Horticultural and Landscape Supervisor

Hanover, NH

Under the direction of the Senior Director, the Horticultural and Landscape Supervisor exercises responsibility for the daily and seasonal duties for work in the Grounds Services Department relating to the campus landscape, primarily in the areas of athletic field maintenance, campus turf, shrubs, tree care and irrigation systems. The quality of service provided by the Grounds Services Department has an important impact on the entire Dartmouth community. A healthy and attractive landscape contributes to Dartmouth’s recruiting efforts and retention of students, faculty, and administrators.

An integral member of the Facilities Operations team, this individual works closely with and supports facilities managers in the Real Estate Office (REO), Dartmouth College Athletic Department (DCAD), professional schools, Residential Operations, and other College organizations.

Dartmouth’s facilities include over 6 million square feet of space in 165 buildings and 200+ acres of grounds including walks, drives, lawns, turf, athletic fields, trees, shrubs, and perennials. These facilities serve over 6,000 students and 4,000 faculty and staff in a variety of academic, research, administrative, athletic, and residential spaces.

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in horticultural science, forestry, or similar field.
• Five (5) years of experience in grounds maintenance and management which must include staff leadership responsibilities, budget responsibilities, and demonstrated skills, experience and knowledge of grounds maintenance operations including basic landscaping, horticulture, grounds keeping methods related to turf, shrubs, and urban forest management.
• Knowledge of and ability to supervise pesticide and herbicide applications. NH Supervisory Pesticide Licenses in shade, tree, ornamental, turf and right of way required or ability to obtain license within 1 year of hiring date.
• Knowledge of safe operation of vehicles and equipment used to maintain grounds.
• Experience in estimating, scheduling, and managing multiple tasks/projects at once required.
• Ability to communicate effectively with direct reports, college personnel and outside contractors required. Must be able to give and follow verbal and written assignments as necessary and to appropriately delegate tasks.
• Willingness to serve on call during emergencies. A significant amount of after hour time is required for snow removal operations, events, and emergency response.
• Computer literacy and familiarity with standard business-related software required.
• Must hold a valid driver’s license and be qualified under the terms of the Dartmouth College Driver Safety and Motor Vehicle Policy.

Dartmouth College is an equal opportunity employer under federal law. We prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, marital status, or any other legally protected status. Applications are welcome from all.

Employment in this position is contingent upon consent to and successful completion of a pre-employment background check, which may include a criminal background check, reference checks, verification of work history, conduct review, and verification of any required academic credentials, licenses, and/or certifications, with results acceptable to Dartmouth College. A criminal conviction will not automatically disqualify an applicant from employment. Background check information will be used in a confidential, non-discriminatory manner consistent with state and federal law.

Dartmouth College has a Tobacco-Free Policy. Smoking and the use of tobacco-based products (including smokeless tobacco) are prohibited in all facilities, grounds, vehicles or other areas owned, operated or occupied by Dartmouth College with no exceptions. For details, please see our policy. https://policies.dartmouth.edu/policy/tobacco-free-policy

Thank you for your interest in this position. The screening and selection process is currently underway and will continue until a successful candidate is chosen. Should review of your qualifications result in a decision to pursue your candidacy, you will be contacted.

Thank you for your interest in this position. Based on your responses to the questions on the employment application, you do not meet the minimum qualifications for this position. Please do not let this discourage you from applying for other positions that interest you.

Team Leadership and Performance Management

• Effectively supervise daily performance of assigned grounds services staff and find ways to maximize individual and team contributions by supporting teamwork and collaboration to drive service-delivery excellence, including partnering with other department supervisors to ensure work is coordinated through completion.
• Schedule coverage for snow removal operations of camps roads, parking lots, sidewalks and steps.
• Collaborate with other Supervisors to identify cross-department opportunities to innovate and continuously improve, including implementation of facility management best practices and innovations to reduce operating costs, improve efficiency, and increase productivity.
• Provide direction and support to direct reports of grounds services staff (including performance management, coaching, and development).
• Confidently navigate conflict to build greater trust among team members, managers and other Dartmouth College partners.
• Serve as the point of escalation for risks or issues and develop mitigation strategies; escalate accordingly to other FO&M leadership.
• Actively manage resource scheduling and assignments to drive operational efficiency and identify training and development requirements and opportunities for new and existing staff.
• Leverage verbal, visual and written communication skills to effectively convey messages throughout the organization.

Customer Service and Relationship Management

• Engage in high level of customer service and relationship management. Respond to customer concerns promptly and with a courteous and enthusiastic demeanor. Including building relationships with customers to proactively understand needs and identify issues.
• Manage 3rd party vendors and ensure delivery of services and outcomes meet or exceed customer expectations.
• Serve as a point of escalation for customers for issues with work order completion; take necessary measures to address issues or escalate to FO&M leadership.

Grounds Service Delivery

• Advocate for a safe work environment and ensure work is completed in accordance with all applicable standards, requirements, and laws (OSHA, state/federal, local, regional, etc.)
• Using best practices, and work order management system, report out on KPIs / SLAs and incorporate them into daily operations.
• Delivery of best-in-class horticulture and landscape program via preventative maintenance programs, quality assurance programs and maintenance of critical equipment and systems.
• Ensure work order completion and identify issues or risks to timely completion with the assigned staff and develop strategies to mitigate risks. Provide expertise and guidance to staff as required.

Planning and Budgeting

• Ensure horticulture and landscape considerations are made during capital projects and to assist in the development and implementation of the annual maintenance plan.
• Work with Senior Director and Campus Services financial services staff to ensure appropriate fiscal, procurement, and resource administration within areas of responsibility.
• Manage operating expense budget for assigned portfolio and advise of any variances, including identifying opportunities for cost savings.
• Responsible for contract management and compliance with third party vendors.

Culture and Employee Belonging

We are actively striving to make Campus Services a desired place to work in the Upper Valley, a place where people feel welcomed, where they can be their authentic selves, be heard, and feel accepted. We want this culture to be felt by those who receive our services. The way we treat one another should be the same way we treat our customers.

• Demonstrates a commitment to inclusion, and cultural awareness through actions, interactions, and communications with others.
• Participates in division wide CEB initiatives and training, including promotion of the 7 Principles (Empathy, Fairness, Dependability, Inclusivity, Consideration, Vulnerability and Respect)
• Collaborates, when appropriate, on other CEB-related initiatives within the division and College