Description
.Salary: $39,000 - $58,500
Position Grade: 204G
Department: Forestry Division
Job Type: Full-Time (Permanent)
Examination Number: EX1687
Location: St. Louis, MO
Program Specialist II (Habitat Restoration Leads) are part of a team responsible for ecosystem restoration and adaptive management of natural areas within 60+ acres across the St. Louis urban environment, with plans for future expansion. Projects are located on publicly owned land in parks and vacant lots and include, but are not limited to, habitats such as mature oak/hickory forest, reconstructed savanna/prairie ecosystems, native gardens, and nearby waterways.
Incumbents perform a wide range of ecosystem restoration and landscape maintenance duties, including native plant identification, invasive and aggressive species identification and control, seed collection, brush removal, mulching, mowing, overseeding, tree care, trail maintenance, operating machinery and equipment, litter pick-up, prescribed burn operations, and chemical application, and are responsible for the materials and equipment necessary to ensure completion of projects.
Incumbents will monitor sites and make decisions and recommendations for stewardship based on site needs and goals while working with and leading other Forestry personnel to execute successful site management processes.
Program Specialists are also expected to occasionally work with and guide volunteer groups, as well as attend continued learning and education opportunities.
Essential Functions and Responsibilities:
- Monitors habitat restoration sites and assesses for future management needs. May develop site management plans for review by supervisory personnel.
- Monitors operations of habitat restoration program to ensure compliance with stipulations of grants.
- Performs all duties involved in the physical maintenance and upkeep of project sites while also delegating tasks to other Forestry staff.
- Documents problems with vendors, sites, and programs; reports on emergencies and works to resolve problems.
- Provides continuous support to program participants (City staff, stakeholders, contractors, volunteers, etc.), identifies gaps in services; reports on emergency situations.
- Maintains data on habitat restoration program, vendors, and participants; analyzes data and submits in report form.
- Coordinates meetings as a city representative; arranges meeting place, creates and sends notifications, and prepares agenda.
- Trains site personnel and provides technical assistance to partners, volunteers, and contractors as needed.
- Helps coordinate volunteer service program, which includes supervision, training, and coordination of tasks.
- Reviews monthly reports for accuracy; reviews reimbursement requests; gathers and organizes data, as requested.
- May plan special events and programs.
- May provide office support on grants.
- May supervise summer interns.
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
- Data Utilization: Requires the ability to perform basic level of data analysis, including the ability to review, classify, categorize, prioritize and/or reference data, statutes and/or guidelines and/or group, rank, investigate and diagnose. Requires discretion in determining and referencing such to established standards to recognize interactive effects and relationships. Requires the ability to compile, assemble, copy, record and/or transcribe data and information according to a prescribed scheme or plan.
- Human Interaction: Requires the ability to follow specific instructions and respond to simple requests from supervisors in addition to providing guidance, assistance and/or interpretation to others, such as coworkers and the public, on how to apply policies, procedures and standards to specific situations.
- Equipment, Machinery, Tools and Materials Use: Requires the ability to operate and perform complex, rapid adjustments on equipment, machinery, and tools such as dump trucks, mowers, trimmers, pruners, tractors, hand excavating tools, tillers, loaders, forklifts, and/or related materials used in performing essential functions. Requires the ability to operate a computer, phone, printer, and tablet.
- Verbal Aptitude: Requires the ability to utilize and convey a wide variety of reference and descriptive data and information, such as work orders, safety regulations, material safety data sheets, diagrams, correspondence, and general operating manuals.
- Mathematical Aptitude: Requires the ability to perform addition and subtraction, may require the ability to calculate surface area and volume, and perform mathematical operations involving basic geometry.
- Functional Reasoning: Requires the ability to apply principles of rational systems. Ability to interpret instructions furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule form. Ability to exercise independent judgment to adopt or modify methods and standards to meet variations in assigned objectives.
- Requires the ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness, and creativity required in situations involving the evaluation of information against measurable or verifiable criteria.
- Environmental Factors: Tasks may risk exposure to adverse environmental conditions, such as dirt, dust, pollen, wetness, humidity, rain, fumes, temperature, and noise extremes, machinery, vibrations, animals/wildlife, and toxic/poisonous agents. Some work may be performed in an office environment.
- Physical Requirements: Tasks involve the regular and, at times, sustained performance of moderately physically demanding work needed to perform landscaping duties involving some combination of climbing and balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, and lifting, carrying, pushing, and pulling moderately heavy objects and materials up to one hundred (100) pounds. Requires the ability to stand for long periods of time. Office work may involve extended periods of time at a keyboard or workstation under fluorescent lighting.
- Sensory Requirements: Requires the ability to recognize and identify individual characteristics of colors, shapes, sounds, tastes, odors, and textures associated with job-related objects, materials, and tasks. Incumbents recognize characteristics of colors and odors to detect dead plant materials, shapes to identify hazards and irregular plant materials and weeds, sound to detect malfunctions, and odors to distinguish chemicals/pesticides. Requires the ability to distinguish objects clearly at close and far range.
Qualifications
An Associate’s degree in Natural Resources, or a directly related field; OR two years of experience working with natural landscapes. Qualifying experience includes native plant identification, invasive species identification and control, seed collection, brush removal, mulching, mowing, over seeding, tree trimming, and chemical application.
License: Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license while employed by the City of St. Louis. Must possess a valid driver's license at the time of filing application and be able to present it upon request. Please note type of license, number, class and expiration date on the Employment Application. Only qualified applicants who provide proof of a valid driver’s license will be considered for this position.
Scoring Components and Their Weights
Experience and Training: 100%
May be Subject to:
Background Investigation: Pass/Fail
Medical Examination: Pass/Fail
Documentation of Academic Credentials must be Submitted Upon Request
When completing the Employment History and the Educational/Training History sections of the Employment Application, please be as thorough as possible when describing your education, training and experience relating to this position. Applicants will only receive credit for their experience, training and education as shown on the application. Resumes will not be accepted as a substitute to a fully completed application. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
Veterans Preference Points
To be eligible for veteran's preference points, the applicant must submit a copy of their DD 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty with the Employment Application or upon request. The Director of Personnel may, in their discretion, accept alternate documentation.
City Residence Preference Points
City residents who pass an examination for a position in the classified service and do not receive any other preference will receive a five (5) point preference on a scale of 100 points on the exam. An additional one (1) point shall be added to the passing score of City residents who receive any other preference on a scale of 100 points. City residents must have resided in the City for at least one (1) year at the time of filing their application to be eligible for the preference points.
Accommodations
If assistance with the job application is necessary based on a physical impairment, mental impairment, or otherwise, they should reach out to the Office on the Disabled with contact information. This office will not disclose any information that an applicant or employee has a disability or has discussed possible accommodations without the applicant's or employee's prior consent.
Job Posting: Jun 26, 2026, 12:27:41 PM
