Playground Inspector Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

POSITION SUMMARY/CLASS DESCRIPTION Howard County: Conveniently located in the heart of central Maryland between Baltimore and Washington, Howard County offers the charm of a historic past mixed with the excitement of a cosmopolitan community. Howard County Government: Howard County Government is a leader in innovation, sustainability, and consistently ranked as one of the best places to live and work in the country. In 2025, Howard County Government received a record-breaking 83 Achievement Awards from the National Association of Counties (NACo) - the highest number of annual NACo awards achieved in the history of the State of Maryland, and the highest number of awards out of any county in the State of Maryland which received a collective 136 awards.

NACo is the leading organization representing county-level government operations. These awards recognize innovative and transformative programs that provide new services for county residents, improve existing programs, upgrade working conditions, and enhance citizen participation and public policymaking. What are we looking for.

We are looking for outstanding individuals to join our team and contribute to excellence in Howard County operations. What you'll like most about working at Howard County Government: We are committed to workplace excellence in every area of County government. We have a highly talented, diverse, and inclusive workplace.

Your input will not only be heard, but it will be encouraged. We offer competitive compensation and great benefits including medical, retirement, and wellness programs. As a member of the Howard County Government team, you'll be helping drive our culture and directly impact what makes us an amazing place to work.

POSITION SUMMARY/CLASS DESCRIPTION: Performs skilled grounds maintenance on County parks and facilities. Serves as crew leader on projects involving lower level workers. STARTING SALARY HIRING RANGE: $24.36 - $26.22 $50,668 - $54,546 *This is the anticipated starting salary range for this position

Please note that the final salary will be determined by the Office of Human Resources, commensurate with experience and aligned to ensure internal equity with similarly situated roles.* CLASS DESCRIPTION: This is specialized park maintenance which typically involves skilled manual work at the crew leader level in the maintenance of park lands, government properties and related facilities and structures, however, some positions may be assigned to park security. Work involves operating equipment and vehicles and the use of a variety of tools and the application of regulated horticultural and landscaping practices. Work includes performing skilled grounds maintenance tasks and directing subordinate crew members or outside contractors as assigned by the supervisor

Operates dump trucks, tractors with attachments, small motor grader and other medium duty construction equipment in the completion of parks and grounds maintenance. Work is performed with general supervision from a technical superior. Assignments are stable in nature and are carried out in accordance with accepted laboring and equipment operation standards and applicable regulations.

An employee in this class provides park security services or operates equipment and oversees others to accomplish an assigned part of park or grounds operations in grounds maintenance, sports field preparation, construction or park-site management. Work may include considerable public contact. *This is a Classified position, meaning that it is a part of the Howard County Classified Service upon completion of a probationary period of at least six (6) months* *This position has been designated as "essential personnel," meaning an employee is expected to report for regular work shift during inclement weather, emergency situations, County holidays and on an on-call basis.* *Please note that this position falls within a collective bargaining unit and is represented by AFSCME Local 3085, Local 3888, or Local 1810.* ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES Park and Facility Maintenance: Performs grounds and turf maintenance, pavilion and picnic area cleaning, and repairs in assigned park regions

Performs trail construction and maintenance. Conducts minor plumbing, janitorial, painting, electrical, and carpentry work. Performs landscape and horticultural maintenance including pesticide application, trimming, edging, pruning, and mulching.

Removes graffiti and repairs vandalism. Performs routine playground inspections and repairs. Performs specialized maintenance on unique park amenities (e.g., skills course, equestrian ring)

Conducts routine inspection and maintenance of dams, including high-hazard dams depending on assignment location. Assists with sport field maintenance: aeration, seeding, fertilizing, grading, and sod installation. Equipment Operation and Preventative Maintenance: Uses hand tools and power tools including trimmers, chain saws, blowers, and snow blowers.

Operates complex vehicles and equipment such as mowers, tractors, loaders, large trucks, aerators, graders, turf shapers, and other bureau vehicles. Performs preventative maintenance on tractors, mowers, skid loaders, and other equipment. Demonstrates equipment methods, techniques, and operations to crew members.

Sets up mobile stage. Crew Leadership and Work Planning: Assigns work detail under the guidance of a supervisor. Directs crew in daily projects and ensures work meets quality and quantity standards.

Plans daily activities and assigns appropriate tools and equipment. Maintains supplies and materials. Meets regularly with supervisor to determine work via written, verbal, or email communication.

Serves on committees as assigned. Administrative and Recordkeeping Duties: Handles administrative paperwork including incident reports, police reports, timesheets, department requisitions, inspection forms, chemical application cards, and vandalism journal entries. Estimates supplies and materials for maintenance tasks and develops requisitions for supervisor approval.

Maintains inventory of tools, supplies, materials, and chemicals. Responsible for identifying and applying sustainability practices in all operations. Public Interaction and Customer Service: Requires considerable public contact, including communication with tournament directors and staff, conflict resolution, and addressing disputes, questions, and comments.

Communicates and coordinates with recreational staff, tournament personnel, and other county agencies. Assists recreational staff with program setup and teardown. Handles citizen complaints and inquiries.

Emergency and Inclement Weather Response: Performs snow removal duties and assists during inclement weather conditions, including supporting Public Works as needed. This position is considered essential and will be required to work emergency situations to include staff the Department's operations center. Performs other related duties as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES: Serves as crew leader in charge of full-time park maintenance workers and contingent positions, overseeing personnel and directing the project from start to finish.. Coordinates work site environment, safety issues, andensuresproper handling of materials.. Answers staff questions on department policies and procedures.

Makes recommendations on job performance. MINIMUM REQUIRED EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE Any combination of education and experience equivalent to completion of the 12th grade plus two (2) years of experience in landscaping, park maintenance or a related field; or, completion of an Associate's degree program in horticulture or park/resource management plus experience requiring the use of hand tools and motor equipment; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. .

REQUIRED CERTIFICATIONS, LICENSES, AND REGISTRATIONS: Possession of a Maryland Class ACDL License within one year of hire date. Obtain Maryland Professional Pesticide Applicator's Certificate within one year of hire date. CPR and First Aid Certification within one-year of hire date.

PREFERRED EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES: Associate's degree (A. A.) or equivalent from two-year college or technical school. PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT: The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand; walk; use hands to handle and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to sit and reach with hands and arms.

The employee is occasionally required to climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly exposed to wet and/or humid conditions and outside weather conditions.

The employee is frequently exposed to moving mechanical parts and vibration. The employee is occasionally exposed to high, precarious places; fumes or airborne particles; toxic or caustic chemicals; extreme cold; extreme heat; and risk of electrical shock. The noise level in the work environment is usually loud.

LANGUAGE SKILLS, MATHEMATICAL SKILLS, AND REASONING ABILITY: Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations. Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals. Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, percentages, area, circumference, and volume. Ability to apply concepts of basic algebra and geometry. Ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.

Ability to interpret an extensive variety of technical instructions in mathematical or diagram form and deal with several abstract and concrete variables. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: TO APPLY: You must complete an employment application online to be considered for this recruitment. Resumes cannot be substituted for completion of the job application work history.

No paper applications will be accepted. Selected candidates may be subject to drug screening, background screening, and reference checks. At time of application, please submit a copy of any college degree, coursework, licenses, or certifications that you have referenced on your application.

Applicants who have education obtained outside of the U.S. may need to provide proof of the equivalent U.S. education as determined by a foreign credential evaluation service, such as the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (http://www.naces.org) or World Education Services: International Credential Evaluation (https://www.wes.org/)

Howard County Government is not sponsoring employees in application of the H-1B Visa or providing an extension of an existing H-1B Visa. All applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States under the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986. Howard County is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, and we are committed to a workplace that values diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The County prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, ancestry, creed, national origin, disability status, genetics, marital status, military service, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Applicants requiring accommodations during the hiring process should contact the Office of Human Resources directly at HiringPreference@howardcountymd.gov. Requests for accommodations should not be attached to the application.