Grounds Maintenance Worker-Durham

Join Team NCSSM at the #1 rated Best Public High School in America for 2025

CLOSING DATE: Monday, September 22, 2025 5 p.m.

POSITION TYPE: Permanent, 12-months, SHRA, FLSA Non-exempt, 1.0 FTE

HIRING SALARY RANGE: $36,313 - $38,449

Hiring salary will be determined based on education, experience, equity, budget, and market considerations.

NCSSM and the Grounds Department foster an environment of collaboration across departments and divisions and support community-engaged service and research. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, age, sexual orientation, genetic information, status as an individual with a disability, or status as a protected veteran or national guard. If you are an individual with disabilities requiring accommodations in the application and interview process, please contact us at hr@ncssm.edu.

Description of Duties:

The Grounds Maintenance Worker position reports to the Grounds Supervisor and is responsible for the care and upkeep of school grounds including mowing, trimming, edging, planting and maintenance of trees, shrubs and flowers, snow and ice removal, and other duties as requested by supervisor.

This is an essential/mandatory position (must report to work regardless of weather conditions). Candidates must be physically capable of working in a variety of challenging environmental conditions, including seasonal temperature extremes. This position may be required to work some overtime and weekends due to special events and programs.

Specific Duties and Responsibilities

General Maintenance

• Maintain campus grounds and landscaping, including grass, shrubs, flower beds, trees, drains, sidewalks, and parking lots;

• Ensure campus cleanliness by performing daily trash and recycling pickup and maintaining outdoor receptacles;

• Effectively communicate and collaborate with grounds campus service students; and

• Complete daily work orders to address general maintenance needs promptly and efficiently.

Turf and Landscape Management

• Perform all cultural practices necessary for turf and landscape management, including mowing, fertilizing, irrigating, mulching, aeration, and seeding; and

• Install new landscape material as needed to enhance campus aesthetics.

Equipment Management

• Safely and efficiently operate a variety of grounds equipment and tools;

• Perform routine preventative maintenance on all grounds equipment; and

• Perform basic repairs on all grounds equipment.

General Plant Facilities Duties

• Assist with facility-wide tasks, including event setups, snow and ice removal, and cross-functional support for other shops; and

• Maintain a clean and organized shop and work area.

Knowledge--Technical: Maintains an inventory of materials, supplies and equipment to ensure appropriate levels are available to perform work.

Safety and Health Compliance: Performs routine servicing of tools and equipment safely to ensure safe operation.

Interpersonal Skills: Crosses work units when problem solving.

Customer Service: Anticipates customer needs, and addresses and resolves promptly and respectfully. Represents the work area when needed to customers on matters of concern.

Some knowledge of groundskeeping procedures, ability to follow instructions and to perform medium to heavy physical work; or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

Preferred experience:

• Minimum of one year of documented experience in grounds maintenance, plant care, and operation of groundskeeping equipment.

• Valid drivers license with no serious driving-related convictions.

• Ability to perform routine preventive maintenance and make basic repairs to all grounds equipment.

• Experience and ability to work outdoors in all weather conditions, including extreme heat and cold.

• Ability to effectively communicate to various faculty, staff, students, and internal customers and to understand and carry out oral and written work assignments.

Team NCSSM Benefits

NCSSM offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package designed to support the well-being, growth, and work-life balance of our employees. Highlights include generous vacation and sick leave; 12 annual holidays; paid parental, family medical, and community service leave; and flexible work schedules where applicable. Leave is earned monthly and pro-rated for part-time employees and those working less than 12 months. Employees also enjoy access to the State Health Plan, multiple retirement options (including TSERS and ORP), supplemental retirement savings plans, tuition waiver benefits across the UNC System, and free access to on-site facilities like a gym, library, and cafeteria. Additional perks include life insurance, disability coverage, flexible spending accounts, and membership eligibility with the State Employees Credit Union.

Please visit NCSSM Employee Benefits for more information.

About NCSSM:

North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM) is a world-class public high school with statewide reach empowering academically talented students from diverse backgrounds from every corner of the state to design their own future. We offer residential high school programs in Durham and Morganton for juniors and seniors or virtual high school courses and programs that students can take alongside their local curriculum, all tuition free. Our wide array of summer offerings for rising 5th- through 12th-graders includes free opportunities for in-state students alongside paid options for students from anywhere in the world. NCSSM Extended Learning partners with communities and regions to advance student learning and outcomes.

Specializing in science, technology, engineering, and math, and embracing the fine arts and humanities, NCSSM has become the model for 18 such specialized schools around the globe since its founding in 1980 and is a full constituent of the University of North Carolina System. NCSSM's Ignite + Transform comprehensive campaign seeks to raise $50 million in private support for our mission.

The new NCSSM-Morganton campus opened in 2022 for summer programs and its first fall academic term. NCSSM-Morganton focuses on the booming fields of data science and artificial intelligence, preparing the leaders of tomorrow to navigate a future driven by data and machine learning, with emphasis on the humanistic implications and ethical use of these tools.

Nearly two-thirds of NCSSM graduates earn a bachelor's degree in a STEM field -- over three times the national average, including 58 percent of our underrepresented minority graduates, which is nearly four times the national average. Nearly three-quarters have earned or are seeking a graduate degree. A 2020 economic impact study found that 54 percent of our alumni continue to live and work in North Carolina, catalyzing nearly $1.3 billion in annual economic activity. NCSSM values the diversity in our student body, and all members of the NCSSM community are expected to foster a safe environment of respect and inclusion for all faculty, staff, and students.

For more information, please read the NCSSM strategic plan and visit ncssm.edu.

How to Apply:

Submit electronic application via this link: Grounds Maintenance Worker-Durham.

Please complete your application in full. All required Competencies, Work History, and Credentials must appear on the application in the Education and Work Experience sections of the application to receive consideration during the selection process. Resumes will not be accepted in lieu of completing the State Application form in its entirety. "See Attached Resume or an Embedded Text Resume" will be considered incomplete and will not be processed. Degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

Applicants seeking Veteran's Preference must attach a DD form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, along with the state application. Applicants seeking National Guard Preference must attach a NGB 23A (RPAS) if they are a current member of the NC National Guard in good standing. If applicants are a former member of the NC National Guard who served for at least six years and was discharged under honorable conditions, they must attach either a DD256 or NGB 22 along with their state application.

Final candidates are subject to criminal and sex offender background checks. Some vacancies also require a motor vehicle check. If the highest degree is from an institution outside of the U.S., final candidates are required to have their degree equivalency verified at www.wes.org or equivalent service. NCSSM participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

Please refrain from submitting multiple applications. However, if multiple applications are submitted to a posting, only the most recent application received prior to the posting close date will be accepted. There is a 24 hour waiting period before an applicant can re-apply to a position.

If you have questions, please email careers@ncssm.edu.

NCSSM is an EEO/eVerify/VEVRAA Employer