(Ages 16 and Up)

General Responsibilities

Provide our guests with an entertaining and educational experience both above and below ground through excellent customer service, exhibits, activities, facilities and interpretation while conserving our natural resources.

Duties:

• Tell the story of the Cave – its formation, growth, discovery, development, and protection – throughout all aspects of time
• Greet the public with a smile and provide helpful information.
• Interact with guests as they travel through the cave in a safe, fun, and educational manner.
• Assist in receiving and merchandising products as well as staffing our rock & fossil shop.
• Assist with the maintenance and cleanliness of the buildings and grounds

Qualified Candidates will have:

• Excellent interpersonal communication skills and a friendly manner.
• A desire for interaction with the general public and public speaking.
• Interest in the natural environment, nature appreciation, nature education.
• Good conflict resolution skills and desire to work as a team member.
• The desire to do a wide variety of tasks in the course of a workday.

Benefits:

• Get paid to spend time in a beautiful cave!
• Reciprocity with many awesome Wisconsin tourist attractions.
• Fun staff events such as potlucks, fossil hunts, and more!
• Paid training and annual wage review.
• The “coolest” job EVER!  (The cave is 50°F year-round!)

The Assistant Head Gardener assists the Head Gardener with all tasks listed below and is a hard-working individual who loves working outdoors with our park gardens and grounds maintenance team. This position is full time, year-round and you will be part of the Cave of the Mounds Core Team which includes those benefits and responsibilities associated with that status. The Assistant Head Gardener will participate in daily operations during the winter season.  Duties and responsibilities are listed below.

Gardens/Grounds Duties:

 Garden Maintenance:

• • • • Reports to and works directly with the Head Gardener

      • General maintenance of gardens and grounds to include planting, pruning, weeding, raking, sweeping and watering as needed

      • Identify and learn habitat of all perennial plants in our gardens

      • General maintenance of grounds and gardens as needed

      • Identify invasive plants and insects and implement methods of control

      • Monitor plants for diseases and insects

      • Use chemicals or sprays for weed and pest control as needed

      • Communicate with guests to provide information as requested

      • Performs other tasks as assigned by supervisor/manager

Tool Usage:

• • • • Properly and safely use all power tools to include brush cutters, weed whackers, blowers, mowers and other small engine tools

      • Properly and safely use all hand tools as required for specific job

      • Maintain a clean and well-organized garden shed, including all tools, equipment and UTV

Leadership: 

• • • Hire seasonal garden crew

    • Provide mentoring, coaching, constructive feedback and training of crew members

    • Identify and deal effectively with issues as they arise

    • Set standards to provide direction and daily delegation of tasks to crew members

    • Interact with guests in a friendly, helpful manner and model behavior to staff

 Operations, Retail, and Special Events:

• • • Provide excellent customer service to guests of all ages from around the world

    • Learn the science and history of the Cave to interact with guests who visit our attraction 

    • Share with guests the geography and geology of Karst terrain and our gardens

    • Work with events staff to coordinate and implement special events

    • Assist in keeping buildings and grounds clean and safe for guests

    • Assist with preparation of items for sale in garden retail areas

    • Keep gift shop garden retail areas stocked and organized

    • Research and provide information on new retail items

Please fill out our online application

Required Qualifications: Must be able to accept responsibility for helping assist in maintaining a safe, clean and beautiful environment worthy of a world-class attraction. Applicants must be very organized, self-motivated, hard-working and reliable with good troubleshooting skills, along with the ability to work independently.

The Facilities/Grounds Assistant works the Facilities/Grounds Manager and is responsible for assisting in overseeing the maintenance of the buildings, grounds and cave. This includes performing regular indoor and outdoor tasks and related equipment and facilities maintenance and cleaning.  The Facilities/Grounds Assistant completes assigned facilities tasks and projects, joins the operations team in supervising seasonal staff and tour flow as assigned, serves as an occasional Group Program Guide and gives occasional cave tours as scheduled.  Duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: 

Operations 

• Provide and model outstanding customer service 
• Give cave tours, educational programs and camp activities as assigned
• Complete opening and closing procedures as scheduled
• Assist in training for delegated facilities chores and building maintenance tasks
• Running registers and assisting with sales in the gift shop

Facilities Maintenance

The Facilities/Grounds Assistant is responsible for the facilities and equipment maintenance needs of the business including repairs and upkeep of buildings, locking and unlocking buildings, performing and assigning staff tasks to include, but not limited to:

• Complete and/or supervise daily / weekly / monthly and seasonal chore items per established protocols.  (Examples of the types of tasks include but are not limited to building maintenance, trash removal, general cleaning, etc.)
• Train staff, monitor performance and provide on-going training as necessary on chore and cleaning procedures 
• Supervise use of equipment (including electronics), its repair and upkeep, and advise management of equipment needs.
• Keep the tool, work and maintenance inventory areas clean and orderly
• Manage maintenance and organization of parts inventory
• Assist Facilities / Grounds Manager with organization of maintenance files
• Organize cleaning supplies, paper products and miscellaneous buildings and grounds supplies
• Organize tool, shop and work areas to maintain efficient work space by keeping tools in good order and in their proper place
• Train maintenance staff on proper equipment use, maintenance tasks and safety procedures

Grounds Maintenance

Assist with the grounds equipment maintenance needs of the business including repairs and upkeep of walkways, high traffic areas, staff supervision, locking and unlocking buildings, performing and assigning staff tasks to include, but not limited to:

• Complete and/or supervise completion of daily / weekly / monthly and seasonal grounds chore items according to established protocols.  Examples of the types of tasks include but are not limited to cave cleaning, grounds and gardens upkeep, snow removal, invasive species removal, trail maintenance, etc.
• Train staff, monitor performance and provide on-going training as necessary on grounds chore procedures
• Work on implementing Cave Management plan in conservation easement areas only as overseen by General Managers

Education

• Give Cave tours occasionally as required by demands of operation.  
• Perform all Group Program Guide duties with proficiency, serving as a role model for others
• Deliver high quality school and group programs including both above and below ground as assigned

Other

• Represent Cave of the Mounds, Southwest Wisconsin Visitors Bureau and other Cave related organizations at events and trade shows, as assigned

• Assist with site-based special events, as assigned

• Complete special projects as assigned by Managers