Maintenance Assistant, Carpenter

Distinguishing Characteristics

Maintenance Assistant (Carpenter): non-competitive; as a semiskilled employee, performs the more routine, repetitive maintenance, installation, and repair tasks in the carpentry trade. Incumbents may also perform journey-level activities, under supervision, or after receiving detailed instructions, to learn and perfect their skills.

Maintenance Assistants (Carpenter) work under the supervision of a skilled trades or supervisory maintenance position; in turn, they may supervise Facility Operations Assistants 1 and other relatively unskilled workers in performing manual tasks involving elementary skills.

There are a number of other specialized Maintenance Assistant classes having parenthetic designations describing the predominant trade areas to which the incumbent is assigned including electrician, mason and plasterer, painter, and plumber and steamfitter. Although incumbents of such classes may perform tasks normally associated with more than one trade, most of their time is spent performing tasks typical of the trade indicated by the parenthetic designation.

Incumbents of Maintenance Assistant positions without a parenthetic designating a trade specialty are usually found in relatively small maintenance staffs where such specialization is not desirable, or in large maintenance pools where specialization is not efficient. However, incumbents may be assigned to tasks such as those described for any of the specialized positions of Maintenance Assistant.

Maintenance Assistant is distinguished from Facility Operations Assistant 1 by the latter's performance of relatively unskilled tasks in direct support of semiskilled and/or skilled trades positions. Such tasks involve a limited use of the tools and equipment of the trade under very specific instruction and supervision of either a Maintenance Assistant or a journey-level tradesperson.

Critical distinctions between the Maintenance Assistant (Carpenter) and Trades Specialist (Carpenter) include the latter’s responsibility for planning, layout, estimating the quantity and type of materials needed, supervision of maintenance and repair projects, diagnosing of structural problems, and performance of a broad range of carpentry tasks in producing a finished product.

• Repairs structural woodwork and equipment such as doors, window sash, storm windows, screens, window guards, stairs and railings.
• Repairs, installs and adjusts locks, door closures, hinges, door checks and other door hardware.
• Installs glass in windows, doors and partitions.
• Builds, repairs and installs such items as bookcases, shelving, tables, and racks using woodworking machines.
• Following instructions, assists skilled tradespersons in such construction activities as the erection or renovation of larger buildings and structures, and in the repair and construction of roofs.
• Builds forms for concrete work.
• Erects and moves wall partitions.
• Installs and replaces damaged floor and ceiling tile.
• Replaces quoin, miter and fender timbers on lock gates.

Maintenance Assistants (Carpenter) are usually supervised by a higher-level trade position, such as Trades Specialist (Carpenter) or Trades Generalist who determine work priorities, define the nature and extent of work to be performed, provide instructions and direction, provide resources for work projects, lay out and plan projects, assist in performing the more difficult tasks, train staff in skilled work, evaluate performance, and inspect work in progress and upon completion.

Maintenance Assistants (Carpenter) may perform the activities of this class with considerable independence when supervision is not available and are expected to perform routine activities with considerable independence.

The nature of a Maintenance Assistant’s (Carpenter) activities generally restricts relationships to employees working within the same organizational unit and to individuals for whom the State has custody or responsibility assigned to projects or work units. Such relationships are characterized by frequent oral and written…