Landscape Manager or Parks Supervisor job
By
Guest,
I am currently Curator of Exterior Horticulture at the NC Zoo. I am currently a state employee working for the Dept. of Natural & Cultural Resources at the zoo. I've been employed at the zoo for 17 years. I manage over 300 acres of natural plant communities, gardens, collections, habitats, butterfly gardens, browse gardens. I oversee the zoo's compost program, turf management program (consisting of 200 acres of on-site turf and 50 acres of turf located at 7 offsite nature preserves owned by the zoo. I currently have 2 direct reports: a North America exterior grounds supervisor and an Africa exterior grounds supervisor. My staff consists of 20 employees. After spending 17 years with the zoo, I am looking for a change.
Education
2002 - 2008
Guilford Technical Community College, Greensboro, NC - Associate of Applied Science/Turfgrass Management
Qualifications
- Govern the NC Zoo’s plant collection to assess health and provide direction for plant acquisitions and dispositions
- Landscape design, construction, and management for the zoo’s exterior horticulture department
- Maintain compost operations/permits and yard waste operations/permits
- Maintain rare plants and all permits, census data, and reports
- Manage the turf and irrigation programs
- Manage 7 offsite zoo society owned properties
- Manage a staff consisting of up to 25 employees, including 2 Grounds Supervisors
- Responsible for job descriptions, job postings, hiring, disciplinary actions, and coaching
- Collaboration with team members and outside agencies
- Manage multiple operating budgets
- Develop departmental guidelines, policies, and procedures
- Supervise the Africa Horticulture staff consisting of 13 staff, as well as seasonal employees and volunteers
- Oversee day-to-day horticulture work and landscape maintenance and installations
- Supervise turf staff for the maintenance of over 300 acres including 7 offsite properties
- Supervisor of staff to operate the Zoo’s licensed compost facility and Yard Waste Site
- Supervise and train employees using heavy equipment including tractors, skid steers, loaders, zero-turn mowers, backhoe, front end loaders,and implements
- Monitor employees while they are performing plant maintenance such as watering, pruning, planting, fertilizing, propagation, etc.to assess plant health and to assure plant maintenance techniques are being performed properly
- Research plants and locate plant sources to learn plant cultivation and characteristics, to use the plant species properly in the design and to assure availability of plant material.
- Provide input into subordinate work plans according to guidelines and schedule two times per year.
- Review daily work tasks and project schedules
- Accurately fill out and keep documentation of pesticide forms/logs, and assure compliance by other pesticide applicators
- Act as a Zoo representative at conferences, training sessions, seminars etc.
- Perform daily maintenance of zoo grounds and plant collection of an assigned area of the Africa continent
- Responsible for plant maintenance/landscape construction, team leading/projects, equipment operation, record keeping and public relations.
- Responsible for the cultivation, maintenance and promotion of plants or a plant collection
- Propagating, transplanting, fertilizing, and applying chemicals and water to the plants or plant collection
- Install new plant material following plans and maintain the beds including pruning, weeding, mulching, fertilizing and spraying of plant material
- Participate in landscape design and construction
- Serve as a crew leader.
- Operate equipment to complete landscape and grounds maintenance tasks
Work History
North Carolina Zoological Park, Asheboro, NC
(2017 - PRESENT) Curator of Exterior Horticulture
- Govern the NC Zoo’s plant collection to assess health and provide direction for plant acquisitions and dispositions
- Landscape design, construction, and management for the zoo’s exterior horticulture department
- Maintain compost operations/permits and yard waste operations/permits
- Maintain rare plants and all permits, census data, and reports
- Manage the turf and irrigation programs
- Manage 7 offsite zoo society owned properties
- Manage a staff consisting of up to 25 employees, including 2 Grounds Supervisors
- Responsible for job descriptions, job postings, hiring, disciplinary actions, and coaching
- Collaboration with team members and outside agencies
- Manage multiple operating budgets
- Develop departmental guidelines, policies, and procedures
(2010 - 2017) Exterior Horticulture Supervisor
- Supervise the Africa Horticulture staff consisting of 13 staff, as well as seasonal employees and volunteers
- Oversee day-to-day horticulture work and landscape maintenance and installations
- Supervise turf staff for the maintenance of over 300 acres including 7 offsite properties
- Supervisor of staff to operate the Zoo’s licensed compost facility and Yard Waste Site
- Supervise and train employees using heavy equipment including tractors, skid steers, loaders, zero-turn mowers, backhoe, front end loaders,and implements
- Monitor employees while they are performing plant maintenance such as watering, pruning, planting, fertilizing, propagation, etc.to assess plant health and to assure plant maintenance techniques are being performed properly
- Research plants and locate plant sources to learn plant cultivation and characteristics, to use the plant species properly in the design and to assure availability of plant material.
- Provide input into subordinate work plans according to guidelines and schedule two times per year.
- Review daily work tasks and project schedules
- Accurately fill out and keep documentation of pesticide forms/logs, and assure compliance by other pesticide applicators
- Act as a Zoo representative at conferences, training sessions, seminars etc.
(2006 - 2010) Horticulture Technician I
- Perform daily maintenance of zoo grounds and plant collection of an assigned area of the Africa continent
- Responsible for plant maintenance/landscape construction, team leading/projects, equipment operation, record keeping and public relations.
- Responsible for the cultivation, maintenance and promotion of plants or a plant collection
- Propagating, transplanting, fertilizing, and applying chemicals and water to the plants or plant collection
- Install new plant material following plans and maintain the beds including pruning, weeding, mulching, fertilizing and spraying of plant material
- Participate in landscape design and construction
- Serve as a crew leader.
- Operate equipment to complete landscape and grounds maintenance tasks
Date Available