Gardener Supervisor

National Park Service; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

The National Park Service seeks a Gardener Supervisor to provide gardening and landscape supervision, planning, and direction for Rock Creek Park's diverse grounds. This on-site role focuses on maintaining historic and natural landscapes across 99 parcels.

You will lead a gardening and landscape crew, ensure safety, diagnose plant health, manage soil, irrigation, and pest control, and oversee budgets, programs, and contracts to preserve the park’s cultural and natural features.

Responsibilities

• Exercises full first-line supervisory responsibility over a gardening and landscape maintenance crew engaged in preservation, maintenance, and improvement of historic and non-historic landscapes, grounds, turf, ornamental plantings, gardens, and related facilities.
• Responsible for the occupational safety and health of employees assigned.
• Performs and directs the full range of advanced gardening and horticultural duties involving historic and cultural landscapes, ornamental gardens, turf areas, athletic fields, planting beds, shrubs, trees, and other landscape features.
• Diagnoses plant health issues and determines corrective actions involving soil amendments, irrigation modifications, integrated pest management, biological controls, and chemical treatments.
• Performs soil testing, evaluates growing conditions, calculates seed, fertilizer, and irrigation requirements, and determines proper horticultural practices to support plant establishment and long-term sustainability.
• Oversees administrative aspects of the gardening and landscape maintenance program, including budget planning, operating programs, pest management programs, maintenance management systems and resource allocation.
• Serves as Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or technical representative for landscape maintenance and horticultural contracts.
• Monitors contractor performance, inspects completed work, and ensures compliance with contract specifications.

Job description

Open: September 1, 2026 — Closes: September 15, 2026

Summary

You will serve as a Gardener Supervisor with National Park Service. The purpose of this position is to provide gardening and landscaping supervision, planning, and direction for all the disparate gardens and landscape grounds areas in the 99 separate parcels that make up Rock Creek Park, a heavily visited historic, natural, and recreational park. This includes installation and maintenance of materials to protect and improve the cultural and natural park landscapes.

Major Duties

Some of the major duties you will perform include but are not limited to the following: Exercises full first-line supervisory responsibility over a gardening and landscape maintenance crew engaged in the preservation, maintenance, and improvement of historic and non-historic landscapes, grounds, turf, ornamental plantings, gardens, and related facilities. Responsible for the occupational safety and health of employees assigned. Performs and directs the full range of advanced gardening and horticultural duties involving historic and cultural landscapes, ornamental gardens, turf areas, athletic fields, planting beds, shrubs, trees, and other landscape features. Diagnoses plant health issues and determine corrective actions involving soil amendments, irrigation modifications, integrated pest management, biological controls, and chemical treatments. Performs soil testing, evaluates growing conditions, calculates seed, fertilizer, and irrigation requirements, and determines proper horticultural practices to support plant establishment and long-term sustainability. Oversees administrative aspects of the gardening and landscape maintenance program, including budget planning, operating programs, pest management programs, maintenance management systems and resource allocation. Serves as Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) or technical representative for landscape maintenance and horticultural contracts. Monitors contractor performance, inspects completed work, and ensures compliance with contract specifications.