Salary and Benefits

 PLEASE NOTE: The starting salary placement depends on qualifications and experience and is anticipated to be in the range of $3,461.00 per month to $4,137.00 per month (Step 1 - 10).

Cal State East Bay offers a broad range of benefits that includes medical, dental, vision, retirement (CalPERS), 401k, 457, 403(b), dependent and health care reimbursement accounts, life insurance, vacation and sick, 14 paid holidays, one personal holiday and tuition fee waiver.

For more information on the benefits program, please visit our benefits website. The CSU Total Compensation Calculator demonstrates the significance of our benefits package.

Classification

Groundworker

About Cal State East Bay

Cal State East Bay's beautiful main campus is located in the Hayward hills with panoramic views of the San Francisco Bay shoreline. Situated above the city of Hayward, the campus offers an ideal setting for teaching and learning and yet easy access to the many cities along the bay. The University has a satellite campus in Concord, a professional development center in Oakland and a significant presence online. Founded in 1957, Cal State East Bay is one of 23 universities of the California State University system (CSU). Cal State East Bay is recognized as a regionally engaged and globally oriented university with a strong commitment to academic innovation, student success, engaged and service learning, diversity, and sustainability.

About the Position

The main function of the Groundsworker position is to maintain the campus grounds in a way that provides a safe and aesthetically pleasing environment for the staff, faculty, students and the community.  Under general supervision, this position performs work involving some or all of the following: planting, cultivating, fertilizing, spraying and watering ornamental plants, shrubs, hedges, trees, lawns and flowers.

The Groundsworker is also responsible for raking, removing weeds, cleaning trash from assigned areas including parking lots; preparing and treating soils for planting, maintaining hoses, sprinklers, tools, supplies and equipment in proper condition and repair. Additionally, trimming of trees, hedges, shrubs, and installing tree supports. This position may operate and perform minor repairs and maintenance on power equipment such as lawn mowers, edger’s, and weed eaters and assist in preparing athletic fields for events.  The Groundsworker may occasionally assist in sprinkler repair, spraying, tree trimming, or nursery functions, operate trucks and other equipment in performance of assigned duties. In addition, this position may construct flowerbeds, maintain drainage systems, remove brush and trees, collect trash, and help to install concrete and asphalt. 

Please Note: Review of applications will begin on October 30, 2026.

This position is temporary, through June 30, 2027, with the possibility of reappointment, up to one year.

Responsibilities

 Turf Area Maintenance 

• Daily litter pick up
• Edging along sidewalks, around valve boxes, drains, and planting beds
• Trim mowing edges and around trees and other obstacles in lawn
• Hand trimming or weed whipping tall grass where inaccessible to mower
• Fertilizing of lawns

Shrub and Flower Bed Maintenance

• Daily litter pick up
• Weeding of flower and shrub beds
• Pruning shrubs and small trees
• Planting of annuals, perennials, and ornamental shrubs and small trees
• Fertilizing

Hardscape (Parking Lots/Roads/Walks/Stairs/Patio) Maintenance

• Daily litter pick up
• Sweeping & Blowing
• Pressure Washing concrete & hard surfaces
• Repairs to asphalt ( potholes ) and concrete grinding to repair trip hazards
• Vacuuming         

Irrigation Systems Maintenance

• Power trimming grass from around sprinkler heads and valve boxes
• Repair / replace broken sprinkler heads or other small irrigation repairs
• Reporting any malfunctioning sprinkler heads to leads/irrigation technicians
• Placing portable sprinklers in dry spots and hand watering as instructed

Other Duties as Required

• Assist with In-House Landscape upgrades
• Reporting hazards or emergencies to manager
• May be called back in after hours for emergencies
• Nursery work - potting plants and maintaining nursery stock
• Athletic Fields and stadium maintenance
• Reporting of monthly absences
• TMA time card entry
• Training when required
• Landscaping: Removal of old/dead plants, adding new soil, amendments and wood chips, shaping of terrain and planting material as instructed

Minimum Qualifications

Knowledge: Thorough knowledge of general gardening and grounds maintenance methods. General knowledge of proper methods of planting, cultivating, and caring for hedges, ornamental trees, shrubs, lawns, and flowers, and the use and care of gardening materials, tools, and equipment.

Abilities: Ability to recognize the more common species of ornamental shrubs, trees and flowers grown in California; perform strenuous physical work as described in this classification; utilize mechanical aptitude and motor coordination; learn to skillfully operate small trucks and power-driven grounds equipment; read and write at a level appropriate to the duties of the position; and follow simple oral and written instructions. 

Experience: One year of experience in the care and maintenance of landscaped areas or in general grounds maintenance work, or in related manual labor

Required License 

• This position requires the operation of State vehicles and equipment. Valid State of California Class C Drivers License is required.

Preferred Skills and Knowledge 

• More than three years of progressive experience in a grounds working function.
• High School Diploma or equivalent.
• Proficiency of English grammar, punctuation and spelling.
• Ability to communicate with other staff and share pertinent information as required.
• Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively as part of a team.

Environmental and/or Physical Requirements and/or Special Working Conditions: 

• Employees are required to perform tasks requiring a relatively high degree of physical strength and endurance.
• Need to stand and walk for long periods of time.
• Reach above and below waist level.
• Have bodily movement adequate to climb, stoop, kneel, crawl, and traverse rough uneven terrain.
• Safely lift, carry, push and pull objects weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Ability to work beyond daylight hours and in dark surroundings as well as inclement weather conditions.
• May occasionally experience exposure to hot, cold, wet, humid, or windy weather conditions

Condition(s) of Employment

Satisfactory completion of a background check (including LiveScan, as appropriate), that may include, but is not limited to: criminal records check, verification of academic credentials, licenses, certificates, credit history, professional references and/or verification of work history is required for employment.  Cal State East Bay will issue a conditional offer of employment to the selected candidate, which may be rescinded if the background check reveals disqualifying information, and/or it is discovered that the candidate knowingly withheld or falsified information. Unsatisfactory results may also affect the continued employment of current Cal State East Bay employees who were conditionally offered the position.

All background checks are conducted through the university's third party vendor, Accurate. LiveScan is conducted through the University Police Department.

EEO Statement

All university programs and activities are open and available to all regardless of race, sex, color, ethnicity or national origin. Consistent with California law and federal civil rights laws, Cal State, East Bay provides equal opportunity in education and employment without unlawful discrimination or preferential treatment based on race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin. Our commitment to equal opportunity means ensuring that every student and employee has access to the resources and support they need to thrive and succeed in a university environment and in their communities. The CSU complies with Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the California Equity in Higher Education Act, California’s  Proposition 209 (Art. I, Section 31 of the California Constitution), other applicable state and federal anti-discrimination laws, and CSU’s Nondiscrimination Policy. We prohibit discriminatory preferential treatment, segregation based on race or any other protected status, and all forms of discrimination, harassment, and retaliation in all university programs, policies, and practices.

Other Information

All California State University campuses, including Cal State East Bay, are smoke and tobacco-free.  For more information, please visit our website here.

In compliance with state and federal crime awareness and campus security legislation, including The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, the Cal State East Bay Annual Campus Security Report is available here. 

Sponsorship

Cal State East Bay is not a sponsoring agency for Staff or Management positions and we are not an E-Verify employer.

Mandated Reporter

The incumbent in this position may be considered a mandated reporter under the California Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act and will be required to comply with requirements set forth in the CSU Executive Order 1083 as a condition of employment.