Community Landscaping Assistant

Position Title: Community Landscaping Assistant

Service Location: 1749 Gorsuch Ave, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA

Number of candidates: 4

Eligibility requirements: 18-24 years old

Work Model: Fully in-person (all employees are expected to work primarily from the office)

Position Description

Civic Works strengthens Baltimore's communities and promotes equity for people of all ages through education, skills development, and community service. The Community Landscaping Program transforms vacant lots in Baltimore City into usable green spaces. Members, community residents, local artists, and volunteer groups serve together to create and maintain thriving community spaces.

Community Landscaping Trainees transform vacant lots in neighborhoods throughout Baltimore City into communal green spaces and public gardens. Members learn to properly use hand tools, power tools, and heavy equipment involved in landscaping. They serve alongside community members and help lead volunteer groups to conceptualize, create, and maintain green spaces. Members also participate in educational workshops, job skills training, and workforce development activities.

Service activities:

• Transform vacant lots across Baltimore City into usable green spaces

• Receive hands-on training in the safe and responsible use of power tools and heavy equipment, supported by self-paced online and classroom instruction covering basic and complex urban landscaping techniques

• Lead community members and volunteer groups to conceptualize, create, and maintain green spaces

• Participate in soft skills development covering personal and professional growth, including resume building, mock interviews, equity and inclusion, and project management and leadership

Learn more about Maryland Corps/Service Year Option HERE

What do you anticipate Maryland Corps/Service Year Option Members will be doing at your organization? Please describe the service that Members will do to address the social needs of the community, and typical job tasks and projects they will work on.

Members create community green space in Baltimore neighborhoods with high concentrations of vacant land. Vacant lots contribute to blight, illegal dumping, and heat retention. Members convert those lots into community gardens and gathering spaces. Typical tasks include site clearing and debris removal, grading, soil preparation, planting trees, shrubs, and perennials, installing hardscape features such as paths, beds, and seating, and maintaining completed sites through mowing, mulching, pruning, and watering. Members work with hand tools, power tools, and heavy equipment as they progress through training. Projects run from initial site design through installation and long-term maintenance, so Members see the full arc of a project rather than isolated tasks. Members also help lead volunteer groups and serve directly alongside neighborhood residents, local artists, and community associations. That role includes explaining the day's work, demonstrating safe tool use, and keeping volunteer crews on task. Members attend educational workshops, job skills training, and workforce development activities throughout the term.

What kind of position-specific on the job training will you provide for these Members and what level of independence will you expect of the members?

Civic Works provides structured hands-on training in landscaping technique and equipment operation. Members learn safe and responsible use of hand tools, power tools, and heavy equipment through direct instruction from crew leaders, supported by self-paced online modules and classroom sessions covering both basic and complex urban landscaping methods. Members also receive soft skills training in personal and professional growth: resume building, mock interviews, equity and inclusion, and project management and leadership. Career support continues through mentoring, career planning, resume review, and job coaching and referrals. Members start with close crew-based supervision and no independent equipment operation. Equipment access expands only after a Member demonstrates competence and passes safety instruction for that tool. By mid-term, Members should carry out routine site tasks with periodic check-ins and help lead volunteer groups under staff oversight. Crew leaders remain on site at all times. Civic Works expects punctuality, consistent safety protocol adherence, and willingness to ask questions.

What is your ideal candidate for this position? Please keep in mind that this will be the first work experience for many of our Members, and Members will often require extensive instruction and support to succeed at your organization. If there are specific skills or experience requirements needed for this position, please describe them here.

The ideal candidate brings a willingness to learn and work hard rather than any landscaping background. Civic Works trains for every technical skill in this role. The strongest candidates show up on time, take direction well, work as part of a crew, and stay engaged in outdoor physical work through Baltimore summers and winters. Comfort talking with residents and volunteer groups matters, since Members represent Civic Works on neighborhood sites and help direct volunteer crews.

Is the Service Location of this position (identified in Question 2) accessible by public transportation?

Yes

Is the role predominantly office-based or does it require regular physical activity?

Predominately physical

Will the candidate be required to speak in public or present information regularly?

Occasionally

Will the job require the Member to interact with the public?

Yes

How important are verbal communication skills for this role?

Moderately Important

What is the typical work activity?

Significant portion of the workday on feet

Are there any skills or interests that are essential for the role?

Physical stamina and willingness to work outdoors in extreme heat and cold. Ability to lift 40 pounds. Reliability and punctuality. Team orientation and ability to take direction. Comfort giving instruction to volunteer groups and talking with neighborhood residents. Interest in landscaping, green space, or trades work. No prior landscaping experience required.

What is the daily work schedule? Are the hours regular each week, or scheduled and provided to the member (e.g. healthcare/childcare positions where hours may flex each week)

Hours are regular each week. Monday through Friday, 7:30am to 3:30pm, 40 hours per week. Occasional weekend service is required for community build days and volunteer events, scheduled with advance notice. Seasonal weather may shift start times, communicated to Members in advance.

Are there specific tools or systems the candidate must be familiar with?

No prior familiarity required. Civic Works trains Members on all tools and equipment: hand tools (shovels, rakes, loppers, pruners), power tools (mowers, trimmers, saws, drills), and heavy equipment used in landscaping and site preparation. Training combines hands-on crew instruction with self-paced online modules and classroom sessions.

Are there specific values or cultural aspects that are important for a candidate to align with?

Civic Works promotes equity for Baltimore residents of all ages, and Members should share a commitment to that work. We work in crews, so Members communicate directly, support teammates, and take feedback well. Safety discipline matters in a program using power tools and heavy equipment. We value curiosity and willingness to try new things.

From the following list of qualities, please select the top 5 that you consider most important in a candidate for this role:

Team Collaboration, Adaptability to Change, Initiative, Dependability, Problem-Solving

Sector: Conservation (including state and local parks)

Is there any type of eligibility/background check your organization must conduct regarding prospective Members serving at your organization? & If Other. Background checks are to be conducted by Host Site Partners as they are the employer of record. DSCI does not complete these checks as a condition of program acceptance.

Criminal History Check

If you selected "Other" for background checks, please specify:

Would anything on an eligibility/background check prohibit placement of a Member at your organization/business?

Yes

Please describe what specific or general items returned on a eligibility/background check would prevent placement

Sex offense or murder conviction.