The Johnston County Buildings and Grounds department has an immediate opening for a Grounds Worker.

Please note: Final candidates subject to background check (includes motor vehicle records).

• Please document all work history relevant to the position for which you are applying. Determination of qualifying for the position and salary may be based on years of experience listed on the application itself, not in supplemental documents attached. Failure to document complete work history may affect qualification determination and salary. Electronic applications cannot be amended once submitted.

Located in the eastern half of North Carolina and part of the Research Triangle Region, Johnston County is part of the fastest growing region of the state. Johnston County is the fastest growing county in the state with a population of 216,000 residents.

Hiring salary range is commensurate with experience and excellent benefits package available. Benefits include health, dental, vision, retirement, 401k, paid holidays, sick leave, and more.

Position performs a variety of equipment maintenance and repair activities. Work is performed on a large number and different styles of grounds. Work also includes a variety of tasks involving semi-skilled and unskilled manual work in the maintenance of grounds. Work requires significant independent initiative and advanced knowledge of trade practices and skills. Position includes mowing grass, pruning, weed eating and general grounds maintenance. Employees are subject to working in inside and outside environments, in extreme cold and hot weather, and hazards in the work including exposures to loud noises, vibrations, proximity to moving mechanical parts, electrical current, working in high places, and exposure to chemicals, fumes, odors, dusts, mists, gases, and oils. Workers are also subject to work in close quarters such as crawl spaces and small rooms and are subject to the final OSHA standards on blood borne pathogens. Work is assigned daily, is supervised by the Felicities Manager and is reviewed by observation of quality and quantity of work completed and timeliness of completion.

Mows lawns; trims and edges around walkways, flower beds and fences; operates and maintains lawn mowers and some power and hand tools; cleans parking lots and walk ways. Picks-up trash and debris and hauls to appropriate area and/or receptacle. Plants trees, bushes, shrubs, flowers, grasses and other plants. Maintains, by way of pruning, weeding, irrigating and cutting, etc: trees, bushes, shrubs, grasses and other plants. Other duties as assigned.

Moves furniture in/or between offices, lifts and moves heavy boxes or containers upon request; and hauls old records to the landfill. Participates in the County's safety program and adheres to safety procedures and policies of the department.

Working knowledge of the principles and techniques of grounds maintenance. Thorough knowledge of the methods, tools, and equipment used in the assigned trades. Thorough knowledge of safety regulations, occupational hazards and related safety precautions in the work. Considerable knowledge of methods, cleaning chemicals and supplies, and equipment used in grounds maintenance work. Skill in the use and care of assigned tools and equipment. Ability to diagnose and repair problems and plan and organize appropriate corrective action. Ability to understand and follow oral and written instructions. Ability to exercise independent initiative. Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with coworkers, supervisors, and other County employees.

Must be able to physically perform the basic life functions of climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, standing, walking, pushing, pulling, lifting, grasping, feeling, talking, hearing, and repetitive motions.

Must be able to perform heavy work exerting up to 100 pounds of force occasionally, and/or up to 50 pounds of force frequently; and/or up to 20 pounds of force constantly to move objects.

Must possess visual acuity to operate machines such as blowers, edger, mowers, weed eaters, and etc. Must be able to perform skilled trade tasks on non-repetitive nature, and make visual inspections of work assigned and completed.

Graduation from high school or GED supplemented with 3 years of experience in landscape or grounds maintenance field or an equivalent combination of education and experience.

Possession of a valid North Carolina driver's license. Must have or acquire a NC pesticide license within 6 months.

• Please document all work history relevant to the position for which you are applying. Determination of qualifying for the position and salary may be based on years of experience listed on the application itself, not in supplemental documents attached. Failure to document complete work history may affect qualification determination and salary. Electronic applications cannot be amended once submitted.

Group Health Insurance

Johnston County provides full time and part time permanent employees working 20 plus hours per week with Health Insurance coverage with Aetna. Premiums will be pro-rated based on the number of hours worked. Aetna offers a Core Plan and Plus Plan with in-network and out-of-network benefits. The monthly premiums are as follows:

Core Plan

• Full time employee coverage for the Core Plan is paid at 100% by the County.
• Employee plus 1 child, $225
• Employee plus 2+ children, $450
• Employee plus spouse, $540
• Employee plus family coverage, $605

Plus Plan

Employees can elect to upgrade to the Plus Plan which also offers in-network and out-of-network benefits with lower deductibles and co-payments than the Core Plan.

• Employee coverage for the Plus Plan is $80 per month.
• Employee plus one child, $330
• Employee plus 2+ children, $585
• Employee plus spouse, $695
• Employee plus family coverage, $800

Health insurance becomes effective for employees the first day of the month following the 30th day of employment.

Group Dental Insurance

Johnston County provides full time and part time permanent employees working 20 plus hours per week the option to purchase Dental Insurance from MetLife. Two options are available to employees.

The first option, called the Low Plan, allows you to have dental services performed by a dentist of your choosing. Services performed under this plan are paid in accordance with usual, customary and reasonable rates at lower percentages than on the High Plan. The monthly premiums for this plan are as follows:

• Employee only $31.25
• Employee plus spouse $55.85
• Employee plus 1 child $55.85
• Employee plus 2+ children $75.01
• Family $87.12

The second option, or High Plan, also allows that your dental services be performed by a dentist of your choosing. Services performed under this plan are paid in accordance with usual, customary and reasonable rates at higher percentages than on the Low Plan. The monthly premiums are as follows:

• Employee only $45.53
• Employee plus 1 child $88.53
• Employee plus spouse $88.53
• Employee plus 2+ children $126.41
• Family $155.95

Dental Insurance becomes effective for employees the first day of the month following the 30th day of employment.

Group Life Insurance

Johnston County provides term Life Insurance through Reliance Standard Life for full time and part time permanent employees working 20 or more hours per week. Life insurance is paid for you by Johnston County and pays your beneficiary one time your annual salary not to exceed $200,000 in the event of your death. Accidental death and dismemberment coverage is also provided. You can purchase optional dependent coverage at a rate of $0.70 cents per month for coverage on an unlimited eligible number of dependents. Optional dependent coverage provides $2,500 to you in the event of the death of a spouse or child 6 months to age 19 or age 25 if a full time student. Life Insurance becomes effective the first day of the month following 30 days of employment. Voluntary supplemental term life insurance coverage for you, your spouse or your dependent children is also available through Reliance Standard Life - please see the Human Resources Department for more details.

Short Term Disability Insurance

Johnston County provides active full time permanent employees working 30 plus hours per week the option to purchase Short Term Disability Insurance through UNUM. Short Term Disability Insurance covers 60% of employee's weekly salary with a maximum of $600 per week in the event of a non-work related injury or illness for up to 52 weeks. Benefit begins after 30 days. If elected during initial enrollment, pre-existing conditions are waived. If you choose to enroll at a time other than initial enrollment, then you must complete an Evidence of Insurability in which pre-existing conditions are no longer excluded. Short Term Disability is available at a monthly cost of $0.79 per $10.00 of weekly benefit.

125 Flexible Benefit Plan

Pre-tax deductions for Medical, Dental and Dependent Care costs. Employees are eligible to participate in Dependent Day Care and Health/Dental Reimbursement accounts effective the first day of the month following the 30th day of employment.

401(k) and 457(b)

Johnston County provides full time and part time permanent employees working 20 plus hours per week with a 401(k) Supplemental Retirement Income Plan through Prudential Retirement Services. The county will match up to 5% of the employee's annual salary to the 401(k), following a one-year waiting period for non-sworn employees hired on July 1, 2007 or later. Vesting is immediate. Employees can make monthly voluntary pre-tax and/or after-tax contributions to the 401(k) immediately upon hire with no waiting period.

In addition, Johnston County provides full time and part time permanent employees working 20 plus hours per week with a voluntary 457(b) Deferred Compensation Plan through Prudential Retirement Services. With this plan, you can defer part of your income for retirement by contributing pre-tax and/or after-tax dollars.

The maximum annual contribution for both plans is $19,500 ($26,000 with age 50 or older) for calendar year 2020. Both plans offer a choice of investment options ranging from conservative to aggressive, loan provisions and unmatched personal service.

NC Local Governmental Employee's Retirement System

As a local government employee, you are required to participate in the North Carolina State Government Retirement System which acts much like a 401(k). You will be automatically enrolled at date of hire and will contribute a mandatory pre-tax 6% of your monthly income into the plan. The employer shares in the cost of retirement benefits. The benefits received at retirement are based on your salary, age and years of service. You are vested after 5 years of creditable service.

The Retirement System also includes a Life Insurance Plan or Death Benefit which is paid by the county. Your named beneficiary receives a single lump sum payment equal to highest 12 months salary in a row during 24 months prior to death and can be no less than $25,000 but no more than $50,000. Your named beneficiary is only eligible for the Death Benefit if you completed one year of employment and were a contributing member to the system for one year.

Holidays

The policy of the county is to follow the holiday schedule as published by the State of North Carolina each year. The following holidays are observed: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving Day and the day after and three (3) days at Christmas.

Vacation

Each full and part-time permanent employee of the County shall earn vacation at the following schedule, prorated by the regular number of hours in the workweek:

Service with other governmental units under the NC Retirement Systems may be applied only if the service is continuous from the immediately preceding unit of government. Employees shall be allowed to take accumulated vacation leave after six (6) months of service. Vacation leave may be accumulated without any applicable maximum until December 31 of each year. Effective the last payroll in the calendar year, any employee with more than 30 days of accumulated leave shall have the excess accumulation transferred to sick leave so that only 30 days are carried forward to January 1 of the next calendar year.

Sick Leave

Sick leave shall accrue at a rate of one day per month of service or twelve days per year. Sick leave for full and part-time permanent employees working other than the basic work schedule shall be prorated by the regular number of hours in the workweek. Sick leave will be cumulative for an indefinite period of time and may be converted upon retirement for service credit. New employees with continuous employment from another unit of government under the NC Retirement System may transfer sick leave after successfully completing their probationary period.

Tuition Assistance Program

Full-time permanent employees who have completed initial probation may apply for tuition reimbursement for courses taken on their own time, which will improve their skills for their current job or prepare them for promotional opportunities within the County service. Tuition, registration, and fees are eligible expenses. Employees may be reimbursed up to $500 per fiscal year upon satisfactory course completion. Requests must be approved and are subject to availability of funds.

Miscellaneous

Mileage reimbursement, membership in the State Employee's Credit Union, and various sick & accident insurance policies through Colonial and American Family Life are also available.