Job ID: 26861
Agency: South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs
Location: Sioux Falls, SD
Salary: $16.26 - $20.32/per hour, depending on experience.
Pay Grade: GE
Closing Date: Open Until Filled

This is a full-time position with the South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs (SDDVA). For more information on the Department of Veterans Affairs, please visit http://vetaffairs.sd.gov/.

The cemetery technician serves as the field staff performing assigned activities related to the core mission of the cemetery. Activities include interment operations (burial of caskets and cremains), grounds maintenance, physical plant maintenance and operations, equipment maintenance and operations, setting and maintaining headstones, and following the cemetery safety program. The incumbent provides specialized and general clerical and technical support to the cemetery director, including administrative, logistical, and analytical activities related to the interment of qualified veterans and their eligible dependents at a State Veterans Cemetery. This employee works on the frontlines ensuring that Veterans and their eligible family members are respectfully memorialized and honored in their final resting place.

Work is performed both indoors and outdoors. Hazards involve working in and around open excavation, over slippery and unstable ground surfaces, and in and around operating equipment. May be exposed to chemicals, herbicides, insecticides, pesticides, weed killers, and fertilizers. While working in the equipment bays, is exposed to noise and fumes from vehicles and equipment, as well as dirt, dust, and grease. Required lifting of over 50lbs will be carried out with the assistance of an additional person. Work may occur in awkward or strained positions. Constantly reaching, bending, turning, and moving hands, arms, feet, and legs in handling different sets of controls for the operation of equipment with attachments. In operating equipment, must endure vibration, jerking, jolting, and noise.

Licenses and Certifications:

A valid driver’s license is necessary.

The Ideal Candidate Will Have:

High attention to detail, excellent communication skills, and the ability to operate and maintain equipment. Successful applicants must be able to effectively deal with changing situations and circumstances, ranging from varying levels of interments, to equipment malfunctions, to inclement weather which affect operations, balancing workload between interments, and grounds maintenance to accomplish the mission.

Knowledge of:

• equipment and vehicle preventative maintenance techniques (e.g. excavator, toolcat, tractor, lawn mowers, snow plow, etc);
  
• facility and building preventative maintenance techniques and requirements;
• motorized equipment, vehicles, and tools sufficient to safely drive and operate them;
• care of flowers, trees, and shrubs common to building grounds work;
• methods of cultivating, pruning, spraying, trimming, seeding, and sodding, as well as the materials and tools used in such work;
• ordinary plant diseases and pest control;
• VA and state veteran benefits.

Skill to:

• operate motorized equipment with attachments;
• maneuver and operate equipment in close areas avoiding damage to headstones, trees, shrubs, and other obstacles;
• read and understand VA, state, and federal laws and regulations;
• understand the SD Veterans Cemetery Program in order to assist veterans and their families, funeral directors, and all other clientele.

Ability to:

• establish priorities and allocate time appropriately to complete the workload;
• communicate cemetery information to Veterans, their families, funeral directors, and visitors;
• learn interment application procedures and National Cemetery Administration eligibility criteria (e.g., establish and schedule interment applications);
• maintain headstone paperwork;
• operate computer applications unique to the cemetery (e.g., Cemetery Maps, and SOPs);
• represent the mission of the SDDVA;
• gain knowledge of federal, state, local, NCA, and military policies and procedures for cemetery operations;
• follow state of SD/South Dakota Department of Veterans Affairs policies for confidentiality and disclosure of information (e.g., Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA));
• follow cemetery specific standard operating procedures (SOPs) and daily operations;
• lift more than 50 pounds.

This position is eligible for Veterans’ Preference per ARSD 55:10:02:08.

Successful applicant(s) will be required to undergo a background investigation. An arrest/conviction record will not necessarily bar employment.

NCRC: If you possess a National Career Readiness Certificate, please submit the certificate with your application. For more information on how to acquire a National Career Readiness Certificate contact a South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation Job Service Office. A certificate is not necessary to be considered.

The State of South Dakota does not sponsor work visas for new or existing employees. All persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete an Employment Eligibility Verification, Form I-9. The State of South Dakota as an employer will be using E-Verify to complete employment eligibility verification upon hire.

The State of South Dakota offers employer paid health insurance plus eleven paid holidays, generous vacation and sick leave accrual, dental, vision, and other insurance options, and retirement benefits. You can view our benefits information at https://bhr.sd.gov/job-seekers/work-for-state-government/. This position is a member of Class A retirement under SDRS.

Must apply online: https://sodakprod-lm01.cloud.infor.com:1443/lmghr/xmlhttp/shorturl.do?key=PKR
You must apply online, emailed resumes or submissions will not be accepted.
South Dakota Bureau of Human Resources
Telephone: 605.773.3148 Email: [email protected]
http://bhr.sd.gov/workforus
"An Equal Opportunity Employer"