019122 - Grounds Crew Leader

About the Opportunity

Are you passionate about horticulture, landscape maintenance, and leading teams in one of the most beautiful natural settings in North Carolina? The North Carolina Arboretum is seeking a dedicated and experienced Grounds Crew Leader to help maintain and enhance our renowned gardens, trails, and outdoor exhibits. This is a unique opportunity to play a key role in preserving the Arboretum's 434-acre campus. The salary range for this position is $42,000 - $45,104.

The Grounds Crew Leader reports to the Director of Horticulture. This position manages staff, volunteers, and contractors recruited specifically for Grounds Maintenance across the 430+ acres of the NC Arboretum Campus. The primary area of focus for the Grounds Crew Leader is all turf areas within and
adjacent to outdoor exhibit areas, roads and parking areas, this includes
several miles of gravel roads and several miles of paved roads with cultivated
landscape and parking areas - including the 1 mile long, highly visible divided
main entrance road.

The Grounds Crew Leader supervises and performs tasks related to general grounds maintenance activities such as turf care, sod installation, herbicide applications, irrigation repairs, irrigation system management, gravel road and ditch line maintenance, land management, sidewalk clearing, snow removal, soil preparation, debris management, firewood processing, equipment maintenance and inventory, carpentry work and group projects as assigned.

Technical Knowledge & Work:

The
primary focus of this position involves turf care (moving, string trimming,
fertilization, aerating, monitoring and treating for pest and disease, blowing
and weeding), turf repair, trash, leaf and snow removal, debris disposal, light
to heavy landscaping, compost and leaf mold management, irrigation design and
repair, sidewalk, road and parking lot maintenance, equipment operation and
equipment maintenance. This position
will perform tasks related to general grounds maintenance activities such as
turf care, sod installation, herbicide applications, irrigation repairs,
irrigation system management, gravel road and ditch line maintenance, land
management, sidewalk clearing, snow removal, soil preparation, debris
management, firewood processing, equipment maintenance and inventory, carpentry
work and group projects as assigned. In addition, this position is required to
supervise and educate the grounds staff in the preventative maintenance of all
grounds operational equipment.

As
part of the reactive management team, a requirement to keep up to date with the
latest grounds maintenance practices and insure implementation of Arboretum
quality standards and practices as set by leadership.

Administration/Supervision:

This
position is responsible for the supervision, coordination and daily direction
of work completed by full-time, seasonal and temporary employees as well as
volunteers and contractors. Development of work agendas, scheduling of workers
and overseeing project implementation is crucial. As a Crew Leader, this
position reviews all leave requests for all full-time temporary and seasonal
staff under their supervision, participates in rotational on-call scheduling
during weekends, and approves all leave records under their supervision. The
Grounds Crew leader is a key player in the reactive management program.
Reactive management involves having a plan in place to relieve and respond to emergency
situations such as adverse weather and road conditions.

Communication:

Coordination
with the Maintenance Supervisor is vital to reviewing equipment failures,
repairs and safety concerns. A highly visible position on the grounds, this
role is expected to facilitate visitor, staff and volunteer appreciation of the
Arboretum and of horticulture through public interaction in the gardens and during
special programs. This position may also lead tours or programs as assigned.

Physical Requirements:

The
incumbent must be able to move a workload of 50 pounds occasionally. Typical
activities include moving plants, shrubs, and trees, lifting bags of soil,
moving large quantities of mulch, wood chips, using ladders and high tree work,
pulling water hoses, digging and planting with at least 50 percent of total
work time involving some kind of physical activity. The incumbent will be
exposed often to direct sunlight, heat and humidity, and cold temperatures,
machinery can make it a noisy environment, and this role spends a significant
amount of time standing on hard and/or uneven surfaces. Lifting, climbing
ladders, squatting, twisting, using sprayers, walking on a variety of surfaces,
digging, planting and exposure to the elements are commonplace. This role
requires highly physical, finite visual attention skills, a high level of
mental concentration and manipulation.

About the Team
The primary purpose of the Horticulture Department is to support the North Carolina Arboretum's mission. By promoting stewardship and enjoyment of the wealth of plant life within the Southern Appalachians through world-renowned gardens demonstrating cultivated and natural landscapes. Horticulture support activities include installation, maintenance, and care of all gardens, landscapes, turf, grounds and trails, the production within the greenhouse and nursery areas, and all other horticulture aspects relating to the use of the property. The specific program areas responsible for executing these activities are Greenhouse Production, Grounds Maintenance, Formal Gardens Curation, Natural Resources, Bonsai Curation and Native Azalea Conservation.
This position falls within the Grounds and Landscape program area. The staff in this area are responsible for the installation and maintenance of outdoor exhibits and areas of circulation throughout nearly 100 acres of improved and cultivated area in both woodland and intensive garden settings.

Minimum Education, Experience, and Skills
This position requires graduation from high school and three years progressive experience in grounds upkeep work. Two years' experience in management of all aspects of grounds maintenance is also required. Graduation from a four-year horticultural program emphasizing grounds maintenance may be considered as a substitute for the minimum experience requirements.

Required Competencies
Technical Knowledge:
The Grounds Maintenance Crew Leader must possess extensive knowledge of practices and methods relating to turf installation, repair and management, pests and disease identification and mitigation, compost and leaf mold management, irrigation design, installation, repair and programing as well as general ground equipment maintenance and repair. Must be able to mow steep slopes, excel in equipment operation and have extensive knowledge of horticultural practices in formal garden and grounds settings. Knowledge of ornamental shrubs, plants and their use in landscape is needed. This position also requires knowledge of composting techniques and processes for production and mulching materials. This position must possess technical pruning skills and have basic chainsaw operation training.
Project Management:
The ability to plan and implement landscape designs for undeveloped areas and, the ability to organize, direct and follow-up on assignments. This position must be comfortable assigning, supervising and reviewing work crew members under deadline pressure.

Preferred Education, Experience, and Skills

• Classification: Horticultural Specialist
• Position Competency Level:
• Position Number: UNCSO-A019122
• Employment Type: SHRA
• Appointment Type: Permanent
• Full-Time/Part-Time: Full-Time
• Recruitment Salary Range: 42000-45,104
• Salary Grade Equivalent:
• Location: 100 Fredrick Law Olmsted Way, Asheville, NC 28806 USA
• Posting Open Date: 8/19/2025
• Posting Close Date: 9/1/2025

EEO
The UNC System Office (includes PBS NC, NCSEAA, and NC Arboretum) is an equal opportunity and affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or status as a protected veteran.

The UNC System Office (includes PBS NC, NCSEAA, and NC Arboretum) is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor.

To claim veteran's preference, all eligible persons must indicate their eligibility as requested on the application. A DD Form 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, may be required later in the selection process.

The UNC System Office (includes PBS NC, NCSEAA, and NC Arboretum) participates in E-Verify. Federal law requires all employers to verify the identity and employment eligibility of all persons hired to work in the United States.

Human Resources Contact Information
Applicants needing assistance with the application process are asked to contact: recruiter@northcarolina.edu.