application.

  • Requires the following licenses or certifications at the time of application or must obtain prior to completion of probation period:

    • Requires a valid Driver's License (CDL) "B" with appropriate endorsements by the end of probation.

    • State of Colorado Department of Agriculture Certified Operator License.

    • International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Arborist Certification.

    • International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) Certified Tree Worker Climber Specialist or Aerial Lift Specialist.

This position is expected to stay open until Thursday, July 23rd. Please submit your application as soon as possible and no later than 11:59 p.m. on 7/23/2026.

Job Profile

To view the full job profile including position specifications, physical demands, and probationary period, click here.

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The City and County of Denver provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, genetic information, age, or any other status protected under federal, state, and/or local law.

It is your right to access oral or written language assistance, sign language interpretation, real-time captioning via CART, or disability-related accommodations. To request any of these services at no cost to you, please contact Jobs@Denvergov.org with three business days' notice.

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