Edible Landscaping Maintenance Supervisor

Orchard Keepers; Santa Cruz (CA); On-site; USD 34,095 - 48,560; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Paid holidays

PTO 120 hours

401k matching (after 1 year)

Job summary

Orchard Keepers, Inc. in Santa Cruz, CA, is seeking a proactive Supervisor to manage a small crew and independently care for home orchards, edible landscapes, and drought-tolerant gardens.

You will train staff, supervise sites, and strengthen client relationships while overseeing irrigation, plant care, and landscape maintenance. Responsibilities include leading a 2–5 person team, handling new client intake, and managing maintenance projects from start to finish.

Qualifications

• PM and horticulture experience required (5+ years).
• Fruit tree and vegetable cultivation, landscape care, irrigation maintenance.
• Strong leadership, delegation and time management.
• Proficiency with G Suite applications and reporting.

Responsibilities

• Team Supervisor: manage 2–5 employees, coordinate tasks, ensure standards.
• New Client Intake: assess sites, prepare reports, establish client relationships.
• Site Lead: oversee route sites, support other teams as needed.
• Maintenance Project Management: lead small installations and upgrades, coordinate with clients and subcontractors.

Skills

Project management

Horticulture

Fruit tree care

Vegetable care

Landscape maintenance

Irrigation maintenance

Leadership

G Suite skills

Organizational skills

Communication

Driving license

Plant knowledge (CA natives)

Customer service

Full-time availability

Tools

G Suite (Drive, Keep, Sheets, Docs)

Job description

Orchard Keepers, Inc, est 2004, is an Ecologically based landscape company focused on the care of home orchards, edible landscapes, and native/drought tolerant gardens. We also install all manner of landscape components consisting of hardscape, garden structures, irrigations systems, veggie beds, plants and more. We are based in Santa Cruz CA, providing services locally and in San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties.

Role:

The Supervisor will manage a small crew or work independently while caring for all aspects of the home orchard, edible gardens and landscapes at residential sites. Caring for the various aspects of the landscape is the bulk of the work, but alongside it will be performing on-site training for our staff, quality control at other sites and fostering client relationships. Below is a description of the various roles within this position.

Required Qualifications:

Project Management 5+ years
Horticulture: 5+ years
Fruit Tree & Vegetable cultivation: 4+ years
General Landscape care: 4+ years
Irrigation maintenance: 3+ years
Leadership: 3+ years including interpersonal skills, decisiveness, problem-solving skills, ability to delegate effectively, time management skills, constructive feedback
Experience with G Suite programs including Drive, Keep, Sheets, Docs, etc.
Highly organized and able to work independently
Punctual and responsible
Valid driver’s license with a clean driving record
Extensive knowledge of organic soil care
Extensive knowledge of fruit tree & vegetable care
Extensive knowledge of CA native, drought tolerant ornamental and edible plants
Great customer service
Works well with others and communicates clearly
Ability to work full time
Responsibilities include:

Team Supervisor (40% of duties)

Direct supervisor for 2-5 employees
Skilled communication with the ability to convey information clearly to clients, subcontractors and other site personnel
Leadership skills: manage daily tasks, run jobsite efficiently, follow company processes/standards & conflict resolution
Effectively and efficiently train staff, reporting back to management on their progress and areas for improvement
Ability to manage daily tasks independently and with a team
Highly organized with a focus on detail and ability to see big picture
Ability to prioritize and manage time effectively
Expertise and confidence in maintenance of irrigation, native/ornamental plants, and edibles

New Client Intake- (25% of duties)

Be the first Orchard Keeper to work on new maintenance sites. This generally starts with an initial task list which can include:
irrigation assessment
fence inspection
hardscape / constructed element integrity
identifying ‘disclosures’
soil test (occasional)
Identify enhancements prior to a maintenance team taking over the client
suggesting replacements
larger seasonal cutbacks/horticultural tasks
initial soil fertility adjustments
Clear and concise email / report writing
Tracking and managing specific client sites that will be assigned to you
Serve as point of contact for specific clients to ensure team actions remain in synergy
Client relationship building- develop the relationship over time
Create and maintain internal reports on specific sites with observations and information to help manage the site more effectively in the future
Collaborate internally with management team to facilitate any additional assistance needed to service site up to highest possible standard
Responsible for handling client concerns or issues and finding resolutions
Horticultural care of vegetable gardens, fruit trees and landscapes
Keen eye for design and site aesthetics- having awareness of pathways, viewscapes, and high-traffic areas staying detailed at all times
Orient new staff to site once onboarding period is complete

Site Lead and Substitute (20% of duties)

Oversee a specific route of sites and perform all needed care
Join other teams as needed
Fill in at sites for sick time, vacations and/or during staffing changes

Maintenance Project Management (15%)

Lead small project installations from start to finish for new and existing maintenance accounts to enhance spaces. Includes small plantings, seasonal cleanups, initial client intake work days, aesthetic pruning, mulch refresh, basic irrigation upgrades, etc.
Recommend plant/design updates and review new and current landscapes that we perform maintenance on
Work with client to identify goals, priorities & preferences for the project- seeing the process through to completion, including coordinating with subcontractors as needed
Collaborate with management team to ensure cost estimates are accurate before beginning work

Compensation and Benefits

Pay starts at $30/hr+ (depending on experience)
Paid holidays (9 days)
120 hours PTO
Health Insurance
401k matching (after 1 year)