Seasonal Maintenance Worker

If you enjoy working outdoors, being physically active, and contributing to a clean and welcoming community, this role offers a great opportunity for skill-building and career development!

The City of Portland is recruiting to fill current and future Seasonal Maintenance Worker vacancies across our Public Works Service Area. Seasonal Maintenance Workers perform work in the following bureaus: Bureau of Environmental Services, Portland Parks & Recreation, Portland Water Bureau, and Public Works Transportation.

Job Appointment: Full-time, Seasonal
Work Schedule: Seasonal Maintenance Workers will collaborate with their supervisor/manager to establish their schedule. These are seasonal positions and hours may vary, up to a maximum of 1,600 hours per calendar year.

Work Shifts: The schedules listed below are common examples; additional or alternative start/stop times or shift types may be assigned based on assignment and work group needs.

• 6 AM - 2:30 PM
• 7 AM - 3:30 PM
• 10 AM – 6:30 PM
• 12  - 7 PM (This is a swing shift)
• 7 PM - 6 AM (This is an overnight shift)

Work Location: Various locations throughout the City
Union Representation: This classification is represented by the Seasonal Maintenance Worker Laborers' Local 483. To view this labor agreement, please click here. 

Pay Rate/Vacation Accrual Rate: If you work multiple years, your pay goes up. If you work a swing shift from 12:00 PM to 6:59 PM, or an overnight shift from 7:00 PM to 5:59 AM, you will earn extra pay!

• First year: $19.99 per hour
• Second year: $21.67 per hour
• Third year: $23.33 per hour

How to Apply:

• Submit your work history and responses to supplemental questions by the closing date.
• (Optional) Submit Veterans’ Preference documents, if applicable. 
  If this is your first time applying with the City of Portland, or if you haven’t requested veteran preference before (and would like to now), please attach your DD214-Member 4 and/or VA Benefit Letter to your application. Once we verify your eligibility, we’ll record your veteran preference in our system, so it automatically applies to your future applications.
• Click here for application tips for resume, supplemental question response and/or cover letter.

Position Summary

This entry-level, seasonal position involves learning to perform and then performing primarily unskilled or limited semi-skilled work, either manually or with small power tools. Work may be completed independently or as part of a crew. Tasks are performed under direct supervision, though once routines are established, oversight may shift to periodic review rather than on-site direction.

Employees help maintain a variety of public spaces and facilities, such as parks, landscaped areas, sports fields, recreational features, and essential city infrastructure. Duties support the upkeep of clean, safe, and accessible outdoor environments for the community, including work that helps keep streets, walkways, and drainage systems functioning and supports the movement of people, goods, and stormwater throughout the city.

What You’ll Do:

General Duties:

• Push mowing smaller sections of lawn.
• Emptying trashcans and performing litter pick-up.

• Cleaning restrooms, including restrooms located in parks.
• Monitoring irrigation systems and reporting issues.
• Assisting Horticulturists with planting, spreading mulch, pruning, and renovating planting beds.
• Operating landscape tools such as backpack leaf blowers, powered string trimmers, edgers, and similar hand tools.
• Power washing and cleaning hard surfaces.
• Weed removal and assisting in monitoring general plant health.
• Collecting and hauling green waste and debris.
• Watering newly planted trees and other plantings as assigned.

Portland Parks & Recreation:

• Opening and closing park restrooms, including securing facilities and performing routine checks.
• Regular facility maintenance such as restocking supplies, addressing minor restroom issues, and reporting needed repairs.
• Irrigation system support including basic troubleshooting and communicating system performance to supervisors.
• Horticultural site preparation such as staging materials, organizing tools, and supporting larger planting or renovation projects.
• Landscape equipment upkeep including cleaning, storing, and performing basic care of hand tools and powered equipment.
• Hard-surface maintenance such as clearing debris from paths, plazas, and park structures.
• Plant health monitoring including identifying signs of stress, pests, or disease and reporting observations.
• Green-waste logistics including staging debris for pickup and assisting with load organization.

Public Works Transportation:

• Asphalt and concrete support including assisting with placement, finishing, and cleanup of paving materials.
• Thermoplastic pavement marking assistance and cleaning or maintaining street signs.
• Graffiti abatement on traffic signs, retaining walls, and other public structures.
• Moving equipment and materials including office equipment, furniture, machinery, and field supplies.
• Pick-up and delivery tasks for equipment, materials, mail, parts, and supplies.
• Inventory and storage support including stocking, sorting, and organizing parts and materials.
• Sewer maintenance assistance including supporting sewer repair and cleaning activities.
• Work-zone traffic control setup including placing cones, signs, and barricades under supervision.
• Basic documentation such as completing forms and writing simple reports on work performed, time, and materials used.
• Perform traffic control
• Transport equipment and materials

The following are the knowledge, skills and abilities that the bureau has identified as critical and your resume should include/highlight these areas.

1. Ability to learn and perform manual labor tasks, including medium to heavy physical work for extended periods (standing, squatting, kneeling), and ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions.
2. Ability to work effectively within a team and independently without direct continuous supervision, and ability to follow directions.
3. Ability to work respectfully and effectively with co-workers and members of the public from diverse backgrounds and life experiences.
4. Ability to learn and apply job-specific procedures, tools, and equipment relevant to public works operations, including adherence to established standards and documentation requirements.
5. Ability to communicate clearly, ask questions when needed, and apply judgment to resolve routine issues encountered during field or maintenance tasks.
6. Ability to learn and use safe working practices, identify hazards, and report safety concerns.

Applicant must also:

• Be at least 18 years of age at the time of hire. 
• Ability to pass a Prehire Evaluation that may require a medical exam, screenings, and a physical capacities test (PCT), after an offer of employment has been made and accepted.
• If being considered for a Public Works Transportation role (formerly PBOT), applicants must complete Chainsaw Operations and Lockout/Tagout Trainings after hire. 
• A current, valid state driver’s license and meet the City’s “good driver” requirements.

What to Expect

1. Application Review - Begins Week of August 10th:
   Your application materials will be reviewed to confirm that you meet the qualifications listed above.
2. Notification - Week of August 24th:
   You will receive an email when the minimum qualification review is complete. If you disagree with your evaluation results, you may request a review of your evaluation results within 14 days of the email notice, per City Administrative Rule 3.01.
3. Survey of Continued Interest - As Needed: 
   As vacancies become available, you will be contacted by HR with position details, and you can confirm interest in a particular opportunity.
4. Selection Process - As Needed:
   The hiring bureaus will review interested and qualified applications, conduct interviews, and check references. 
5. Conditional Job Offer - TBD: Final candidates may undergo a background or driving record check.
6. 6. Pre-Employment Exam – Preplacement Physical Examination: To Be Determined (If Applicable)
   • As part of the conditional job offer, candidates must complete a Prehire Evaluation during the hiring process/probationary period. The Prehire Evaluation may consist of a medical exam, screenings, and a physical capacities test (PCT) required for work clearance and safety compliance. The PCT measures physical ability through job-related tasks such as lifting, carrying, climbing, shoveling, and repetitive movements. Unless already employed in a City position requiring a similar or more demanding PCT, candidates must pass all required tasks to proceed with employment. For more information, visit the Prehire Evaluation page. 

Learn More About

• How to Apply Videos and Workshops
• City of Portland Core Values
• HRAR-3.01 - Recruitment Processes
• Veteran Preference Information
• Total Compensation and Benefits

We’re committed to providing a fair, inclusive, and accessible hiring process. If you need assistance with your application or would like to request a reasonable accommodation due to a disability, pregnancy, or religious belief, please contact the recruiter listed below.

Questions? We're here to help!

If you have questions about this recruitment or need assistance completing your application, contact:

Amanda Hillebrecht, Senior Recruiter
[email protected]
Bureau of Human Resources

The City of Portland is an Equal Opportunity Employer dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive workplace. We strongly encourage applicants from communities of color, people with disabilities, veterans, and those with lived experience in the communities we serve to apply.