Landscape Maintenance - Lead Hand (Whistler, BC)

Whistler, BC, Canada .
full-time . December 23, 2021

Description

Pika Landscapes has been creating and maintaining beautiful outdoor spaces in Whistler and beyond for more than 20 years.

If you like working outside and getting your hands dirty and have experience in landscape or grounds maintenance, we want to talk to you.

We’re known for:

Quality service
Organic principles (Whistler’s only certified Organic Landscape business)
Supporting a great work-life balance in a lifestyle-oriented mountain resort town
Having fun
Our new vehicles and equipment
Cultivating a tight-knit, high performing team
Lots of 3-day weekends during the summer months
Overtime pay (not the industry norm)
Having systems in place for much of what we do
Creating growth opportunities for staff:
transparent organizational structure
detailed job descriptions and pay scale for each role
annual budget allocated to key staff education and training

This is a full-time (~40hr/week, Monday to Friday) seasonal role starting early April and wrapping up in late October.

Job overview

The Landscape Maintenance Lead Hand is responsible for contributing to all aspects of landscape maintenance as part of a commercial property crew, and be generally familiar with or in the process of learning all aspects of landscape maintenance including: cleanups, mowing, mulching, pruning, trimming, edging, line trimming, bed maintenance, fertilizing etc.; and operating all equipment including mowers, line trimmers, blowers, edgers, and hedge trimmers.

Your primary job is to assist your Commercial Crew Lead.

Specific responsibilities

You’ll be tasked with assisting weekly maintenance of a select group of commercial properties in the Whistler valley:
Help coach, teach and motivate your crew of 2-4 people with the aim of improving quality, productivity, safety and morale over time
Help lead maintenance tasks like mowing, line trimming, edging, weeding, pruning and blowing
Help inspect all work for quality to eliminate the need for return visits and/or re-work due to quality or customer satisfaction issues
Help identify opportunities to make improvements to properties; discuss them with your Crew Lead to plot a course
Help move and install soil, mulch and plant material to enhance properties
Ensure your vehicle, trailer, tools and equipment are in good working condition and cleaned per Pika’s cleanliness and maintenance procedures

Requirements

At least 1 season under your belt in landscape or grounds maintenance
A class 5 driver’s licence in good standing and some experience driving with a trailer
An able body that can handle physical tasks all day long
Secondary school diploma
Horticultural experience (and/or diploma)
A working visa or permanent residency

You’ll be good at this job if

You’re responsible and dependable, can work with minimal supervision but know when to ask for assistance
You love plants: you find yourself using Google to identify and geek out on the habits of various trees, shrubs and plants
You love being outside rain or shine
You possess excellent problem solving abilities
You’re self-aware, can take direct feedback and want to grow personally
You communicate effectively and proactively
You’re accountable and have a mature sense of personal responsibility: you say what you think, make commitments and follow through
You’re inclined to smile and be polite even when you don’t feel like it. We want our customers to love you.
You like to have fun. Some days are tough due to foul weather, project surprises, challenging personalities, or difficult work but you’re skilled at modeling fun no matter what.
You sweat the details. We don’t cut corners and quality is critical.
You want (or think you want) a career in landscaping and not just a summer job

You’ll need

Steel toe boots, rain gear, gloves and sun protection (hat, sunscreen)
Blue, black or grey pants or shorts

Compensation and benefits

$22.5 - $23.5/hour depending on qualifications and experience
Overtime pay: 1.5x time for any hours greater than 40 worked per week
Weekly payroll
$30/month reimbursement on your cel phone bill during the season
During high summer months, work 10hr days and get every Monday off
Access to subsidized shared staff accommodation during busy season (Apr-Oct) if necessary. This could be a short-term landing spot for you while you sort out long-term accommodation.
Support for ongoing training and education after one full year of employment

Compensation

$23.50 - $24.50

Know someone who would be a perfect fit? Let them know!