UNIVERSITY OF JOHANNESBURG IS HIRING A GENERAL ASSISTANT (GARDEN, GROUNDS&SPORTS FIELDS)

Introduction

The University of Johannesburg (UJ) is a vibrant and cosmopolitan institution, guided by its bold UJ Strategy 2035, which emphasises Societal Impact and Sustainability, Global Footprint and Partnerships, and Technology for the Future. Committed to transformative change, UJ’s mission is “To transform and serve humanity through innovation and the collective and collaborative pursuit of knowledge.” The University is guided by the vision of building “An international university of choice, anchored in Africa and the global south, dynamically shaping a sustainable future”

Job description

General Assistant II are Gardeners & Sports field workers within the campus domain. General Assistant II within the garden and grounds, Sports Fields will be responsible for the conservation of the grounds, reshaping, parking lots, tennis courts, workout tracking, and water fountains, of the UJ Campus. Including pest, irrigation, and maintenance of equipment and ensuring repairs. Perform a variety of routine grounds maintenance duties and assist the team coordinator. This includes tasks like preparing the pitch for matches, maintaining the turf, and ensuring the pitch is in optimal condition for play.

Responsibilities:

Garden & Grounds: Lawn Care:

• Mow lawns, fields, and other grounds to prepare and fertilize the soil.
• Plant, cultivate, and maintain lawns.
• Operates push or riding power lawnmowers, sprayers, backpack leaf blowers, and hand and power tools.
• Rake leaves and remove trash and debris from assigned areas.
• Sweeps walkways, entryways, and grounds.
• Makes routine adjustments and minor repairs.
• Prune shrubs to maintain desirable limb structure.
• Removes dead, diseased, or broken branches using hand saws and prunes.
• Removes debris and litter from grounds and empty trash cans on an as-need basis.
• Provide proper upkeep of sidewalks, driveways, parking lots, fountains, planters and other ground features.
• Plan or cultivate lawns, turf, or gardens.
• Cares for established lawns by mulching, aerating, weeding, grubbing, removing thatch, or trimming or edging around flower beds, walks, or walls.
• This includes tasks like preparing the cricket pitch for matches, maintaining the turf, and ensuring the pitch is in optimal condition for play.

Garden & Grounds: Plant Maintenance:

• Prune and trim trees, hedges, and shrubs, weed, rake, and water grounds.
• Design, plants and waters specialty gardens.
• Maintains plants and shrubs in the garden nursery including watering, pruning, and fertilizing.
• Applies insecticides, to control fire ants throughout the garden.
• Water lawns, trees, and plants using portable sprinkler systems, hoses, or watering cans.
• Irrigate lawns, trees, and plants.

Tools, and equipment safety:

• Makes routine adjustments and minor repairs to keep equipment in safe working order.
• Assists in the preparation, set-up, and marking of sporting grounds and other facilities as assigned.
• Assist in the installation and repair of ground equipment, irrigation lines, and sprinkler heads.
• Cleans outdoor storage areas.
• Maintains and repairs a variety of hand and power-operated garden tools and equipment, such as seeders, spreaders, edgers, hedge trimmers, pruning, shears, sprayers, spades, hoes, rakes, and mowers.
• Operates ground maintenance equipment.

Landscaping:

• Follows planned landscaping designs to determine where to lay, sow grass, or plant flowers or foliage.
• Decorate indoor or outdoor spaces.
• Plant greenery to improve landscape appearance.
• Provide information to clients about landscaping services.
• Build, form, mix, and pour cement to form garden borders.

Health and Safety:

• Conveying and handling tools, equipment, and materials.
• Cleaning workplace, workshop, and equipment, as well as removing waste.
• Selecting, using, and maintaining basic hand tools and materials safely.
• Maintaining basic health, safety, and environmental measures in the workplace.
• Maintaining good housekeeping.
• Wearing protective clothing and equipment as prescribed.

UJ Policy:

• Employee must work within UJ policy and guidelines.
• Live the UJ Values

Minimum requirements

• Grade 12 (NQF 4)
• Three (3) years’ of job-related experience, which must include an understanding of the various techniques and processes involved in preparing and maintaining a cricket pitch.

Recommendations:

• A valid Code 8 driver’s license 

Competencies and Behavioural Attributes:

• Ability to lift and carry heavy objects
• Good verbal communication skills
• Customer care
• Creative thinking
• Good conflict management skills
• Ability to perform physically demanding tasks related to pitch maintenance
• Strong work ethic and ability to follow instructions and work effectively with other staff

Enquiries:

Enquiries regarding job content: Shahistha Osman (HCM Business Partner) at Tel: (011)559-3666

Enquiries regarding remuneration and benefits: Shahistha Osman (HCM Business Partner) at Tel: (011) 559-3666

Your application, comprising of a detailed Curriculum Vitae as well as the names and full contact details (including telephone numbers and e-mail addresses) of at least three traceable and credible referees must be uploaded before or on the closing date of the advertised post. Please also attach the following: a copy of your highest academic qualification, proof of registration with professional bodies you might belong to and if applying for an academic position, a list of accredited research output and/ or a portfolio of your creative output.

If you require technical support / assistance on the UJ e-recruitment website, please contact our service provider PNET on the following contact details: 0861 227337/010 140 3099 or email ujsupport@pnet.co.za.

Candidates may be subjected to appropriate psychometric testing and other selection instruments.

In conjunction to merit on the basis of qualifications, experience and proven achievements the University of Johannesburg is committed to providing equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities and those individuals from the historically disadvantaged groups. As necessitated by operational requirements the University reserves the right not to make an appointment to positions advertised. If you have not received a response from the University within 8 weeks of the closing date, you should assume that your application has been unsuccessful.

Closing Date: 6 June 2025