Job Description

Specific information regarding this recruitment process is listed below.

This recruitment may be used to fill positions in this or other divisions.

Application Opening:  Thursday, October 16, 2025
Application Deadline:  Apply immediately. Application filing will be open at least through Wednesday, October 22, 2025, and will close any time thereafter.
Salary Range: $78,884 - $95,992 Annually
Recruitment IDs: TEX- 3417-158131, RTF0158130-01129527;
TEX- 3417-158131, RTF0158130-01129528;
TEX- 3417-158131, RTF0158130-01137881;
TEX- 3417-158131, RTF0158130-01137882;
TEX- 3417-158131, RTF0158130-01137883;

Appointment Type:  Temporary-Exempt (TEX), Category 18:  This position is excluded by the Charter from the competitive Civil Service examination process and shall serve at the discretion of the Appointing Officer and shall not exceed 36 months.

San Francisco Public Works (Public Works) has a far-reaching portfolio with a $453 million annual operating budget, an active capital portfolio that exceeds $3 billion and a workforce of 1,700-plus employees. The department operates around the clock, touching every neighborhood in San Francisco. The staff designs and manages the construction of civic buildings and streets; cleans and greens the right of way; maintains civic buildings; manages multi-million-dollar bond programs; trains people for jobs; keeps the right of way free of hazards; paves the roads; repairs bridges and public stairways; expands accessibility; and works at the forefront addressing some of San Francisco’s biggest challenges. With a mission to enhance the quality of life in San Francisco for residents, visitors and business owners, Public Works is committed to providing outstanding public service through an equity lens.

Please visit the “About Us” section of our website at to learn more about the department’s core values, Racial Equity Initiative, leadership team, history, budget and more.

The Bureau of Urban Forestry (BUF)  oversees median maintenance, tree planting, and the healthy maintenance of the 124,000-plus city-owned trees through the voter-backed StreetTreeSF program. In addition, our dedicated crews repair sidewalks and build curb ramps to advance safety and accessibility for the communities across San Francisco. Read more here:  Public Works and Our City's Trees .

Public Works currently has multiple vacancies for Gardener (3417) positions within the Bureau of Urban Forestry - Landscaping division.

Job Description

Under general supervision, as a Gardener, you will perform routine maintenance and landscaping renovation tasks to care for athletic fields, squares, parks, playgrounds, stadiums, thoroughfares, medians and/or other landscaped areas. You will prepare soil by rototilling, spading and fertilizing; maintain plants by planting, transplanting, cultivating, irrigating and pruning; identify a large variety of plant material and their cultural requirements; identify pests and diseases, perform techniques such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to control or mitigate the pests and diseases; maintain lawns by raking, edging, mowing, watering, weeding, aerating, fertilizing, and over seeding; maintain grounds by clearing brush and debris, sweeping and raking public activity areas, cleaning up litter and clearing drains; changing sprinkler heads when required; operate power and manual equipment and/or tools such as mowers, watering equipment, gopher traps, and other types of gardening equipment and/or tools; perform routine maintenance on landscaping equipment and/or tools to ensure they are in good working condition; and perform general maintenance tasks on grounds and facilities to ensure clean and safe premises.

Important and Essential Duties:
Your duties as a Gardener may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Prepares soil by rototilling, grading, spading, and fertilizing to promote plant growth and to prevent drainage problems.
• Maintains plants by planting, transplanting, cultivating, irrigating and pruning to promote plant growth and to prevent plant deterioration.
• Identifies and destroys pests and diseases on plants and/or lawn areas by performing techniques such as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to control and/or mitigate the pests and diseases.
• Maintains lawn areas by raking, edging, mowing, watering, weeding, aerating, fertilizing, over seeding and/or other landscaping function(s) to promote lawn health and erosion control.
• Maintains grounds of athletic fields, squares, parks, playgrounds, stadiums, thoroughfares and/or other landscape areas by clearing brush and debris, sweeping and raking areas, cleaning up litter, clearing drains, and preventing hazardous conditions.
• Operates power and manual equipment and/or tools such as mowers, water equipment, gopher traps, and other types of gardening equipment and/or tools to assist in maintaining landscape areas.
• Performs routine maintenance on gardening equipment and/or tools to ensure they are maintained and in good working condition.
• Performs general maintenance duties on grounds and facilities such as athletic fields, sandboxes in parks, public easements, restroom facilities, irrigating systems, and other ground and facility areas to ensure clean and safe premises.
• May be assigned to work with and/or direct the work of volunteers.

Working Condition: The nature of the work may require exposure to inclement weather conditions and may require exposure to hazardous conditions and/or materials which may include feces and/or urine, used syringes, etc. All positions require driving. Some positions may require riding mowers and driving small utility vehicles. Some positions may require working in public spaces such as public parks, schools, green spaces, nature trails, public/community facilities, etc. Some positions may require weekend or shift work.

Special Requirements : This position requires the ability to lift, drag and/or move with assistance large and/or heavy plants and equipment to truck bed level and ability to kneel, bend, and squat for considerable periods of time safely and correctly. The probationary period will be used to evaluate these abilities.

Qualifications

Minimum

Qualifications

:

Experience:

1. Three (3) years of verified experience in the care, construction, or maintenance of landscaped areas by planting, weeding, fertilizing, irrigating, pruning, and controlling pests in the following areas: sports and athletic natural turf fields, golf courses, parks, ornamental gardens, arboreta, greenhouses, nurseries, botanical gardens and/or public landscaped areas;
   OR
   
2. Possession of a Certificate of Achievement from an accredited college or university in horticulture, landscaping, gardening, nursery and garden center operation, commercial cut flower and greenhouse production or related field and two (2) years of verifiable experience in the care, construction or maintenance of landscaped areas by planting, weeding, fertilizing, irrigating, pruning, and controlling pests in the following areas: sports and athletic natural turf fields, golf courses, parks, ornamental gardens, arboreta, greenhouses, nurseries, botanical gardens and/or public landscaped areas;
   OR
   
3. Possession of an Associate of Arts or Science degree from an accredited college or university in horticulture, landscaping, gardening, nursery and garden center operation, commercial cut flower and greenhouse production or related field and eighteen (18) months of verifiable experience in the care, construction or maintenance of landscaped areas by planting, weeding, fertilizing, irrigating, pruning, and controlling pests in the following areas: sports and athletic natural turf fields, golf courses, parks, ornamental gardens, arboreta, greenhouses, nurseries, botanical gardens and/or public landscaped areas;
   OR
   
4. Completion of 3,000 hours of the City and County of San Francisco's gardener apprenticeship program;
   AND

License:  Requires possession of a valid California driver's license.

Note:  One (1) year full-time employment is considered equivalent to 2000 hours (2000 hours of qualifying work experience is based on a 40 hour work week). Any overtime hours that you work above forty (40) hours per week are not included in the calculation to determine full-time employment.

CONDITION OF EMPLOYMENT
Valid Driver’s License: Applicants  must possess a valid State of California driver’s license with  no restrictions that would prohibit them from legally performing the essential functions and duties of the role.

Verification:
Applicants may be required to submit verification of qualifying education and experience at any point during the recruitment and selection process. More information can be found at: 

All work experience, education, training and other information substantiating how you meet the minimum

qualifications

must be included on your application by the filing deadline. Information submitted after the filing deadline will not be considered in determining whether you meet the minimum

qualifications

.

Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of a completed City and County of San Francisco application. 

Note:  Falsifying one's education, training, or work experience or attempted deception on the application may result in disqualification for this and future job opportunities with the City and County of San Francisco.

Selection Procedures:
After application submission, candidates deemed qualified must complete all subsequent steps to advance in this selection process, which includes the following:

The selection process will include an evaluation of applications in relation to minimum requirements. Depending on the number of applicants, the department may establish and implement additional screening mechanisms to comparatively evaluate the

qualifications

of candidates. If this becomes necessary, only those applicants whose

qualifications

most closely meet the needs of the department will move forward in the recruitment process.

Minimum Qualification Supplemental Questionnaire (MQSQ):
Candidates may be required to complete an MQSQ as part of the employment application. This MQSQ is designed to obtain specific information regarding an applicant's experience in relation to the Minimum

Qualifications

(MQ) for this position. The MQSQ will be used to evaluate if the applicant possesses the required minimum

qualifications

.

Applicants who meet the minimum

qualifications

are not guaranteed advancement through all of the steps in the selection procedure.

Additional Information

Additional Information

Regarding Employment with the City and County of San Francisco:

Statement on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:  At the City and County of San Francisco, we share a commitment to a diverse, inclusive and equitable community. Each member of our organization is responsible and accountable for what they say and do to make San Francisco an inclusive and equitable place to live and work by employing fair and just practices to and for all.

Applicants will receive a confirmation email that their online application has been received in response to every announcement for which they file. Applicants should retain this confirmation email for their records.  Failure to receive this email means that the online application was not submitted or received.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment or application process, please contact the analyst, Kristi Sevilla, at kristi.sevilla@sfdpw.org.

The City and County of San Francisco encourages women, minorities and persons with disabilities to apply. Applicants will be considered regardless of their sex, race, age, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, physical disability, mental disability, medical condition (associated with cancer, a history of cancer, or genetic characteristics), HIV/AIDS status, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, military and veteran status, or other protected category under the law.

Job Tags

Full time, Temporary work, Apprenticeship, Work experience placement, Work at office, Immediate start, Shift work,

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