Assistant Director of Grounds

The University of North Carolina; Greensboro (NC); Hybrid; USD 74,000 - 82,000; Full time

Job summary

UNC Greensboro is seeking a Grounds Maintenance Manager to oversee all activities related to campus grounds maintenance, including turf, trees, irrigation, and equipment maintenance. The role requires supervising staff, ensuring safety, and maintaining high standards across athletic fields, landscapes, and irrigation systems.

The position emphasizes oversight of preventive maintenance, materials coordination, and adherence to safety policies, with a focus on delivering quality grounds services

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and two years of experience in general facilities work; or equivalent training and experience.
• AS or BS – Horticulture or Turfgrass Management preferred.
• All degrees must be from accredited institutions.

Responsibilities

• Oversight of Turf Maintenance and activities, monitoring quality of work and addressing complaints.
• Oversight of Tree and Shrub Maintenance and activities, pruning and landscape tasks.
• Oversight of Irrigation Repair and Installation, maintenance and repairs.

Skills

Grounds maintenance oversight

Facilities operations

Team supervision

Safety training

Budget management

Education

Bachelor’s degree

AS/BS – Horticulture or Turfgrass Management

Job description

Located in North Carolina's third largest city, UNC Greensboro is among the most diverse, learner-centered public research universities in the state, with 18,000 students in eight colleges and schools pursuing more than 150 areas of undergraduate and over 200 areas of graduate study. UNCG continues to be recognized nationally for academic excellence, access, and affordability. UNCG is ranked No. 1 most affordable institution in North Carolina for net cost by the N.Y. Times and No. 1 in North Carolina for social mobility by The Wall Street Journal — helping first-generation and lower-income students find paths to prosperity. Designated an Innovation and Economic Prosperity University by the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, UNCG is a community-engaged research institution with a portfolio of more than $67M in research and creative activity. The University’s 2,600 staff help create an annual economic impact for the Piedmont Triad region in excess of $1B.

Primary Purpose of the Organizational Unit

Facilities Operations has the responsibility of providing a wide range of services to the entire UNCG campus. Services include all aspects of corrective and preventive maintenance, operations, grounds maintenance, housekeeping, utility infrastructure maintenance and operations, business operations, safety, regulatory compliance, project management, and renovations. These duties are conducted for a campus consisting of more than 100 buildings totaling 6 million gross square feet on over 275 acres.

Position Summary

The primary purpose of this position is to provide overall management of all activities related to grounds maintenance. The primary duties are:

25% Oversight of Turf Maintenance including recreational and athletic fields
25% Oversight of Tree and Shrub Maintenance throughout campus including UNCG’s Peabody Park
20% Oversight of Irrigation Repair and Installation
10% Oversight of Preventive Maintenance and Repairs on Grounds Equipment
10% Oversight of Fertilizer and Pesticide Application throughout campus
5% Oversight of Safety Training for grounds staff
5% Oversight of General Overall Campus Grounds Upkeep, Cleanup and tidiness
This position is a mandatory position as defined in the Adverse Weather and Emergency Event Policy.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and two years of experience in general facilities work; or equivalent combination of training and experience.
• All degrees must be received from appropriately accredited institutions.

Additional Required Certifications, Licensures, and Certificates

Preferred Qualifications

• AS or BS – Horticulture or Turfgrass Management.
• 10 or more years’ experience in managing grounds and athletic fields in a higher education institution.
• Licensed landscape contractor.
• Certified arborist.
• Licensed Irrigation contractor.
• Certified turfgrass professional.

Special Instructions to Applicants

Recruitment Range

Recruitment Range $73,778 - $81,975

Org #-Department

Org #-Department Facilities Operations - 56404

Job Open Date

Job Open Date 08/17/2026

For Best Consideration Date

Job Close Date

Open Until Filled Yes

FTE

FTE 1.000

Type of Appointment

Type of Appointment Permanent

If time-limited, please specify end date for appointment.

Number of Months per Year

Number of Months per Year 12

FLSA

FLSA Exempt

Key Responsibilities

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Percentage Of Time

Percentage Of Time 20

Key Responsibility

Oversight of Turf Maintenance and activities

• Provides regular oversight to monitor quality of work to ensure fulfillment of organizational goals.
• Handles and resolves complaints in a professional manner.
• Position is skillful in the use and operation of all equipment and has the ability to perform all types of turf maintenance activities as well as direct others in these activities to meet daily or weekly objectives.
• Turf maintenance include the following tasks:
  Mowing, trim mowing, weed eating, edging, fertilizing, aerifying, overseeding, sodding, liming, soil testing, per-post emergent weed control, insect and disease control, pruning, planting and maintaining flowers, irrigation system maintenance.

Percentage Of Time

Percentage Of Time 20

Key Responsibility

Oversight of Tree and Shrub Maintenance and activities

• Provides regular oversight to monitor quality of work to ensure fulfillment of organizational goals. Handles and resolves complaints in a professional manner.
• Position is skillful in the use and operation of all equipment and has the ability to perform all types of tree and shrub maintenance activities as well as direct others in these activities.
• Tree and Shrub Maintenance include the following tasks: Tree pruning, shrub pruning, disease and insect control, soil testing, fertilizing, liming, pre- post emergent weed control, edging beds, irrigation maintenance repair, landscape planting.

Percentage Of Time

Percentage Of Time 20

Key Responsibility

Oversight of Irrigation Repair and Installation

• Position has knowledge and ability to oversee the following irrigation maintenance tasks:
  Set controllers, adjust spray heads, troubleshoot system, replace filters, repair heads, valves, and piping.
• Position demonstrates the ability to repair and upkeep all irrigation parts, pumps, and regulator valves.
• Position filters all pressure lines, sprinklers, and electrical controls in valves and control panels.

Percentage Of Time

Percentage Of Time 10

Key Responsibility

Oversight of Preventive Maintenance and Repairs on Grounds Equipment

• Oversight of Scheduled preventive maintenance and repair on grounds equipment and tools including snow removal.
• Informs staff of unusual situations or problems as it relates to repairs and preventive maintenance.

Percentage Of Time

Percentage Of Time 10

Key Responsibility

Oversight of Fertilizer and Pesticide Application

• Position demonstrates the ability and knowledge to accurately apply various nutritional fertilizers as required to promote healthy grass.
• Position oversees the following tasks: Pesticide Application, Spray Fertilizer, Spread Fertilizer, Spray Fields, Spray Golf Greens, Acetifying, Pre-Post Emergent Weed Control, Insect and Disease Control.
• Position recognizes and coordinates areas to be treated with supervisor and co- workers.
• Position assures the required inventory records, keep MSDS information sheets up to date.

Percentage Of Time

Percentage Of Time 10

Key Responsibility

Budget Management

• Keeps abreast and control of grounds maintenance expenditures to assure the grounds and athletic fields are maintained to the highest possible quality within budget.

Percentage Of Time

Percentage Of Time 5

Key Responsibility

Safety Training

• Oversee and enforce safety training in the operation and safe use of equipment, tools, pesticides, and proper Grounds maintenance methods and techniques.

Percentage Of Time

Percentage Of Time 5

Key Responsibility

General Overall Campus Grounds Upkeep, Cleanup and tidiness

• Position demonstrates grounds maintenance duties and the ability to keep campus grounds free of litter and debris.
• Position assures clean storm drains and has the ability to provide parking lot maintenance and street sweeping.
• Position is knowledgeable of the adverse weather plan and schedules work accordingly.
• Position provides instructions to staff and has the ability to communicate effectively to complete assigned tasks.

ADA Checklist

ADA Checklist

R for Rare (0-30%), O for Occasional (30-60%), F for Frequent (60-90%), C for Constant (90-100%).

Physical Effort

Physical Effort Hand Movement-Repetitive Motions - F, Hand Movement-Grasping - F, Holding - F, Finger Dexterity - F, Vision-Skilled Trades - F, Reading - F, Writing - F, Eye-hand coordination - F, Vision-Color Distinction - F, Vision-Preparing/Analyzing figures - F, Vision-Visual inspection - F, Vision-Measuring/Assembling at distance close to eye - F, Hearing - F, Talking - F, Standing - F, Sitting - F, Walking - F, Lifting-0-30 lbs. - F, Lifting-30-60 lbs. - O, Lifting-60-90 lbs. - O, Pushing/Pulling - F, Climbing-Stairs - F, Bending - F, Squatting - F

Work Environment Driving - Car/Truck - F, Driving - Mower/Forklift - O, Location - Trees - F, Night/Dark - O, Extreme noise levels - O, Extreme temperatures - O, Inside - O, Outside - F

Required Documents

• Resume/CV
• List of References

Optional Documents

• Cover Letter

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• * Do you have previous Grounds Maintenance experience at a higher learning institution?
  • Yes
  • No
• * Do you currently have a valid drivers license?
  • No Response
  • Yes
  • No
• * How many years of experience do you have in groundskeeping?

  (Open Ended Question)

• * Please indicate how you learned of the vacant position for which you are applying?
  • UNCGjobsearch Website
  • Greensboro News & Record
  • Carolina Peacemaker
  • Other Newspaper
  • The Chronicle of Higher Education
  • Inside Higher Ed
  • Other Professional Journal
  • NCWorks.gov
  • UNC System Job Board
  • Other Online Job Board
  • Personal Networking
  • Other
• * If you selected "Other", please provide the name of the resource here.

  (Open Ended Question)

• * Are you eligible to work in the United States without sponsorship?
  • Yes
  • No
• * Will you now or in the future require visa sponsorship for employment at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro?
  • Yes
  • No