Grounds Laborer

Why Work at Des Moines Water Works?
At Des Moines Water Works (DMWW), every employee plays a vital role in delivering Water You Can Trust for Life to over 600,000 central Iowans. We’re looking for team members who are customer-focused and committed to our mission.

When you join DMWW, you become part of a team that values environmental stewardship—protecting our most essential natural resource: water. Just as importantly, we recognize that our people are our greatest asset. Your wellbeing matters to us—from physical and psychological safety to wellness, fitness, and professional growth, we’re committed to supporting your health and development at work and beyond.

About the Position: Under the supervision of the Supervisor of Property Management, performs heavy manual labor duties to assist in the construction, maintenance and/or repair of equipment, grounds and facilities. Responsible for maintenance in a specific area, such as grounds or various facilities. This position is on-call on a rotational basis for snow removal and emergency flood events.

• Assists in performing routine horticulture activities under the direction of the gardener and lead gardener. This includes, but not limited to, watering, weeding, planting, seeding, sodding, mowing, and trimming. 
• Operates a wide variety of equipment used in maintenance including but not limited to snow removal equipment, large turf mowers, weed eaters, push mowers, seeders, tillers, dump trucks, industrial tractors with agricultural attachments, and skid loaders within the boundaries of the park.
• Cleans and maintains equipment used in grounds and facility maintenance.
• Inspects equipment to identify equipment to be repaired or replaced and notifies the supervisor accordingly.
• Performs equipment preventative maintenance. This includes, but is not limited to, maintenance on augers, skid loaders, turf, agricultural, and construction equipment.
• Performs heavy manual labor in various conditions such as on ladders and lifts. This includes repairing and replacing equipment parts; hand digging, building fence, tree work, and miscellaneous cleaning of equipment.
• Operates a variety of power tools.
• Performs tree removal and pruning.
• Sets up traffic control devices around the work site to ensure safety of workers and the public.
• Maintains and cleans the work area to ensure a positive public image
• May serve as lead person to part-time and seasonal employees.
• Performs other duties of a similar nature.

• High school diploma or GED equivalent.

• Candidates must have at least three years’ experience in grounds maintenance; or an equivalent combination of education and experience enough to successfully perform essential duties of the job.

• Must possess a valid State of Iowa Driver's License with a good driving record and obtain a Class A CDL with air brakes within 90 calendar days of appointment.
  • This position requires Driver remain insurable under the Company’s coverage.
• Iowa Pesticide License for Category 6 - Right of Way 

• Must be at least 21 years old for this position.

• State of Iowa Pesticide License for turf and ornamental (3OT)
• Irrigation experience
• Chainsaw experience

• GIS
• EAM (Enterprise Asset Management)
• ADP
• Microsoft Outlook
• Cell Phone
• Radio
• Personal Computer, Laptop, Notebook, or Tablet
• Hand Tools
• Hand Power Tools
• Ladders/Scaffolding

• Occasionally handles and lifts to 50 pounds
• Ability to work from heights up to 40 ft
• Occasionally uses ladders to work
• Frequently walks, stands, balances, crawls, grasps, squats, bends, kneels, and reaches above and below shoulder heights, twists, pulls, pushes, and endures repetitive motions

• Frequently works outdoors or in a street environment
• Frequently exposed to traffic and machine noise
• Frequently works in adverse weather conditions
• Occasionally works in an office or similar indoor environment, construction site, the community or shop environment

Des Moines Water Works is an Equal Opportunity Employer: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or protected veteran status, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Selection Process: The hiring process includes a review of qualifications, interviews, and job-related assessments. The selected candidate must pass a criminal background check, which includes a sex offender registry search, a pre-employment drug screen, and physical examination.

E-Verify Participation: Des Moines Water Works participates in the federal E-Verify program. We will provide the Social Security Administration (SSA) and, if necessary, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) with information from each new employee’s Form I-9 to confirm work authorization. All candidates offered a position must complete Section 1 of Form I-9 and present documentation verifying their identity and eligibility to work in the United States prior to starting employment. For questions about acceptable documents, please contact Human Resources at 515-283-8717.