Park Keeper II

POSTING TYPE: Open competitive DEPARTMENT: Facilities Management HOURS: Full-time PREFERRED HIRING RANGE: $52,326 - 65,408/year FULL SALARY RANGE: $52,326 - 81,760/year LOCATION: Various throughout the Dakota County Park System UNION: None CLOSE DATE: 4:30 pm on Monday, October 12, 2026

What You'll Do The Park Keeper II position is responsible to maintain, enhance, and expand our Park and Facility grounds. Staff do routine maintenance and highly skilled project work on our trails, turf, trees, plantings, hardscape, fences, decks, camper cabins, bridges, and picnic shelters. This position is also responsible to serve as a lead person over other Park and temporary staff on tasks and projects. In the winter months Park Keeping staff are responsible for grooming cross country ski trails and snow removal in County parking lots, access roads, sidewalks, and trails.

The Dakota County Parks system is a growing, thriving natural resource-based park system with over 2.8 million visitors annually. Our park system includes 6 parks, 5,500 acres of premiere park land and 66 miles of scenic regional greenways.

We are currently recruiting to fill two full-time positions, working out of the Lebanon Hills Park in Eagan and Spring Lake Park in Hastings.

Who We Are Dakota County is Minnesota’s third largest county and home to more than 400,000 residents. We strive every day to achieve excellence public service, with a focus on four values: Service, Integrity, People, and Innovation.

Dakota County aims to create an environment that is welcoming and inclusive of diverse people, backgrounds, and experiences. Our goal is to have a workforce that is reflective of the communities and individuals we serve. We promote an equitable and culturally aware work environment where everyone can be their authentic selves.

• One year certificate/degree in Grounds Maintenance, Natural Resources, Landscape; Horticulture, Design and Construction, Park Maintenance, Architecture, or a closely related field. AND • Two years of grounds maintenance experience, such as turf maintenance, tree care, forestry, landscaping, snow removal, building and trail maintenance. OR • An equivalent combination of education and experience to total 3 years. Experience must be directly related to grounds maintenance experience, such as turf maintenance, tree care, forestry, landscaping, snow removal, building and trail maintenance AND • A valid driver's license and ability to obtain a Class A commercial driver's license within the first year of employment.

Preferred Experience: • Commercial driver's license • MN Tree Inspector Certificate • MN Chemical Applicators License • Completed training and/or degree focused on grounds maintenance operations, to include but not limited to turf management, pesticide and fertilizer application, tree care, and landscape design and maintenance. • Computer skills with the ability and experience to use Outlook, Word, and Excel.