Weekend Gardener Jobs in Washington (NOW HIRING)

Summary
You will serve as a Gardener Supervisor with National Park Service.
The purpose of this position is to provide gardening and landscaping supervision, planning, and direction for all the disparate gardens and landscape grounds areas in the 99 separate parcels that make up Rock Creek Park, a heavily visited historic, natural, and recreational park. This includes installation and maintenance of materials to protect and improve the cultural and natural park landscapes.
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Duties
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Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following:

• Exercises full first-line supervisory responsibility over a gardening and landscape maintenance crew engaged in the preservation, maintenance, and improvement of historic and non-historic landscapes, grounds, turf, ornamental plantings, gardens, and related facilities. Responsible for the occupational safety and health of employees assigned.
• Performs and directs the full range of advanced gardening and horticultural duties involving historic and cultural landscapes, ornamental gardens, turf areas, athletic fields, planting beds, shrubs, trees, and other landscape features.
• Diagnoses plant health issues and determine corrective actions involving soil amendments, irrigation modifications, integrated pest management, biological controls, and chemical treatments. Performs soil testing, evaluates growing conditions, calculates seed, fertilizer, and irrigation requirements, and determines proper horticultural practices to support plant establishment and long-term sustainability.
• Oversees administrative aspects of the gardening and landscape maintenance program, including budget planning, operating programs, pest management programs, maintenance management systems and resource allocation.
• Serves as Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or technical representative for landscape maintenance and horticultural contracts. Monitors contractor performance, inspects completed work, and ensures compliance with contract specifications.

Requirements
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Conditions of employment

• Must be a U.S. Citizen or National.
• Appointment subject to background investigation and favorable adjudication.
• Males born after 12-31-59 must be registered for Selective Service.
• Direct Deposit participation required.
• Successfully pass the E-Verify employment verification check. To learn more, visit https://www.e-verify.gov/.
• Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license throughout employment.
• You are required to wear a uniform and comply with uniform standards. A uniform allowance will be provided.
• You are required to complete training, obtain and maintain a government credit card with travel and purchase authority.
• A financial disclosure report will be required within 30 days of appointment.

As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you may be required to serve a 1-year probationary period to evaluate your fitness and whether your continuation of employment advances the public interest.
This probationary period is an extension of the appointment process and therefore requires the agency to determine if continued employment would advance the public interest, meet the organization goals and mission of the agency, and/or otherwise promote the efficiency of the service. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, the agency will consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service.
Under applicable law, the employment of an individual serving a probationary or trial period automatically terminates when that period ends unless the agency affirmatively certifies, in writing, that the individual's employment should continue and that their appointment should be finalized. In the absence of agency action to affirmatively certify continued employment beyond the probationary or trial period, such appointments are terminated. Upon completion of your probationary your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest.

• This is a supervisory position that may require completion of a supervisory probationary period.

Qualifications
All qualifications must be met by the closing date of this announcement-09/15/2026-unless otherwise stated in this vacancy announcement.
For current Federal employees, if hours worked per week are not included on your resume, you must submit a non-award SF-50 as part of your application to be used to validate your work schedule and determine the amount of specialized experience that you will be granted. An award SF-50 will not be acceptable documentation for which to consider your amount of qualifying experience. For periods of time that reflect military service, the DD-214 or Statement of Service is sufficient to meet the work schedule requirement as the service dates will be reflected. For all other applicants who are not current federal employees, your resume must state either "full-time" (or "40 hours a week") or "part-time" with the number of hours worked per week to ensure proper crediting of specialized experience.
To qualify for this position, you must have sufficient knowledge and ability in the following job-related factors:

1. Ability to Lead or Supervise (SCREEN-OUT)
2. Technical Practices: theoretical, precise, artistic
3. Knowledge of Materials
4. Ability to Use and Maintain Tools and Equipment
5. Dexterity and Safety
6. Use of Measuring Instruments
7. Ability to Interpret Instructions, specifications; other than blueprints

If your knowledge and ability in the SCREEN OUT factor above is not sufficient, you will receive no further consideration. In preparing your application, describe in detail the experience and training which you have had that specifically prepared you for this job and to perform the duties described for this job. Experience should be clearly described and documented in your resume. Your resume must support your response to the assessment questionnaire, and if it does not, your application will be marked as not eligible. The qualifications reviewer will not assume performance of such duties by Job Titles alone. Address your knowledge, skills and/or abilities in the areas shown in the job-related factors. You must meet at least 2 points on the screen-out element(s) and obtain an average of at least 2 points on all of the job elements to be considered qualified for this position.
Volunteer Experience: Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religious; spiritual; community, student, social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience.
Education
There is no substitution of education for experience for Federal Wage System (FWS) positions.
Additional information
Additional vacancies may be filled using this job announcement.
If otherwise eligible and qualified, you may be offered a recruitment or relocation incentive. The decision to offer an incentive will be made on a case-by-case basis and is neither promised nor guaranteed. For information visit: Recruitment Incentive or Relocation Incentive. A continued service agreement may be required if it is determined you are eligible for a permanent change in duty station (PCS), recruitment, or relocation incentive.
All DOI employees, their spouses, and minor children may not acquire or retain any claim, permit, lease, small tract entry, or other rights granted by the Department in Federal lands, with limited exceptions. Additional ethics prohibitions can be found here, DOI Ethics Prohibitions | U.S. Department of the Interior.
Physical Demands: The position requires frequent walking, standing, bending, stooping, kneeling, and climbing. The incumbent may be required to lift, carry, and move heavy materials and equipment weighing in excess of 50 pounds. Work is performed in both office and outdoor environments. Outdoor duties routinely expose the incumbent to prolonged periods of sun, heat, rain, cold, snow, and other adverse weather conditions. The incumbent is required to wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) based on assigned tasks, equipment operated, and prevailing working conditions. Due to the nature of the work, there is a risk of minor injuries, including cuts, scrapes, bruises, insect stings, and, on occasion, more serious
injuries such as fractures. The incumbent is designated as Emergency Essential personnel and may be required to work during weather-related events or other emergency situations affecting park operations. Such duties may necessitate work during evenings, weekends, holidays, and other non-standard hours.
Working Conditions: The Gardens Crew is assigned across numerous gardens and landscaped areas within Rock Creek Park throughout Washington, DC. Personnel are dispatched from a centralized location at the park's maintenance yard. Work assignments generally range from a few days to several weeks in duration, depending on project scope and operational requirements.
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Candidates should be committed to improving the efficiency of the Federal government, passionate about the ideals of our American republic, and committed to upholding the rule of law and the United States Constitution.
Benefits
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A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package. As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding. Opens in a new windowLearn more about federal benefits.
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Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent. Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.