WDVA Grounds and Nursery Services Specialist 4, Full-Time - Permanent, Washington Soldiers Home

About the role

• Grounds and Nursery Services Specialist 4
• Full-Time - Permanent
• Washington Soldiers Home

Do you enjoy creating and maintaining safe, welcoming, and beautiful outdoor spaces? The Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs is seeking a skilled Grounds and Nursing Services Specialist 4 to support the upkeep of the grounds at our Washington Soldiers Home. In this role, you’ll perform experienced gardening and landscaping work, caring for all grounds, landscapes, nurseries, and greenhouse areas.

If you take pride in a well-maintained outdoor environment and want to make a meaningful impact, Serving Those Who Served, we invite you to apply today!

Please note: The expected shift for this position is 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

*This position has been posted within the assigned pay range through Step L. Step M has not been published as this is considered the longevity step, in alignment with state HR compensation rules.

Updated as of July 1, 2025: This position is eligible for "Supplement Basic Shift Premium" for 24/7 Facilities. Employees who are assigned to a facility that provides direct care to residents, patients, and/or clients and whose duties are required to be performed on location will receive an additional one dollar ($1.00) per hour of supplemental basic shift premium for each hour of basic shift premium. This shift premium does not apply to overtime hours. The supplemental basic shift premium shall expire on June 29, 2027.

At the Washington State Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA), we are passionate about our mission of “Serving Those Who Served.” As a national leader in our advocacy for nearly 500,000 Veterans and their family members, we strive to connect them to earned benefits as well as innovative programs focused on their overall health and wellness.

In addition, we provide critical community services through a variety of programs, and at our four State Veterans Homes located in Orting, Port Orchard, Spokane, and Walla Walla. These locations provide Medicare and Medicaid nursing home care to Veterans, including, in some instances, their spouses, widows, or Gold Star Families.

Some of what you'll be doing

• Performs and leads others in preparing and maintaining outdoor floral beds, display areas for planting, soil improvements, and additional amendments, implementing/planting floral displays as designed, maintaining and monitoring floral displays for disease and pest control utilizing chemical, biological and other control measures as appropriate.
• Cultivate, water, fertilize floral displays; prune and mulch as needed.
• Remove annual floral displays after frost and clean up beds, trim back and mulch perennials.
• Prepares beds for all planting of spring bulbs.
• Maintain turf grass areas; fertilize, pest management, irrigation and mowing. Maintain extensive hedge material; shearing, shaping, and cultural requirement.
• Mow lawns; trim grass near fences, signposts, building perimeters, road culverts, bridges. Leaf removal using a tractor and a front mounted 72-inch vacuum power blower.
• Rake, pick up debris, and keep campus lawns looking attractive. Irrigation of lawns, trees, and shrubs using lawn sprinklers, hoses, and water breakers. Identification of lawn disease and insect damage and control as needed.
• Apply fertilizers to lawns. Calibrate sprayer per pesticide label recommendation, also fertilizer spreaders. Remove, relocate, and replace soil in area to be seeded. Knowledge of different types of grass seed and where to apply (shade, full sun, partial sun, arid).
• Restore or renovate bare spots in lawns by reseeding, resoddinq, and dethatching.
• Operate lawn aerator and fertilizer spreader powered by tractor. Service and maintain power equipment (change oil, check and change hydraulic fluids, radiator fluids, mower blades, aerator tins). Effective use of hand tools and their use, brooms, shovels, forks, rakes, leaf and garden mauls, pick, post hole diggers etc.

Required

• Two (2) years' experience in gardening, plant care, landscape construction and grounds maintenance.
• A college degree involving major study in agronomy, botany, horticulture, soils or closely allied field may be substituted for gardening experience.
• A combination of education and experience may be considered on a year-for-year basis. Experience must be relevant to the position.
• Must be able to read, write, speak and understand English to facilitate effective performance of job duties. This includes sufficient written and verbal communication in English, to facilitate effective performance of essential functions.
• Agency Required Competencies for all positions:
• The ability to take action to learn and grow.
• The ability to take action to meet the needs of others.

Preferred/Desired

• Experience in performing grounds and maintenance for a large-scale facility.

Special Requirements

Must be able to pass a DSHS BCCU Background Check prior to beginning services and every two (2) years in accordance with WDVA Policy 615.000 Background Checks. Information from the background check will not necessarily preclude employment but will be considered in determining the applicant's suitability and competence to perform in the position.

• Must comply with annual Tuberculin Screening in accordance with DVA policy 670.000 Tuberculosis Testing.
• Must be able to lift up to 60 lbs. and be capable of reaching a minimum of 36" using proper technique to stock shelves and access supplies. Employee must also be able to push or pull with sufficient strength and walk, sit, and bend in an unrestricted manner during the entire workday.
• Must maintain regular and reliable attendance and be willing to work as needed.
• Must successfully complete, within mandated timeframes, employee orientation and all other mandatory annual, in-service, and other required training.
• Must become familiar and comply with all DVA policies and procedures and Collective Bargaining Agreements as applicable.
• Must sign the confidentiality statement for all employees.
• Positions requiring travel must have a valid unrestricted driver's license and must be insured if driving a privately owned vehicle on state business.
• Candidates who are offered a job with WDVA must possess work authorization which does not require sponsorship by the employer for a visa now or in the future.
• (Effective 11/2/2026) Must be at least 18 years of age.

Check out this awesome video here to see what it is like to work for the WDVA!

Application Process

Top candidates will be contacted directly to interview for this position. Because the selection will be based on information provided by you, it is in your best interest to identify the knowledge, skills and abilities that address the mandatory and desirable qualifications described below.

Please include the following documents with your application

• A letter of interest describing specific qualifications.
• A current resume detailing applicable experience and education.

Finalists will be asked to provide a list of at least three professional references with current telephone numbers.

Other Information

• This position is represented by the Washington Federation of State Employees.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Employer

Here at YOUR Washington Department of Veterans Affairs our employees come from all walks of life. We strive to hire great people from a wide variety of backgrounds.

• We believe in the importance of recognizing the value each of us contribute to the success of the mission of the agency.
• Having a diverse workforce is this agency’s greatest resource of strength and knowledge.
• It is through the combination of talents and abilities that we can pursue finding effective measures on how we can provide the best customer service.
• We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace for everyone.

You are welcome to include the name and pronoun you would like to be referred to in your materials, and we will honor this as you interact with our award-winning diverse and inclusive organization.