Grounds Manager

Department: PR Business Operations
This position is represented by the agreement between the Professional Staff Association and the University of Guelph

The GROUNDS MANAGER is a vital position responsible for the overall maintenance, safety, and aesthetic appeal of the University of Guelph’s 4-hectare campus grounds. This role is integral to creating a welcoming and safe environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The Grounds Manager oversees a dedicated team of groundskeepers and machinery operators, manages a substantial budget, and ensures that the campus landscape is maintained to the highest standards.

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

• Oversee the maintenance of all soft and hard landscapes, ensuring that the campus grounds are well-manicured, attractive, and safe while providing support to specific colleges or departments as required, including plant identification, plant inventory, taking into consideration cultural requirements and plant health care, managing care of sports fields and ornamental gardens and other significant buildings landscaping, general turf areas, approximately 6,500 trees, shrubs and groundcovers, hedges, vines, herbaceous perennials, annual bedding, flowering bulbs, tropicals in buildings, and an 11-acre grounds nursery
• Monitor campus grounds to identify potential risks and/or safety hazards and implement strategies to mitigate risks identified, tracking incident reports and corrective actions to address identified hazards
• Lead and manage a unionized team of machinery operators, gardeners, and an arborist, including prioritizing work through tracking and scheduling task assignments, and holding regular team meetings
• Effectively manage all aspects of human resources issues as they arise, including performance management, timekeeping, and incident reports as required
• Ensure snow removal is effective 24 hours per day through winter months
• Manage a $2.6M departmental budget, including preparing and authorizing purchases and expenses
• Serve as a liaison with customers, salespeople, and university administration, assist the community with horticultural information and promote the University’s campus through public engagement

WHAT MUST YOU HAVE?

• Post secondary education degree or diploma in Horticulture
• 4 years in a trades related setting
• Candidates with an equivalent combination of education and experience in a large institutional setting may also be considered
• Experience supervising large and complex teams with diverse skill sets. Supervision in a unionized environment is preferred
• Record keeping and budgetary skills
• Excellent communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills

WHAT WOULD GIVE YOU THE EDGE?

• Certifications including:
  • Pesticide License (land and structural)
  • Integrated Pest Management Certificate
  • ISA Certified Arborist
  • Human Resources Management Certification

• Strong leadership and team management skills
• Computer skills with experience using Microsoft Word, Excel and Outlook, horticultural software such as ArcGIS
• A strategic and critical thinker, with ability to exercise sound judgement, analyze and interpret data and present information in a clear, concise, and professional manner
• A self-starter with effective organizational skills and follow-through, including the ability to manage multiple priorities with accuracy and attention to detail

WHY JOIN US?

This role offers a unique opportunity to shape the outdoor environment of our prestigious university, contributing to the overall student experience and the community’s engagement with the campus. You’ll work with a dedicated team and have the resources to maintain and enhance one of Ontario's most beautiful campuses.

Employee Type: Regular
Position Number: 10862026
Classification: P&M FT- Band 06
Professional/Managerial Salary Bands

At the University of Guelph, fostering a culture of inclusion is an institutional imperative. The University invites and encourages applications from all qualified individuals, including from groups that are traditionally underrepresented in employment, who may contribute to further diversification of our Institution.

Posting Date: 04/14/2025
Closing Date: 04/27/2025