Grounds & Facilities Specialist (Yuma)

The Yuma Agricultural Center is seeking a dependable and motivated individual to support building maintenance, custodial requirements, and landscaping duties.

The successful applicant will ensure building, equipment, and grounds meet quality standards that provide optimal safety, service, and cleanliness to staff, visitors, and the community. The ideal candidate is someone dependable who takes pride in maintaining a clean and safe environment.

The job duties include performing all major duties related to facilities management such as custodial needs, ordering custodial inventories supplies, and maintaining and overseeing building equipment systems (DI water, landscape irrigation systems, building's potable water pumping skid, emergency generator weekly testing, and sewer systems maintenance).

Additional responsibilities consist of performing building upgrades such as painting, construction, plumbing, electrical, and building modifications and renovations. The position also covers handyman assistance to technical employees regarding laboratory equipment installations.

The Yuma Agricultural Center has two sites: a Valley Farm four miles west of Yuma and a Mesa Farm four miles south of the city. The 274-acre Valley Farm serves as the headquarters for the Yuma Agricultural Center and supports investigations for diversified range of crops, including cotton, small grains, and vegetables, such as lettuce and broccoli. The 240-acre Mesa Farm has been primarily focused on citrus production throughout its history, and more recently, has provided a testing ground for commercial soil amendment technologies designed to support soil health and reduce water-use.

Outstanding UA benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance plans; life insurance and disability programs; paid vacation, sick leave, and holidays; UA/ASU/NAU tuition reduction for the employee and qualified family members; retirement plans; access to UA recreation and cultural activities; and more!

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• Inspect buildings and property on a regular schedule for inventory or maintenance and repair purposes.
• Responsible for projects such as painting, drywall, plumbing, electrical, construction, and groundskeeping.
• Oversee and perform maintenance to facility systems such as the DI water system for laboratory needs, the Center's potable water pumping system, chlorination skid, sewer systems, emergency generator weekly test, and daily handyman duties.
• Responsible for comprehensive maintenance of the Yuma Agricultural Center (YAC), which includes maintaining all classroom and buildings, laboratories, and all public spaces in a safe, clean, and orderly condition.
• Maintain facility grounds and environment in a clean, attractive, orderly, safe, and healthy condition.
• Plan scheduled preventive maintenance for facilities and equipment, and implement according to schedule.
• Perform general preventative maintenance using a variety of equipment and handles tasks that are not complex enough to need the specialized training of licensed tradespersons, such as a plumber or electrician. (HVAC and electrical knowledge are strongly preferred).
• Perform monthly testing of safety stations.
• Assist with monitoring projects with regard to progress and cost, including estimating material and labor costs. This includes all tasks related to building improvements, modifications, repairs, and installations of new laboratory equipment.
• Oversees landscape maintenance including lawn irrigation, fertilizations, pruning, planting, mowing, and insect/rodent pesticide control.
• Instruct or train staff in performance of tasks and ensures appropriate standards are maintained.
• Ensure work orders are completed in a timely manner and appropriate documentation is maintained regarding unit operations such as inventory/material supply levels, work performed, and status of work projects.
• Order and purchase janitorial, landscape, construction, and equipment materials.
• Assist technical personnel with laboratory needs, install water valves, electrical outlets, other utility sources, and remove or install building structures in order to accommodate new lab equipment.

Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities:

• Demonstrated skill and ability doing handyman activities for in building maintenance.
• Skill in landscape and grounds maintenance (including pruning palm trees, fertilizing, watering, and repairing landscape drip systems).
• Knowledge of general maintenance functions including electrical, plumbing, painting, fabrication, and carpentry.
• Skill in operating shop tools and machines.
• Ability to effectively communicate with faculty, staff, students, and the community.
• Ability to prioritize tasks.

• High school diploma or high school diploma equivalency is required.
• Minimum of 5 years of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Ability to drive according to the University Fleet Safety Policy.

• 5 years of handyman, general maintenance, and landscape experience.
• Previous experience working with HVAC and Electrical.