Associate 5, Landscape Lead at Salt Lake Community College (UT) – Salt Lake City, Utah

Under the direction of the Grounds Manager, the Associate Landscape Lead ensures the quality of field work of a team of part-time/seasonal groundskeepers. This team is based out of the Redwood campus in
Taylorsville and is assigned work at multiple Salt Lake Community College (SLCC) campuses. The
landscape team performs various landscape maintenance tasks with a goal of keeping college grounds
spaces safe, accessible, and beautiful throughout the year.

The Landscape Lead ensures that the plans and tasks assigned to the landscape team are carried out
effectively and efficiently by providing guidance to technique, monitoring job progress, assigning
tasks in the field and addressing safety concerns. Additionally, the Lead is responsible for
maintaining records, ensuring projects are completed to the highest standards of safety and
quality, reporting work progress to the Grounds Manager.

Position will be required to work under various, and sometimes severe, weather conditions ranging
from extreme heat or cold, to rain or snow. Work is also required around hazards associated with equipment operation including fumes, oils, gases and other chemicals. Use of personal protective equipment is mandatory.

Position has a regular schedule but requires flexibility and must be available to assist with snow
removal and sprinkler system emergencies, 24 hours a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
The Grounds department normal hours of operation are Monday through Friday, 6:00 am to 4:30 pm, working 40 hours each week. Overtime may be required or offered as management deems necessary.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities
Leadership in Field Operations:

• Lead a crew by assigning and completing tasks, communicating expectations, ensuring safety, and maintaining records.
• Ensure work quality standards are met and schedules are followed by keeping team on task.
• Mentor crew members in proper landscape techniques, standards of care, and tool/equipment usage.
• Perform quality assurance checks on completed work.
• Assist the Grounds Manager by providing feedback of employee performance, operational oversight, and other areas as needed.
• Report safety concerns and personnel issues to the Grounds Manager.
• Relay messages and concerns from Grounds Manager and Director to the landscape team.
• Perform all duties of Groundskeeper positions as needed.

Landscape and Gardening Maintenance:

• Perform landscape and gardening maintenance duties including weeding, planting, pruning, watering, litter/debris removal, and digging.
• Maintenance of turfgrass including aeration, chemical applications, and planting and/or removing sod.
• Maintenance of planting and xeriscape beds, native and open areas, as well as parking lots, walkways, patios, and other outdoor spaces.
• Tasks may also include application of pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers, trimming, leaf blowing, trash pickup, plant and tree care, and irrigation.
• Snow removal with motorized equipment as well as shoveling and spreading snow and ice melt.

Technical Skills and Equipment Operation:

• Work with landscape maintenance equipment (e.g., leaf blowers, pruning tools, hedgers, chainsaws, brush hogs, string trimmers, lawn mowers, etc.).
• Maintain tools and equipment including proper fueling procedures, cleaning equipment, sharpening blades, and ensuring equipment is functioning properly.
• Operate tractors, backhoes, forklifts, snowplows, and other equipment while following safety procedures.

Safety and Environmental Conditions:

• Work around hazards associated with equipment operation including flammable liquids, fumes, oils, gases, and other chemicals.
• Appropriate usage and storage of the aforementioned.
• Ensure team members are following the safety standards and are compliant with their usage of PPE.
• Recognize unsafe conditions, resolve problems, and ask for assistance as needed.
• Maintain records of chemical usage and snow removal activities.
• Complete all SLCC required training courses and safety trainings.
• Organize, maintain, and clean shop space and tool/equipment storage areas.
• Complete work orders and electronic record-keeping for each project.
• Other duties as assigned.

Knowledge Skills & Abilities

• Proper use and care techniques as well as basic maintenance of standard landscaping equipment including mowers, leaf blowers, trimmers, edgers, chainsaws, hedge trimmers, soil tillers, tractors, forklifts, backhoes, snowblowers, and hand tools such as pruners, loppers, rakes, shovels, cultivators, etc.
• Knowledge and skill with landscape preparation, design, theory, and methods including planting, weeding, irrigation, and advanced pruning techniques and methods.
• Basic understanding of landscape design principles, maintenance, and prep work for turf areas, including laying sod, aeration techniques, overseeding, and FDA requirements for use of fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides.
• Ability to correctly identify weeds and tell them apart from desirable, intended species even when both are found in the same spaces.
• Basic understanding of landscape irrigation systems, using irrigation controllers, and performing winterization on all irrigation systems.
• Ability to perform landscape and gardening maintenance duties including weeding, planting, pruning, watering, litter/debris removal, and digging.
• Knowledge of record keeping practices and requirements such as chemical, pesticide, or snow/ice removal logs.
• Computer and data entry skills, basic MS Office knowledge, ability to navigate the Internet, and knowledge of CMMS work order systems.
• Snow removal skills involving motorized equipment.
• Ability to communicate effectively with a broad range of people with a variety of abilities and backgrounds, to maintain good working relationships across the College.
• Ability to work with all groups from a variety of academic, socioeconomic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, and with community college students, faculty, and staff, including those with disabilities.

• High school diploma, GED, or equivalent required.
• One (1) to four (4) years experience supervising field operations of a team (not necessarily landscape maintenance).
• Must have experience driving truck with trailer safely.
• Must have a valid Utah driver's license.

• Five years landscape maintenance/yard care experience.
• Prefer prior experience with irrigation systems (sprinkler repair) and caring for plants.
• Bi-lingual a plus but not required.
• Commercial Driver License (CDL) helpful but not required.
• Herbicide, pesticide application license helpful, but not required.
• Ideal candidate will have experience with gardening, lawn care, planting ornamental beds, drip irrigation, turfgrass irrigation, tree care/pruning, horticulture, and snow removal.