3410 Apprentice Gardener - Spring 2026

3410 Apprentice Gardener For Spring 2026

The San Francisco Recreation & Park Department is now accepting applications for 3410 Apprentice Gardener for Spring 2026. ONE WEEK FILING ONLY. Interested applicants are encouraged to apply immediately.

ALL APPLICANTS MUST SUBMIT VERIFICATION OF MEETING THE MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS.

In addition to submitting an online application, applicants must submit verification documents. Specific instructions can be found under the 'ADDITIONAL INFORMATION - HOW TO APPLY' section of this job announcement. ONLY applicants who submit both an online application and all requested verification will be considered for participation in the department's selection process.

Application Opening : October 8, 2025.

Application Deadline : October 15, 2025 at 5 : 00 pm; AND

Verification Deadline : October 17, 2025 at 5 : 00 pm

Compensation : $27.1750 Hourly

Appointment Type : Permanent-Exempt (PEX) Appointment. Pursuant to the City & County of San Francisco Charter, Section 10.104.13. Any person occupying a position under exempt appointment shall not be subject to civil service selection, appointment, and removal procedures. Exempt employees shall serve at the pleasure of the appointing officer.

Amid a dynamic and ever-evolving urban landscape, the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department stewards one of the premier urban park systems in America. San Francisco recently became the first city in the United States for which 100% of its residents live within a ten-minute walk of a park. Considered by San Franciscans to be one of the City's most popular and effective public agencies, our Department manages and maintains more than 225 parks, playgrounds, and open spaces in San Francisco, including two outside of city limits : Sharp Park in Pacifica and Camp Mather in the High Sierras. Our 4,100-acre system includes 25 recreation centers, 9 swimming pools, 5 golf courses and numerous athletic facilities, including sports courts, ball diamonds, soccer fields and gymnasiums. Included in the department's responsibilities are Golden Gate Park, Coit Tower, the Marina Yacht Harbor, the Palace of Fine Arts, and TPC Harding Park golf course.

More than 2,000 talented individuals are part of our team, from gardeners, foresters, and recreation leaders to park rangers, custodians, electricians, painters and more. Our core mission, as it has been throughout our history, is to provide opportunities for San Francisco residents and visitors alike to gather, play, learn, relax, and enjoy nature in the city.

The Apprentice Gardener is a trainee classification which performs routine and basic duties to assist Gardeners in the care of athletic fields, squares, parks, playgrounds, stadiums, thoroughfares, medians and / or other landscaped areas. Under direct supervision, learns to perform care and maintenance of a variety of plants and landscaped areas, including planting, pruning and pest control; removes debris and litter; operates hand or power lawn mower; performs routine maintenance of tools and equipment; and performs related duties as required. Assigned duties increase in scope and difficulty as the Apprentice Gardener demonstrates skills in performing diverse duties that are learned through an on-the-job training rotation. Work is performed under direct supervision and is evaluated on the basis of progress in a structured work experience training program.

Demonstrated competence and successful completion of a minimum of 3,000 hours of the structured apprentice training program leads to meeting the minimum qualifications for the promotional class of 3417 Gardener. Failure to achieve demonstrated competence and acceptable work habits or the inability to complete the training program within two (2) years results in loss of employment in the 3410 class. The appointing officer may provide an extension of time to complete the training program, however, appointments to this class cannot exceed 3 years.

Race and Social Equity Statement

We believe that parks and open space in San Francisco provides the opportunity to model equitable access for all. With this belief, San Francisco became the first city in the United States for which 100% of its residents live within a ten-minute walk of a park. The Recreation and Park Department's goal is to close the gaps and improve equity and access to quality parks and open space, and recreation activities for historically marginalized communities.

We envision a department that proactively infuses racial and social equity in its internal operations. With a multi-disciplinary team of talented individuals - gardeners, recreation leaders, park rangers, custodians, craft shop personnel, park and recreation managers and more, the department is committed to doing its part to provide equitable access to parks and programs for all the communities we serve to enjoy, as well as foster a work environment where our differences are celebrated, and everyone has what they need to thrive regardless of their race, age, ability, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or country of origin.

Example of Important and Essential Duties :

Participates in a structured on-the-job and classroom training program and learns routine and basic manual labor tasks.

Waters lawns, planted areas and playfields, manually or by means of automatic sprinklers; uses hand or power mower to cut lawns; fertilizes lawns, shrubs and flower beds.

Performs routine and limited trimming and pruning of shrubs and hedges by use of hand or power shears; gathers and disposes of cuttings.

With close supervision, sprays herbicides; plants and transplants shrubs or small plants; traps or destroys rodents; assists in the renovation of lawns or play areas.

Removes debris and litter; sweeps and otherwise cleans play areas, paths or roadways; removes trash; assists in the loading of debris on truck.

Rakes and weeds lawns; weeds and cultivates planted areas; cleans restrooms or other auxiliary buildings in a playground or park.

Sharpens, cleans and otherwise maintains tools and equipment, and performs general maintenance duties.

Assists in responding to specific service requests generated by the public, department or other City agency.

Loads and unloads materials, supplies, and equipment on and off trucks in proper and safe manner.

Assists in making minor repairs and adjustments to landscape irrigation systems, mower equipment, and hoses.

Performs related duties and responsibilities as assigned.

• Meet Admission and Eligibility Requirements for Enrollment at City College of San Francisco as follows :

a.) You must be eighteen (18) years old on or before the first day of instruction for the term which you are applying. or

b.) You are a high school graduate; or

c.) You are the equivalent of a high school graduate, i.e., you have passed GED or a state's high school proficiency examination; or

d) You completed a minimum of 120 high school credits and have submitted a permission / consent form. Please visit the High School Programs page for more information.

AND

Possession of a valid California (Class C) driver's license

DESIRABLE QUALIFICATIONS

The stated desirable qualifications may be used to identify job finalists at the end of the selection process when candidates are referred for hiring.

Six (6) months (1,040 hours) of verifiable experience in the care and maintenance of landscaped general ground areas or as a journey-level tradesperson in construction or industrial field;

A good driving record (An applicant will be considered a negligent driver and he / she may be disqualified if the driving record shows : 6 or more violation points in the last 12 months; 8 or more violation points in the last 24 months; or 10 or more violation points in the last 36 months. The months will be calculated from the date the report was requested.)

Verifiable experience in a physically demanding position (e.g., gardening assistant, laborer, restaurant work, stock room work, construction etc.)

Ability to safely and correctly lift, drag, and / or move with assistance, large and / or heavy plants and equipment to truck bed level, and the ability to kneel, bend and squat for considerable periods of time. (The probationary period will be used to evaluate this qualification.);

New or continuing student status at City College of San Francisco.

WORKING CONDITIONS : The nature of the work may require exposure to inclement weather conditions and may require exposure to hazardous conditions and / or materials which may include feces and / or urine, used syringes, etc. Some positions require safe driving of large trucks or vans. Some positions may require riding mowers and driving small utility vehicles. Some positions may require heavy lifting up to 50 lbs.