Manager, Grounds

jrtc; Vero Beach (FL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Jackie Robinson Training Complex is seeking a Manager, Grounds to oversee and participate in maintaining all sports fields, practice areas, and landscaped spaces on an 80-acre campus. You will lead daily grounds operations, manage staff, and ensure event-ready facilities year-round.

The role requires overseeing turf, irrigation, and safety programs, coordinating with operations and events, and driving continuous improvement in sports turf management.

Qualifications

• Education and experience in athletic field or turf management; degree preferred and five years related work experience.
• Minimum three years in a supervisory or leadership role.
• Experience coordinating with Operations, Athletics, Event Planning, and other stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily grounds operations and establish annual, seasonal, and daily work plans based on field use, event schedules, agronomic needs, weather, and facility priorities.
• Recruit, train, schedule, supervise, coach, and evaluate full-time and part-time grounds employees; establish clear assignments, performance standards, safety expectations, and accountability.
• Directly supervise the Facility Mechanic and ensure timely preventive maintenance, inspection, repair, and service documentation for the facility's golf-cart fleet and grounds and facility equipment.
• Coordinate with Operations, Athletics, Event Planning, Engineering, and event leadership stakeholders; ensuring execution of facility preparation for groups.
• Direct the preparation, setup, conversion, and recovery of baseball, softball and multipurpose surfaces for practices, games, camps, tournaments, Major League Baseball programs, and special events.
• Inspect fields and grounds; determine playability and field-protection needs; coordinate configurations and timelines; and verify corrective work before use.
• Monitor the condition and safe operation of pitching machines, batting-cage equipment, netting structures, and safety netting; coordinate inspections, repairs, replacements, and removal from service when necessary.
• Oversee the inspection, cleaning, grooming, decompaction, and infill management of outdoor and indoor synthetic turf surfaces to maintain consistent appearance, performance, and safety.
• Develop and execute warm-season turf programs, including mowing, aerification, verticutting, topdressing, fertilization, overseeding, sodding, moisture management, and weed, pest, and disease control.
• Manage landscape plans for trees, palms, bamboo, shrubs, plant beds, lawns, and common outdoor spaces, including routine bamboo maintenance and annual palm trimming, and oversee irrigation and drainage programming, inspections, maintenance, repair coordination, and water management.
• Lead adverse-weather and field-protection response, including tarp deployment, water removal, storm preparation, surface recovery, and post-weather inspections.
• Manage the safe operation, inspection, maintenance, repair, and replacement planning of the golf-cart fleet and grounds and facility equipment, and maintain appropriate inventories of field materials, chemicals, fuel, parts, tools, and supplies.
• Ensure fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and other regulated materials are purchased, stored, handled, applied, and documented in accordance with product labels, organizational procedures, and applicable law.
• Establish and enforce safety practices covering training, personal protective equipment, equipment operation, chemical handling, hazard communication, and applicable OSHA requirements.
• Develop annual operating and capital budget recommendations; monitor expenses, review invoices, obtain quotes, manage purchases, and oversee contractor and vendor performance within approved parameters.
• Identify long-range field, landscape, irrigation, drainage, and equipment needs; maintain accurate department records; and provide timely reports, forecasts, and recommendations to the Director, Operations.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Director, Operations

Skills

Leadership

Supervisory experience

Safety compliance

Budgeting

Vendor management

Stakeholder coordination

Education

Associate or bachelor's degree in turfgrass management, agronomy, horticulture, plant and soil science, sports field management, or related discipline

Job description

Jackie Robinson Training Complex is looking for a Manager, Grounds to oversee and participate in the maintenance of all sports fields, practice areas, indoor & outdoor training surfaces, landscaped areas, & other common areas. The Jackie Robinson Training Complex is an 80-acre campus consisting of 5.5 baseball fields, including two synthetic turf fields; four softball/youth baseball fields; one multipurpose field used for lacrosse, soccer, football, rugby, & other sports; numerous outdoor batting cages & bullpens; & a variety of landscaped areas. The campus also includes the Building 42 Indoor Training Complex, which features a fully synthetic, half-sized training field & four indoor batting cages. This hands-on manager directs the day-to-day sports turf & landscape maintenance activities & personnel & ensures safe, playable, event-ready facilities for year-round programs & events.

Responsibilities

Department Leadership & Planning

• Lead daily grounds operations and establish annual, seasonal, and daily work plans based on field use, event schedules, agronomic needs, weather, and facility priorities
• Recruit, train, schedule, supervise, coach, and evaluate full-time and part-time grounds employees; establish clear assignments, performance standards, safety expectations, and accountability
• Directly supervise the Facility Mechanic and ensure timely preventive maintenance, inspection, repair, and service documentation for the facility's golf-cart fleet and grounds and facility equipment
• Coordinate with Operations, Athletics, Event Planning, Engineering, and event leadership stakeholders; ensuring execution of facility preparation for groups

Athletic Field & Event Operations

• Direct the preparation, setup, conversion, and recovery of baseball, softball and multipurpose surfaces for practices, games, camps, tournaments, Major League Baseball programs, and special events, including natural turf, infield skins, base paths, mounds, home plates, bullpens, warning tracks, practice areas, and batting cages, consistent with Major League Baseball standards
• Inspect fields and grounds; determine playability and field-protection needs; coordinate configurations and timelines; and verify corrective work before use
• Monitor the condition and safe operation of pitching machines, batting-cage equipment, netting structures, and safety netting; coordinate inspections, repairs, replacements, and removal from service when necessary

Turf, Landscape, Irrigation & Weather

• Oversee the inspection, cleaning, grooming, decompaction, and infill management of outdoor and indoor synthetic turf surfaces to maintain consistent appearance, performance, and safety
• Develop and execute warm-season turf programs, including mowing, aerification, verticutting, topdressing, fertilization, overseeding, sodding, moisture management, and weed, pest, and disease control
• Manage landscape plans for trees, palms, bamboo, shrubs, plant beds, lawns, and common outdoor spaces, including routine bamboo maintenance and annual palm trimming, and oversee irrigation and drainage programming, inspections, maintenance, repair coordination, and water management
• Lead adverse-weather and field-protection response, including tarp deployment, water removal, storm preparation, surface recovery, and post-weather inspections

Equipment, Materials, Safety & Compliance

• Manage the safe operation, inspection, maintenance, repair, and replacement planning of the golf-cart fleet and grounds and facility equipment, and maintain appropriate inventories of field materials, chemicals, fuel, parts, tools, and supplies
• Ensure fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and other regulated materials are purchased, stored, handled, applied, and documented in accordance with product labels, organizational procedures, and applicable law
• Establish and enforce safety practices covering training, personal protective equipment, equipment operation, chemical handling, hazard communication, and applicable OSHA requirements

Budget, Vendors & Continuous Improvement

• Develop annual operating and capital budget recommendations; monitor expenses, review invoices, obtain quotes, manage purchases, and oversee contractor and vendor performance within approved parameters
• Identify long-range field, landscape, irrigation, drainage, and equipment needs; maintain accurate department records; and provide timely reports, forecasts, and recommendations to the Director, Operations
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned by the Director, Operations

Qualifications & Skills

• Education & Experience
  • Associate or bachelor's degree in turfgrass management, agronomy, horticulture, plant and soil science, sports field management, or a related discipline strongly preferred
  • Minimum five years of progressively responsible experience in athletic field, sports turf, golf course, or comparable high-quality turf and grounds management, including at least three years in a supervisory or leadership role.