Senior Custodian -Schools

Modified: January 14, 2020 11:20am

COUNTY OF ERIE - DEPARTMENT OF PERSONNEL
invites applications for the position of:

Senior Custodian -Schools

#67-115 - Open Competitive (open to the public)

Salary: SALARIES VARY
Opening Date: January 14, 2020
Closing Date: February 5, 2020
Application fee: $20.00

Residence Requirements:

CANDIDATES MUST HAVE BEEN LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY OR AN ERIE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT* FOR AT LEAST ONE MONTH IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE WRITTEN TEST AND MUST BE LEGAL RESIDENTS OF ERIE COUNTY OR AN ERIE COUNTY SCHOOL DISTRICT* AT THE TIME OF APPOINTMENT. Preference may be given to successful candidates who have been residents of the municipality in which the appointment is to be made for one month preceding the date of the certification of the eligible list and who are residents of the municipality at the time of appointment. Non-residents may be required to become a resident of the appointing municipality if local law so states. * Candidates who reside in a school district which, for civil service purposes is administered by the Erie County Personnel Commissioner, but who are not legal residents of Erie County may apply for examination. However they will be certified for appointment only in the school district in which they are legal residents. 

There is one current vacancy each at Hamburg Central School District (starting $16.26 per hour) and also at Sweet Home Central School District (starting $17.00 per hour). The eligible list resulting from this examination will be used to fill these vacancies and other appropriate vacancies which may occur in municipalities or districts under the jurisdiction of Erie County Civil Service while this list is active.

A promotion examination will be held at the same time as this examination. The list resulting from the promotion examination will be used first but appointments from this open competitive examination are anticipated. Use of the list may be suspended after it is one year old for any position which it is practical to fill through a new promotion examination.

Under current New York State Law, candidates seeking employment with school districts in New York State will be required to undergo fingerprinting and a criminal history background check prior to appointment. A processing fee may be required.

Examples of Duties:

Senior Custodian (Schools) is responsible for the efficient and economical cleaning and maintenance of a medium-sized  school building or an assigned area in a large school building in a suburban school district;

Supervises and participates in the cleaning of classrooms and other areas in a school building, makes frequent inspections of areas to determine if work is properly done;

Supervises and participates in the sweeping, mopping, waxing and polishing of floors;

Makes minor carpentry, plumbing, electrical or other building repairs;

Supervises and participates in cutting grass, removing snow and performs other grounds maintenance tasks as required;

Operates an oil or gas low or high pressure boiler;

Opens work areas and secures them upon completion of work;

Supervises and assists in the moving of office and institutional furniture and equipment;

Trains new employees in such duties as sweeping, mopping and waxing floors, washing windows, cleaning lavatory fixtures and replenishing necessary supplies;

Evaluates work performance of subordinate employees.

Qualifications:

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:  Candidates must meet one of the following requirements on or before the date of the written test:

A. Graduation from high school or vocational school or possession of a high school equivalency diploma and two (2) years of experience in either 1.) commercial cleaning practice, OR 2.) general building maintenance which included experience in one of the following trades; Carpentry, Electrical, H.V.A.C. or Plumbing; or

B. Six (6) years of experience in either 1.) commercial cleaning practices, OR  2.) general building maintenance which included  experience in one of the following trades; Carpentry, Electrical, H.V.A.C. or Plumbing; or:

C. An equivalent combination of training and experience as defined by the limits of (A) and (B).

Special Requirement: 

1.  Under current New York State Law, candidates seeking employment with school districts in New York State will be required to undergo fingerprinting and a criminal history background check prior to appointment.  A processing fee may be required.   

2.  Candidates must possess a valid Class D New York State driver's license at the time of appointment.

Notes:

1. Verifiable part-time and/or volunteer experience will be pro-rated toward meeting full-time experience requirements.

Examination date:

March 14, 2020

Applications Must Be Postmarked or Hand Delivered By:

February 5, 2020

A Guide for the Written Test for High-level Custodians/Janitors is available at the New York State website:https://www.cs.ny.gov/testing/testguides.cfm. Candidates not having access to a computer or the internet may request copy of the test guide from the municipal civil service office conducting this examination using the contact information found elsewhere on this announcement.

Subjects of Examination:

Scopes / Subjects of examination: A test designed to evaluate knowledge, skills and /or abilities in the following areas.

Ability to read and follow written instructions
These questions test for the ability to read, understand and apply written instructions for performing tasks similar to those encountered on the job. All the information needed to answer these questions will be provided in the test booklet.

Building cleaning
These questions test for knowledge of basic principles and practices of building cleaning. They cover such areas as equipment, tools, supplies, methods and procedures for cleaning different types of surfaces and materials under various, commonly occurring circumstances.

Building operation and maintenance I
These questions test for knowledge of the basic principles, practices and techniques essential to the correct operation and maintenance of public buildings. They cover such areas as building maintenance; preventive maintenance, and minor repair of electrical and plumbing systems; methods and equipment for snow removal; building safety and equipment storage.

Operation and routine maintenance of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems
These questions test for knowledge of basic principles, practices and techniques essential to the correct operation and maintenance of heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems, including such areas as minor cleaning; room temperature and building ventilation control; steam, hot water and hot air heating systems; boiler operation; troubleshooting air conditioning system problems, and proper maintenance of air conditioning systems.

Supervision and training
These questions test for the knowledge required by a supervisor to set goals, plan and organize work, train workers in how to do their jobs, and direct workers towards meeting established goals. The supervisory questions cover such areas as assigning and reviewing work, evaluating performance, maintaining work quality, motivating employees, increasing efficiency, and dealing with problems that may arise on the job. The training questions cover such areas as determining the necessity for training, selecting appropriate training methods, and evaluating the effectiveness of training.

NOTICE TO CANDIDATES: Unless otherwise noted, candidates are permitted to use quiet, hand held, solar or battery powered calculators. Devices with typewriter keyboards, "Spell Checkers", “Personal Digital Assistants", "Address Books", "Language Translators", "Dictionaries", or any similar devices are prohibited. You may not bring books or other reference materials.

**IMPORTANT APPLICATION FEE - READ CAREFULLY**

A $20.00 filing fee is required for this exam. The required fee must accompany your application. Send or bring check or money order made payable to Erie County Personnel Department and write the examination number(s) on your check or money order. Do not send or bring cash, as the County cannot be responsible for cash payment. As no refund will be made, you are urged to compare your qualifications carefully with the requirements for admission and file only for those examinations for which you are clearly qualified.