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Horticulture Supervisor at Swarthmore College in Swarthmore, PA
Skills
Job Description
Position Title: Horticulture Supervisor/ Assistant Horticulture Supervisor
Work Type: Full time
Location: Swarthmore College Approved Location Type: On Campus
Department:
Work Shift: Day Shift (United States of America)
The Opportunity: Provides timely and reliable support for the supervision of gardeners, as well as directly performing gardening care and maintenance of the Scott Arboretum & Gardens plant collections and garden areas. Supervises horticulturists, interns and student workers. Performs necessary grounds maintenance tasks, including turf renovation, snow removal, event set up and other jobs to support College and Arboretum events and classes. Coordinates restoration projects and regular maintenance of the Crum Woods and other campus areas. Provides knowledge and guidance for sustainable landscapes and integrated pest management and oversees monitoring for insects and diseases for the department. Oversees proper record keeping and inventory of horticultural chemicals, pesticides, application equipment and personal protection equipment for the department. Assists in the execution of and participates in the Arboretum’s educational and outreach programs. Works to fulfill the missions of the Arboretum and Swarthmore College. We have two openings for this role and are hiring two candidates.
Essential Responsibilities:
HORTICULTURAL TASKS 50%
- Performs horticultural tasks and maintains the plant collections and garden spaces by doing timely planting, weeding, mulching, pruning, fertilizing, irrigating, leaf raking and other plant cultural practices in order to maintain campus aesthetics and provide proper horticultural care, and supervises others to do the same.
- Performs detailed horticultural work to maintain specialty garden areas, endowed gardens, various courtyard gardens and major horticultural collections to provide proper horticultural care and maintain these garden areas as the most intensively-maintained gardens on campus.
- Oversees restoration projects and regular maintenance of the Crum Woods. Coordinates and implements the deer control program of the Crum Woods.
- Oversees pest management practices for staff being supervised within their area of responsbility.
- Oversees proper record keeping and inventory of horticultural chemicals, pesticides, application equipment and personal protection equipment for the department.
- Provides knowledge and guidance for sustainable landscapes and integrated pest management, and monitors for insects and diseases for the department.
GROUNDS MANAGEMENT 30%
- Keeps campus areas, turf, roads, sidewalks and patios maintained in an efficient way. Has the ability to prioritize these tasks to provide a safe and aesthetically-pleasing campus, alone and supervising others to do the same.
- Leads and performs trash removal, irrigation, turf renovation, turf mowing, snow removal and leaf raking to efficiently maintain safety and high horticultural aesthetics on campus.
- Leads special function set-up and tear-down to prepare the facilities in a timely way for College-hosted events.
- Is present for and assists in College emergencies, bad weather occurrences and special College functions in order to maintain campus safety for students, staff and visitors.
OPERATES AND MAINTAINS EQUIPMENT 10%
- Safely and proficiently uses all hand gardening tools, consisting of pruners, shovels, rakes, loppers, hedge shears and other gardening tools, and ensures that supervisees can do the same.
- With proper training, safely and proficiently uses grounds power equipment consisting of: tractor, loader, trucks, lawn mower, chain saw, weed whip, turf aerator, turf slicer/seeder, snowplow and thrower, chain saw, brush chipper and other grounds maintenance equipment, and ensures that supervisees can do the same.
- Is proficient at and performs daily maintenance of all grounds hand and power tools and equipment and ensures that supervisees can do the same.
PROJECT MANAGEMENT 5%
- Interfaces with designers and contractors for a variety of maintenance construction projects throughout campus.
- Oversees the deer control program, and meadow management across campus.
COMMUNITY/EDUCATION SUPPORT (5%)
- Provides general horticultural information to all members of the community who phone or visit in order to help solve problems or give expert advice.
- Assists with teaching classes offered by the Arboretum; gives lectures as requested; assists with guided campus tours open to the public and can train staff to do the same.
- Assists staff with various programs (e.g. evening lectures, Perennials and Woody Conferences, Greens Sales) as needed.
Additional Responsibilities
- Ensures safety among employees and coordinates needed training for those supervised. Ensures that crew is adequately trained in performing all aspects of horticulture and grounds maintenance.
- Conducts educational sessions as requested by the Learning and Engagement staff, including workshops, lectures, field trips, in order to help fulfill the Arboretum's educational mission.
- Serves as a member of the Collections Committee. Works with curator to maintain accurate plant records.
- Occasionally writes articles for the Arboretum's quarterly Hybrid newsletter and contributes to the annual year-in-review report and departmental brochures as necessary.
- Leads campus tours and assists with arboretum workshops and educational functions in order to aid in fulfilling the Scott Arboretum’s mission of education.
- Cooperates in the function of the entire Facilities Management Department and assists in meeting the department’s goals.
- Acts as a lead in the department’s landscape sustainability efforts by coordinating programs such as development and maintenance of sustainable landscapes, lawns, tree care and storm water best management practices.
- Performs other job-related duties as assigned.
- The position is considered Emergency-On-Call for campus and housing properties.
Supervisory Responsibilities
- Supervises, schedules and coordinates six (6) horticulturists, interns, student workers and volunteers, and coordinates crew’s daily activities.
- Supervises and trains, gives feedback and works along with horticulture staff, arboretum volunteers, students and interns in order to enable them to competently perform horticulture duties.
Who you are:
- Adapts with a positive attitude to new work situations, people, ideas, procedures, and organizational structures, in order to accommodate an evolving work environment.
- Builds successful relationships with constituents and coworkers. Communicates and works effectively as a team member, in order to maximize the effectiveness of the office.
- Exhibits maturity, reliability, composure, and stability under pressure in order to handle on-the-job challenges.
- Understands and abides by a high standard of professional ethics in order to ensure the integrity of the organization.
- Works successfully with diverse others and upholds the College’s commitment to equal employment opportunity and affirmative action, in order to help the organization realize its commitment to excellence through diversity.
- Is optimistic and constructive in work conduct and outlook.
What you bring:
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in horticulture or related discipline; or practical horticultural training course (two or four-year program) with five to seven years of gardening/horticulture experience.
- Demonstrated supervisory experience.
- Experience in landscape sustainability, native ecosystem restoration, contract management, landscape design, public garden administration, college/university arboretum administration are desirable.
- Strong knowledge of nomenclature and a strong interest in ornamental plants.
- Demonstrates familiarity with the identification and maintenance of a broad range of trees, shrubs, vines, herbaceous perennials, annuals and turfgrass; has advanced knowledge to provide proper horticultural care in a timely, efficient manner and can lead crew members in doing the same. Is up-to-date on accepted practices relative to soil care, pruning and planting to implement best management practices.
- Demonstrates familiarity with the common diseases, insects, weeds and cultural problems of landscapes and turf in the mid-Atlantic region to make proper decisions for daily maintenance.
- Demonstrates familiarity with sustainable landscape/gardening practices relating to soil and plant health.
- Possesses basic knowledge of restoration processes and maintenance of natural areas such as Crum Woods.
- Must possess a pesticide applicator's license and a valid driver's license.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience in working in a public garden or college/university setting.
- Attention to detail and an interest in working with volunteers and the public.
Physical Demands
- Ability to work under harsh weather conditions and perform emergency storm-related damage services is required.
- Ability to work occasional scheduled weekends. Emergency work may require time outside of the normal workday.
- Physical dexterity to perform the job and ability to work outside year-round are necessary.
- Ability to frequently lift objects weighing up to 50 pounds and possess the physical strength to perform groundskeeping/gardening operations. Ability to carry a 35-pound backpack sprayer for extended periods. Hand, arm, and back strength to shovel, prune, and rake for extended periods. Ability to manipulate vibrating, hand-held power machinery for extended times.
- Ability to perform kneeling, bending, squatting motions for extended times. Ability to read and interpret pesticide labels, machinery safety manuals, and new information related to horticultural practices. Ability to maintain written maintenance records and keep a journal of daily work.
Working Conditions
- Must be available to be on-call one weekend per month.
- Ability to work under harsh weather conditions and perform emergency storm-related damage services is required.
- Ability to work occasional scheduled weekends. Emergency work may require time outside of the normal workday.
- Physical dexterity to perform the job and the ability to work outside year-round are necessary.
- High level of productivity; work pace is frequently fast-paced.
- Ability to work with diverse crew, faculty, staff, and volunteers.
The market range for this position is $41.00-$45.00 per hour, which represents the College’s good faith and reasonable estimate of the range at the time of posting. The salary offered is determined based on factors including, but not limited to, experience and education of the final selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal salary equity considerations, and available market information.
PA Criminal Clearance Required
Swarthmore College requires a PA Criminal background check for all staff positions prior to the start of employment.
MVR Clearance Required by Position
Due to operating a College owned motor vehicle while performing essential job responsibilities for this position, a motor vehicle report (MVR) clearance is required prior to the start of employment.
We offer benefit plans starting at zero cost! Upon benefit eligibility, the College contributes 10% of an employee’s salary to their retirement account. Employees are 100% vested in their accounts on the date participation begins.
Swarthmore Benefits and Programs
Applications received are reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. An optional cover letter indicating how your qualifications and experience have prepared you for this position is preferred. If you have experience that meets any of the preferred qualifications, please include a detailed explanation of any such experience in your cover letter and how it meets the preferred qualification(s).
Swarthmore College is committed to creating a culture of respect and inclusion so that every member of our community feels a sense of belonging. We actively seek and welcome candidates with diverse perspectives and experiences, exceptional qualifications, and a demonstrable commitment to a more inclusive society and world. Swarthmore College is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on any identity or characteristic protected by law or College Policy.