What You'll Be Doing

Wake County Parks, Recreation and Open Space seek a Park Technician of Maintenance for Harris Lake County Park and the American Tobacco Trail.  We’re looking for someone with experience or interest in equipment maintenance, land management, interpersonal communication and public relations to join our growing team.  Flexibility will be key to the successful candidate as job tasks shift day-by-day and occasionally hour-by-hour.

Harris Lake County Park and the American Tobacco Trail offer our community highly sought-after services such as outdoor recreation, cultural history, environmental education and nature viewing.  As a member of our team, you’ll assist in delivering these services while regularly interacting with our community and supporting daily operations and maintenance of our facilities. 

This position is based at Harris Lake County Park and offers exciting and unique opportunities as we master plan for the future. Learn more about Harris Lake Website and American Tobacco Trail - https://www.wake.gov/departments-government/parks-recreation-open-space/all-parks-trails/harris-lake-county-park

As a Park Technician of Maintenance, you will:

• Assist in daily operations and maintenance of our facilities including grounds, hiking trails, equipment, buildings, and picnic areas
• Oversee the maintenance of our mountain bike trails and playgrounds
• Assist with natural resource management
• Assist with invasive species control
• Provide excellent customer service while ensuring our park facilities are welcoming, open, clean, and safe for the community to enjoy
• Assist with educational and recreational programs and events
• Supervise and mentor our temporary staff and volunteers
• Assist with front desk operations
• Work with our parks team to accomplish park and Division-wide goals
• Use Microsoft Applications and other general computer equipment and software to assist with data collection, document creation , and data collection
• Committed to culturally competent visitor engagement, able to adapt and be flexible in a dynamic environment to meet the needs of all visitors

About Our Team

The Parks, Recreation and Open Space Division (we like to call ourselves PROS) is a talented team devoted to ensuring our parks are accessible and welcoming. We offer preservation, education and recreation opportunities across our nine parks and three nature preserves (and GROWING!) 361 days a year. The American Tobacco Trail and Harris Lake County Park host over 42 popular recreational events including disc golf tournaments, running and mountain biking events and races, marathons, triathlons, and Park Staff led events such as the Longleaf Ramble and the Star Party. Harris Lake County Park is a 680-acre park that provides a variety of picnic opportunities, over 10 miles of mountain bike trail, a 5-mile hiking trail, a 20-basket disc golf course, playground, fishing areas, geocaching program, environmental education, cultural and recreational programs and an abundance of natural resource management. The American Tobacco Trail is a 6.5-mile multi-use (hiking, biking, equestrian) granite-screened trail that is a part of a 22-mile rail-trail spanning through Chatham and Durham Counties. There are 3 parking areas that we maintain, along with plant beds and 2 restroom facilities. We offer environmental, cultural and recreational programs for the public. Our parks have never been more popular! We serve nearly 2 million visitors annually and plan to open additional facilities in the future. The County has received national and international rankings and accolades from publications such as Money, Fortune and Time magazines as one of the best places to live, work and play – and it’s no surprise. Our community loves our parks (and so do we!). See for yourself at wake.gov/parks. Our Mission: PROS preserves open space, promotes stewardship, and provides equitable and inclusive education and outdoor recreation for a diverse and growing community. The Harris Lake County Park/American Tobacco Trail staff has a talented and energetic team dedicated to high standards of service for our community. We serve our population with passion and pride and strive for excellence in everything we do! The team works together every day managing our natural resources, event preparation, cleaning and maintaining our buildings, grounds and trail maintenance, kiosk and display creation, opening and closing the parks and other operational tasks are just some examples of this teamwork.

The Basics (Required Education and Experience)

• High school diploma or GED
• One year of experience working in a park setting, providing educational programming, maintaining facilities or landscaping
• Valid Driver's License and "safe" driving record
• CPR certification within one year of employment
• Equivalent education and experience are accepted
• Please include ALL prior work experience on your application and resume.

Beyond the Basics (Preferred Education and Experience)

• Bachelor’s degree in parks and recreation, forestry, natural resource, or related education field
• Two years of experience related to this position description including park operations, landscaping, forestry, supervisory, computer skills including GIS and Office 365
• Proven customer service skills
• Mechanical aptitude with general knowledge of power tools, small engine operation, heavy equipment operation, maintenance and repair
• NC Pesticide Applicators Certification

How Will We Know You're 'The One'?

• Interest in agricultural practices for turf, plant, tree, overall landscape care
• Willingness to grow and develop as you strive for excellence
• Establish high-quality standards for your work
• Act with honesty, transparency, respect and sincerity in our interactions with co-workers, partners and those we serve
• Excellent decision-making and the ability to prioritize tasks
• Team player that values different ideas and opinions
• Excellent communication skills
• Ability to demonstrate flexibility