Landcare Supervisor

Please note, this position is not eligible for H-1B or Green Card sponsorship. This position does not offer a STEM OPT training program.

Position Overview

The University of Minnesota’s Facilities Management (FM) department is responsible for the physical assets of the University to provide a safe, reliable and welcoming campus for learning and discovery. We ensure a quality environment for students, faculty, staff and visitors in support of the University’s mission of teaching, research and outreach. Landcare presents a beautiful, safe and accessible exterior environment for campus users throughout the year.

Our mission is to provide efficient, cost effective stewardship of natural and built campus assets.

Landcare is an operations unit within FM responsible for exterior campus maintenance and design on the Twin Cities Campus. The Supervisor position reports to the Operations Manager and oversees landscape maintenance crews. The descriptions listed below do not include all possible responsibilities in this position and do not limit the assignment of related responsibilities.

Position Responsibilities

Operational Oversight - 30%

Oversee crews of full-time Teamster staff and part-time student employees who perform landscape maintenance and construction activities across the Twin Cities Campus. Work collaboratively with a team of peer supervisors who each lead various programs which could include the following:

• Campus groundskeeping - horticultural care of shrub beds, perennials, annual flower displays, turf mowing and care, hard surface maintenance, and litter removal.
• Naturalized area management - establishment and care of approximately 60 acres of prairies, urban meadows, bio-filtration basins, woodlands, and alternative-turf lawn areas.
• Tree care - full-service care of approximately 9,500 trees including planting, pruning, removals, preservation, risk assessment, and health care & chemical treatments.
• Irrigation - maintenance of approximately 130 networked campus irrigation systems which are centrally controlled through an ET based computer program.
• Project installation - repair and restoration of targeted campus sites including large-scale planting, small hardscaping, irrigation installation & retrofit, and construction staging.
• Event service - ensure efficient waste management for approved outdoor events, football tailgating, Homecoming events, and Welcome Week activities.
• Equipment repair and maintenance - oversee equipment fleet of approximately 650 units including prioritizing daily repairs, obtaining replacement parts, coordinating short-term coverage during breakdowns, upholding recommended service intervals, and advising on replacement cycles.
• Snow removal - plan pre-storm logistics, activate crews, and direct post storm response to provide a safe and accessible campus for various transportation modes. This includes in-house staff and contracted vendors and involves an approximate scope of 100 miles of streets, docks, plazas and walkways, and 100 acres of parking facilities.
• Contracted vendors - assist in supporting various specialized contractors to supplement Landcare resources including snow removal, street sweeping, organics recovery yard, sodding, landscape maintenance, and tree work.

Supervision - 30%

• Lead recruitment, hiring, onboarding, and training for frontline staff and student employees.
• Set goals for maintenance programs, uphold established campus service standards, and regularly inspect work quality. Make decisions to ensure work is completed efficiently and resources are applied appropriately.
• Ensure successful program outcomes in a dynamic environment through effective workflow planning, prioritizing, and scheduling.
• Conduct annual performance evaluations and regular 1 on 1…