Landscape Maintenance Operator I

Central Michigan University is seeking a Landscape Maintenance Operator to keep campus grounds well maintained, tidy, attractive, and presentable year-round. This role ensures safe movement across campus during inclement weather and performs planting and routine care of lawns, trees, shrubs, landscape beds, athletic fields, and other horticultural spaces. The position may require irregular hours for scheduled events, seasonal workloads, winter storms, and campus grounds maintenance emergencies.

Responsibilities

• Perform landscape duties including mowing, edging, trimming, sweeping, raking, fertilizing, seeding, watering, and aerating.
• Prune, trim, and care for trees, shrubs, and hedges; remove and dispose of plants, shrubs, trees, and leaves as needed.
• Maintain landscape beds through weeding, pruning, and mulching to ensure a well-maintained appearance.
• Plant turf, trees, shrubs, plants, flowers, and other horticultural items.
• Inspect plant material for damage and take corrective actions.
• Lay out, mark, and maintain athletic areas such as football fields, baseball diamonds, tracks, tennis courts, and band fields.
• Maintain synthetic turf and irrigation systems, including installation, repair, and operation.
• Safely operate equipment such as vacuums, sweepers, trucks, mowers, tractors, plows, and salt spreaders.
• Operate, load, and unload light and medium-duty trucks.
• Clean, maintain, and perform minor repairs on campus grounds maintenance equipment.
• Coordinate with and assist other trade employees on projects requiring campus grounds maintenance equipment.
• Operate snow and ice control equipment to remove snow and ice from roads, parking lots, and walkways.
• Repair and paint picnic tables, trash baskets, playground equipment, dumpsters, exterior signage, and other campus grounds-related items.
• Install and remove exterior signage as needed.
• Place concrete for footers, posts, poles, and other applications not requiring a smooth finish.
• Maintain and repair pavements, including roads and parking lots.
• Maintain storm sewer inlets and stormwater detention and retention ponds.
• Remove litter, trash, and debris from campus and empty exterior trash receptacles.
• Haul waste, litter, equipment, materials, and supplies as assigned.
• Direct work to assigned support employees and provide instruction on proper methods and processes.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Knowledge of landscape maintenance.
• Obtain a CMU Motorized Utility Vehicle operator certification within 6 months of employment.
• Ability to work safely without endangering others, oneself, equipment, or property.
• Ability to work with limited supervision.
• Demonstrated ability to follow and interpret oral or written directions.
• Effective communication skills and a positive image.
• Ability to perform essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.

Benefits

CMU employees enjoy access to a nationally recognized wellness program along with health care and benefits that exceed regional, state, and national norms.

Pay

$18.78 per hour (non-negotiable).

Schedule

Full-time, 12-month position. Regular schedule: Monday–Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m., with weekends and evenings as needed.

About the Department

Central Michigan University has a more than 125-year legacy of preparing students to become leaders and changemakers. Located in Mount Pleasant, CMU serves nearly 15,500 students through approximately 300 undergraduate, master’s, specialist, and doctoral programs in arts, media, business, education, human services, health professions, liberal arts, social sciences, medicine, science, and engineering. The university is home to 17 Division 1 sports teams and is recognized for leadership development programming and research excellence. Mount Pleasant blends small-town living with big-city amenities and is part of the culturally vibrant Great Lakes Bay Region.