Public Works Supervisor - Trees (20692854)

The City of Menlo Park is seeking a Public Works Supervisor - Trees in the Maintenance Division of the Public Works department. The Maintenance Division provides many of the basic services that affect the daily lives of everyone who lives, works, visits and commutes within the City. The Maintenance Division provides support to all City departments and provides service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to address emergencies during non-working hours. The Maintenance Division is located in the City's Corporation Yard.

Under general direction, assists the City Arborist with overseeing the City’s tree maintenance, planting, inventory, risk management, and emergency response programs. Makes assessments of work needs and responds to citizens requesting city tree inspections and service. Directs the work of tree crews involved in the planting, pruning, and removal of city street, park, median, and plaza trees. Inspects quality and quantity of work and act as the City’s liaison between work crews and the public. Maintains accurate records of work and schedules and ensure compliance with specifications and regulatory requirements. Assists in the enforcement of the City’s Heritage Tree Ordinance.

A position in this class is characterized by having a substantial background in arboriculture in order to make sound technical tree-care related decisions and strong communication skills in order to interact effectively with the public, work crews, and other City staff. This classification is distinguished from the City Arborist role in that the Public Works Supervisor - Trees directly oversees the implementation of the city’s tree programs on the ground and supervises employees and contractors assigned to that program. The City Arborist role, on the other hand, involves responsibilities such as overall program management, budgetary management, review of development projects and heritage tree protection plans, and the authority to issue heritage tree permits. The Public Works Supervisor - Trees role is distinguished from all other City maintenance classes through the specialized arboriculture knowledge required and its responsibility for all phases of work performed by tree maintenance crews.

A job description, including examples of typical job functions and qualifying knowledge, skills, and abilities, is available by clicking on the Job Description link.

Job PDF:

https://www.calopps.org/sites/default/files/Public%20Works%20Supervisor%20Trees.pdf

Ideal Candidate

We are seeking a Public Works Supervisor - Trees who is deeply committed to public service and dedicated to supporting the Menlo Park community. The ideal candidate will be an experienced tree professional who demonstrates strong technical abilities, excellent leadership skills, and the capacity to supervise and support the Trees Maintenance team.

This individual will be a proactive problem-solver with strong analytical skills, exceptional organization, and clear, effective communication. A customer-service mindset, attention to detail, and commitment to producing high-quality work are essential. The ideal candidate will exercise sound judgment, initiative, and professionalism when supervising tree maintenance staff and contractors related to tree maintenance operations.

Key Responsibilities
The ideal candidate will be able to independently and effectively perform the following duties:

Supervision & Leadership

• Supervise, train, plan, organize, schedule, assign, review, and evaluate the work of staff and contractors.
• Assist with staff selection, hiring, and promotional processes.
• Train staff in work procedures, safety practices, and proper use of tools and equipment; ensure compliance with established standards.

Operations Management

• Monitor daily operations and activities of the trees maintenance unit.
• Identify opportunities to improve service delivery and operational efficiency; recommend and implement process improvements.
• Plan and coordinate tree maintenance projects, ensuring proper materials, supplies, and staff are available.
• Maintain inventory of tools, supplies, and equipment; prepare procurement documents and participate in bid processes for maintenance and repair projects.

Quality Assurance & Compliance

• Inspect both in-progress and completed work performed by staff and contractors to ensure accuracy, quality, proper methods, and compliance with applicable standards and specifications.
• Ensure all work meets safety regulations, City requirements, and industry best practices.

Technical Expertise

• Perform the most complex maintenance tasks and provide technical guidance to maintenance crews.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for tree maintenance procedures and project coordination.

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of training and experience that would provide the required knowledge, skills, and abilities is qualifying. A typical way to obtain the required qualifications would be:

Education and Experience

• Five years of experience in tree maintenance operations, at least two of which has been in coordinating the work of tree crews in a lead capacity.

Licenses and Certifications

• Possession of a valid California Class C driver’s license by time of appointment.
• Possession of, or ability to obtain, a valid Class B license within six months of employment with appropriate endorsements.
• Possession of, or ability to obtain, forklift certification issued by Occupational Safety and Health  Administration (O.S.H.A.) within six months of employment.
• Possession of an Arborist certificate issued by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) within one year of appointment.
• Possession of a Certified Tree Worker’s Certificate required.
• Possession of a valid PC832 certificate desirable.

Benefits

The City offers an excellent benefit package consisting of:

• Health Insurance: City contribution up to $3,039 per month towards a Cafeteria Plan which can be used to purchase medical insurance and participate in a flexible spending account for health care and/or dependent care reimbursement
• Dental: City-paid coverage for employee and dependents
• Vision: City-paid coverage for employee and dependents
• Vacation: 88 - 176 hours of vacation leave accrual each year, depending on length of service
• Sick Leave: 96 hours of sick leave accrued each year
• Holidays: 11 official holidays; 34 hours of floating holiday time per year; 8 “Day of Reflection” hours per year in recognition of holidays of individual and community importance
• Retirement: CalPERS: For classic members 2.0% @ 60 formula. For all others, 2.0% @ 62 formula
• Deferred Compensation: Voluntary participation in City Plans.
• Life Insurance: City-paid policy equal to 1.5 times regular annual wage
• Long Term Disability: City-paid coverage
• Educational leave and tuition reimbursement
• A City-paid BayPass. The Menlo Park campus is centrally located within walking distance from Caltrain and downtown Menlo Park. This program offers employees unlimited travel for both work and personal trips on 25 Bay Area transit agencies that use the Clipper card, including CalTrain.
• A transportation allowance program provides employees with $1.50 per day when they walk, bicycle or carpool to work at least once per week.
• Employees are provided with access to an on-site gym at no cost

For additional benefit information, visit
www.menlopark.gov
and review the City of Menlo Park and AFSCME Memorandum of Understanding.

Special Instructions

IMPORTANT: Please be sure to fill out the required City application completely, including all relevant work experience. Applications with “See Resume” as a substitution for the work experience description and/or unclear past employment information will not be considered.

Applications will be screened according to the qualifications outlined in this announcement. Not all applications which may meet the minimum requirements will proceed to the next phase of the recruitment process. If 25 or fewer applications are received, the eligibility list will be established based on application review. If more than 26 applications are received, the most qualified candidates will be invited to participate in an Oral Board Panel examination. All applicants will be notified by email as to whether or not they are invited to participate further in the selection process.

Tentative Oral/Department Panel Examinations are scheduled for the week of February 23, 2026.

An Eligibility List will be established as a result of this examination process and will be valid for a period of six (6) months. The list may be extended up to a maximum of two (2) years. The hiring department will review the Eligible List to determine which candidates will be invited to the department selection process.

The City of Menlo Park is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is the policy of the City of Menlo Park not to discriminate against all qualified applicants or employees. We will make reasonable efforts in the selection process to accommodate persons with disabilities. Please contact Human Resources at
jobs@menlopark.gov
prior to the closing date for accommodation requests.

Before receiving an offer of employment, the candidate will be required to successfully complete a criminal conviction history questionnaire, DOJ fingerprinting, and an Occuscreen background check.

Applicants must be successful in all phases of the selection process to be considered for this position.

In accordance with the Immigration Reform and Control Act, all potential employees are required to provide proof of U.S. Citizenship or authorization to work in the United States. The City will not sponsor applicants for work visas.

Closing Date/Time: 2/11/2026 at 11:59pm

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• City of Menlo Park

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