Help keep the UC Davis campus, safe, beautiful and sustainable by joining our Grounds team! Apply to be a Grounds Supervisor at UC Davis, where every career employee receives extremely competitive health and retirement benefits including:

• Three weeks vacation at start, holidays and paid sick leave
• One of our state's best pension benefits and a retirement savings program
• An impressive selection of medical, dental, vision and life insurance
• Plus, much more...

LEARN MORE and APPLY by Feb. 22, 2025

WHY JOIN the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden?

EXPLORE UC Davis' Competitive HEALTH and RETIREMENT Benefits

Job Summary

Under general supervision of the Grounds Superintendent, this position directs and administers the design implementation, maintenance, installation and inspection of Grounds operations for assigned areas. The Grounds Supervisor is responsible for ensuring assigned work and scheduled functions are carried out andcompleted on time. The supervisor is also responsible for ensuring staff assignments are clear and teams have necessary tools/supplies to complete their assignments and will act as first point of contact for campus customers, addressing concerns and/or service needs. The incumbent is responsible for personnel functions such as safety, training, diversity and inclusion, corrective action and performance management. The supervisor is expected to create and maintain a positive and respectful working environment. Additionally, this position plays a key role in the expansion and maintenance of sustainable landscapes across campus.

The incumbent will be required to work a Tuesday through Saturday schedule and will be the sole supervisor responsible for the Saturday crew.

Department Purpose

This position is on the Grounds and Landscape Services (Grounds) team, part of the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden (APG), and reports to the Grounds Superintendent. The APG reports to Facilities Management and is composed of three teams that collectively hold responsibility for managing the entire campus landscape.The goals of the APG are to create a more visitor-friendly campus, transition to a more sustainable and resilient campus landscape that is adapted to our future climate, make the academic programs of UC Davis visible to campus visitors, build environmental leadership in students and community partners, engage the public in lifelong learning opportunities, and leverage campus financial and human resources.

Through the daily maintenance of the core of campus, Grounds strives to create a more visitor-friendly campus by providing services that are effective in working towards the institution’s mission of education and research with efficiency. By prioritizing safety, Grounds completes daily maintenance tasks that create a positive first impression for the campus community. By recognizing that our work creates an environment that can be conducive, or a hindrance, to the mission of education, research, and public engagement, Grounds endeavors for and reinforces excellence in its work in the landscape and its interface with the campus community and campus customers.

The Grounds and Landscape Services team is responsible for the operation and maintenance of the core campus outdoor space. In conjunction with the APG, Grounds values the integration of sustainable strategies that merge long-range planning goals with daily operations. This includes constant adaptation in Grounds maintenance in the face of climate change.

Essential Responsibilities

80% - Operations Management

• Work with immediate supervisor to manage general funded, Direct Charge Agreement (DCA) and/or country landscapes by leading staff and ensuring grounds related services are performed as assigned.
• Supervise other crews as needed and when the regular supervisor is unavailable. Make scheduled and unscheduled inspections of assigned areas to ensure staff/teams are completing work and appropriate standards are maintained. Create checklists and train staff on landscape tasks assigned.
• Prioritize, assign, and monitor client work requests to ensure work is completed on time and within budget.
• Plan, direct, and coordinate routine operational activities which include:
  • regular maintenance(such as mulching, pruning, planting, tree raising, trash pick-up)
  • construction projects
  • pest and weed control, using chemical and non-chemical methods (pesticide application, mulching, seed bank depletion)
  • selection of pesticides most appropriate to the time of year and type of pest.
• Develop schedules for mowing, edging, weeding, cultivations, pruning and tree trimming. Manage assigned equipment maintenance programs including heavy equipment, such as tractors and mowers as well as small equipment, such as blowers, chainsaws, line trimmers and field painters. Maintenance responsibilities also include scheduling preventive care as well as repairs. Ensure staff/teams have the appropriate equipment, tools, and supplies necessary to efficiently perform duties. Provide cost estimates for both labor and materials for client requested work. Perform pruning on a variety of shrubs, trees and ground covers.
• Operate a variety of lifts and power tools. Participate in the planning, installation, and planting of new areas. At times, collaborate with the other sub-teams of the APG (Arboretum and Putah Creek Riparian Reserve/Naturalized Lands) to identify and help facilitate student work projects that align with Grounds’ priorities as part of the Learning by Leading™ program. Supervise student employees as needed.
• Perform preparation, transportation, planting and irrigation maintenance for establishment period of plants. Complete annual and bi-annual workload projects, collect data, and ensure performance standards. Work with program and facility staff for special needs, access, and schedules. Maintain strong customer service and build relationships with campus clients to establish positive and productive partnerships.

20% - Personnel Management

• Manage staff resources to maintain consistent quality, reliability, and productivity.
• Establish clear performance standards and expectations. Set personal development goals with each employee and provide training opportunities where appropriate.
• Assess strengths and weaknesses, identify development needs, and give timely and specific feedback. Monitor and evaluate employee performance against established goals and objectives.
• Motivate employees to continuously improve. Reward staff when they have done well and hold staff accountable when they do not perform as expected.
• Approve work schedules and ensure record keeping and timekeeping are accurate.
• Develop a cooperative teamwork philosophy and establish and maintain strong client-focused teams.
• Perform safety and landscape maintenance training for employees.
• Evaluate employee performance and provide appropriate corrective action up to and including dismissal.
• May be required to coordinate/direct work with student and volunteer teams.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent certification.
• Minimum of 3 years supervisory experience in horticulture, arboriculture, and/or landscape design and maintenance.
• Experience supervising personnel including recruitment, work assignment, setting expectations, conflict resolution, performance management including disciplinary actions, and evaluating performance.
• Demonstrated experience and knowledge in grounds and landscape services, including best practices, in an institutional or commercial environment.
• Excellent decision making, organizational and leadership skills to ensure adequate staffing and assignment scheduling to achieve timely progress on multiple assignments and meet deadlines while maintaining a high level of productivity.
• Experience working with web-based systems, e-mail, and Microsoft Office Suite.
• Knowledge of chemical weed control, insect control, and disease control. Possession of a valid California Qualified Applicator Certificate (QAC) or successful acquisition within(6)months of employment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Degree in horticulture or a related field.
• Experience supervising union-represented staff.
• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills to provide courteous customer service inperson, in writing, and on the telephone; conveying a professional and businesslike image to a diverse student, staff, and general public population; and remaining calm and professional at all times, especially when dealing with difficult, disgruntled, or defensive people.
• Knowledge and experience of safety regulations and practices in a landscape setting. Experience training staff in safety techniques and strategies.
• Skills to assist with budget planning as needed.
• Interpersonal and communication skills to work effectively and sensitively with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds and perspectives to build mutual respect, fairness, and equity.

Job Expectations

• Read, understand, and follow the UC Davis Principles of Community
• Strong initiative and customer service standards
• Highly motivated and results oriented
• Must maintain flexibility in a continuously changing and fast paced work environment
• Demonstrated dependability, punctuality, and leadership experience to successfully execute duties; Demonstrated ability to follow directions and resolve issues through appropriate chain of command
• Work with UC Davis students to provide a positive learning environment as they contribute to positive outcomes
• Make well planned decisions; analyze situations, define problems and/or objectives, identify relevant factors, formulate logical conclusions and suggest alternative solutions
• Professional communication skills, tact, and diplomacy
• Ensure consistency in formatting, writing style, and presentation of all communications
• Maintain confidentiality of files and data
• Ability to learn and efficiently use new university computer-based programs

Mental Demands

• Constant analytical thinking, problem solving, doing detailed work and performing multiple concurrent tasks
• Frequent verbal and written communication

Physical Demands

• Occasionally climb, crawl, kneel, push, reach, twist, walk
• Frequently squat, stand, talk, hear
• Daily walking, lifting up to 50lbs, stooping, pushing, and bending.
• Occasionally exposed to chemicals, dirt, hazards, heat/cold
• Maneuver a loaded wheelbarrow weighing up to 50lbs
• Climb 12 ft ladders.
• Operate heavy and small equipment for long periods of time.
• Work performed outdoors, year- round, in extreme weather conditions in an institutional setting.

Special requirements

• Valid California driver’s license required.
• Participate in the Department of Motor Vehicles Pull Notice System.
• Possession of a valid California Qualified Applicator Certificate (QAC) within (6) months of employment.
• Subject to completion of a pre-placement medical exam provided by Occupational Health Services.
• Work performed outdoors, year-round in extreme weather conditions in an institutional setting.
• Work irregular shifts, including weekends, holidays, and evenings.
• Employee is personally responsible for following health and safety guidelines/instructions.
• UC Davis is a smoke and tobacco free campus effective January 1, 2014. Smoking, the use of smokeless tobacco products, and the use of unregulated nicotine products (e- cigarettes) will be strictly prohibited on any UC Davis owned or leased property, indoors and outdoors, including parking lots and residential space.
• Background Check: This position is a critical position and subject to a background check. Employment is contingent upon successful completion of background investigation including criminal history and identity checks.

LEARN MORE and APPLY by Feb. 22, 2025

WHY JOIN the UC Davis Arboretum and Public Garden?

EXPLORE UC Davis' Competitive HEALTH and RETIREMENT Benefits