Lead Groundskeeper

About the role

The Facilities Department at the University of North Texas is seeking to hire a Lead Groundskeeper to join our team.

Responsibilities

• Works under the direction of Grounds Supervisor to apply herbicides, pesticides, and fertilizers to the campus grounds and sports fields.
• Operates and performs preventative maintenance on equipment such as tractors, spreaders, aerators, sprayers, and other landscape related equipment, for grounds and sports fields.
• Affords assistance with troubleshooting plant health care issues.
• Affords assistance with agronomy product inventory management and storage in accordance with TDA guidelines and regulations.
• Responsible for daily recordkeeping of agronomy applications in compliance with TDA requirements.
• Affords assistance to the crew leader to ensure all safety and proper horticultural practices are followed.
• Takes proactive measures in addressing problem areas, including making plans, asking for assistance from other teams, and reporting to Crew Leader, Supervisors, or Managers.
• Ensures that all required paperwork is completed in a timely manner, including labor reports, daily completion reports, mileage forms, and others as required.
• Affords assistance to the crew leader to ensure that crew members properly follow all break times, lunch times, and work schedules.
• Affords training and supervision of new and inexperienced crew members including students.
• Participates in mowing, trimming, edging, hand weeding, digging, planting, pruning, trash detail, and all other mow and landscape related tasks.
• Participates in inclement weather cleanup including snow, ice, storm events.
• Other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications

• Three years of related experience or any equivalent combination of education, training, and experience.
• Considerable knowledge of the practices, tools, materials, and machines used in grounds maintenance operations.
• Ability to monitor tasks of others and ensure completion of work.
• Ability to work outdoors in all kinds of weather.
• Knowledge of safety and security precautions appropriate to work performed.
• May operate heavy machinery.

Preferred Qualifications

• One year of experience applying fertilizer, pesticides, or herbicides.
• Possession of or ability to obtain Noncommercial Political Pesticide Applicator License from the TDA.
• Three years of landscape or grounds experience.
• One year of leadership experience.

Job Duties

Oversees groundskeepers, mowers and landscape crew. Assigns duties to subordinate employees, reports any employee relations issues to management and trains employees. Trains personnel on installation methods and procedures and proper equipment use. Mixes a variety of pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides while following proper application procedures. Supervises and assists grounds personnel in the removal of snow and ice from walks and roadways when necessary. Consistently completes expected duties in a timely manner without constant supervision. Accepts responsibility for own work and follows through on commitments. Supervises construction and care of new landscape beds and installs plants and trees according to landscape blueprints and existing horticultural standards. Promotes Facilities core values of Service, Integrity, and Excellence by conducting oneself in a manner that is respectful, honest, ethical, and customer focused. Committed to maintaining a safe and secure work environment. Demonstrates punctuality and follows policies and procedures for absences, time and attendance.

Physical Requirements

• Communicating with others to exchange information.
• Ascending or descending ladders, stairs, scaffolding, ramps, poles, and the like.
• Lifting and Moving objects up to 50 pounds.
• Moving self in various positions to perform tasks in tight and confined spaces.
• Operating machinery and/or power tools.
• Operating motor vehicles or heavy equipment.
• Repeating motions that may include the wrists, hands and/or fingers.
• Environmental Hazards Elevated temperatures.
• Exposure to fumes or airborne particles.
• Exposure to moving mechanical parts or vibration.
• Low temperatures.
• Noisy environments.
• Outdoor elements such as precipitation and wind.
• Work with toxic or caustic chemicals.
• Work Schedule Monday - Thursday or Tuesday - Friday 6:30 AM - 5:00 PM.
• Driving University Vehicle Yes.
• Security Sensitive This is a Security Sensitive Position.