019179 - Grounds & Turf Specialist

Do you have a passion for the outdoors, hands-on work, and helping nature thrive? The North Carolina Arboretum is seeking a dedicated Grounds & Turf Specialist to support the care and beauty of our stunning 434-acre campus.   As part of our dynamic Grounds Crew, you'll help maintain pristine turf, manage seasonal landscape tasks, and keep our roads, walkways, and gardens looking their best for visitors. 

The Grounds & Turf Specialist reports daily to the Grounds Crew Leader. This position is responsible for Grounds Maintenance across the 430 acres of the NC Arboretum Campus. The Primary area of focus 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 & Turf Specialist 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. 

This position reports directly to the Grounds Crew Leader and works, as needed, with volunteers and temporary employees. This position may also be required to provide assistance in the following areas: irrigation systems maintenance and repair, light equipment repair and maintenance and light landscaping. The worker performs tasks related to general grounds maintenance activities such as turf care, road, sidewalk and other pavement and railings, snow removal, soil preparation, composting leaves for use in the garden areas.

Turf Maintenance: 

Turf maintenance includes applications of soil amendments, fertilizers and pesticides, grading, seeding, mowing, string trimming of lawn areas, monitoring and treating for pest and disease, blowing, weeding and other activities involved in general turf care. Each of these areas requires extensive knowledge in landscape management. This position assists in carrying out the duties of the Grounds Crew Leader whose ultimate responsibility is to schedule activities to follow a timely rotating schedule, ensuring the turf is well maintained around peak times of visitation, repair turf that has been damaged due to weather or special events, to be organized and have the ability to pre-plan activities such as mowing to ensure they do not take place during a program or event. This position is required to report all equipment failures, repairs and safety concerns under the supervision of the Grounds crew Leader and in coordination with the Maintenance Supervisor in regards to all equipment utilized in the turf operations. This position interfaces with the public while working on the property and must be to respond to questions and provide information when needed.

Equipment Maintenance

Plans, installs and maintains landscape irrigation systems including repairing or replacing sprinkler heads, valves and lines; operates and maintains grounds maintenance equipment such as lawn mower, edger, sweeper, string trimmer, rototiller, chainsaw, hedge trimmers, sprayers, leaf blowers, trucks, tractors and basic gardening hand tools.

Road, Parking lot, Sidewalk (hardscape) Care and Maintenance

The care and maintenance of roads, sidewalks and parking lots includes the following responsibilities: participation in leaf and snow removal operations to include the emergency reaction program; daily upkeep of the parking lot, all sidewalks, walkways, curbs, and streets to include sweeping, trash and debris removal; road building (gravel) and maintenance; concrete work and site preparation to include moving objects or trees.

Leaf, Snow and Debris Removal and Management 

This position assists in the maintenance of plant debris and compost piles/materials. Plant debris such as brush, tree limbs, leaves, are deposited by various staff into one of the several temporary debris collection sites. It is then the responsibility of this position and crew to collect this material and move it to an area of the property where it is chipped and/or composted and managed in an organized formation. The development and maintenance of compost piles and debris materials requires knowledge of horticulture processes and procedures necessary to properly develop optimum compost materials. When the materials have been properly composted it is then utilized for an on-site soil mixing operation. When this is complete the grounds crew delivers and assists in the distribution or spreading of the materials where and as needed. In addition this position assists with the management and burning of all non-compostable and chippable debris, including procurement of proper permits and manages the storage and distribution site for all firewood under the supervision of the Grounds Crew Leader.

This position also participates in a rotational on-call schedule during the weekends to manage equipment or systems failures on the property. Emergency reaction responsibilities require this position to possess extensive knowledge of some Arboretum systems i.e. irrigation, hazard tree removal, snow/ice removal, etc.

Technical Knowledge

To be successful, this position must possess considerable knowledge of horticulture and turf management principles and practices applicable to grounds maintenance; knowledge of soil and plant health, knowledge of composting techniques and processes for production of mulching materials, identification and maintenance of general landscape plants; ability to operate small farm and landscape equipment and mow steep slopes.

Accuracy Required in Work:

Significant knowledge of sound horticultural practices is required. The application of fertilizers and chemicals, integrated pest management, pruning, mulching, and soil preparation all effect plant health and appearance. Working with heavy equipment and mowers on uneven terrain and steep slopes requires a high level of accuracy to ensure the safety of the operator, visitors and surrounding staff members. Accuracy in mixing and application of pesticides and fertilizers can be detrimental to the turf and plant life. Consequence of error can mean the loss of valuable plant species from the Arboretum collection.

Physical Requirements:

This position performs outdoor work under variable conditions. Both extreme cold and heat can require major physical exertion. Operating tractors, mowing, cutting, sweeping, blowing and using outdoor vacuum equipment is performed on a regular basis. Removing snow, digging trenches to locate, repair or install underground utilities or irrigation can occur on any day during any weather condition. Equipment maintenance and repair also requires some physical effort. Physical effort may also include filling in for absent individuals in the gardens and natural landscape programs. The ability to walk long distances, lift objects with a max of 75 lbs. and work under variable weather conditions is required as is above average physical shape.

Communication and Judgment

Excellent written and verbal communication skills are necessary to communicate with staff, volunteers and visitors in a professional manner.

This position must also possess the ability to use judgment and initiative while working independently to complete work assignments with minimum supervision. This position must also be able to make judgements and maintain efficiency in the absence of the Grounds Crew Leader and to supervise Horticulture Assistants in the absence of the Crew Leader.

This position must respond to priorities set by the Crew Leader and must be communicated to contract volunteers, temporary employees or other staff as needed. This position must be reactive to changing priorities created by unexpected events, systems and equipment failures.