Manager of Grounds and Paint Services – UPDATED!

(updated 11/6/24)

Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia invites applications from qualified candidates for the position of Manager of Grounds and Paint Services. Early career professionals with direct groundskeeping and supervisory experience who are seeking advancement to a management role are encouraged to apply.

About the Role

The Manager of Grounds and Paint Services is a working supervisor position. In addition to supervising three full-time and two part-time employees in the Paint Department, this role supervises six full-time and two seasonal employees in the Grounds Department and is an additional work crew member. This position oversees the university grounds including turf, athletic facilities, shrubs, trees, flower beds, and other minor landscaping work and is responsible for coordinating seasonal tasks. This includes scheduling and assigning tasks to the Grounds staff, monitoring work performance to ensure accuracy and quality, and accounting for materials and labor necessary to complete the work. Additionally, the Manager of Grounds and Paint Services supervises trash collection and disposal for the campus and oversees minor maintenance of parking lots, drives, and sidewalks. This position is required to work additional hours as needed (ex. special events, campus emergencies, etc.) and reports to the Director of Facilities Management.

Specific duties include the following:

• Administrative for Grounds and Paint Departments
• Supervise all full-time, part-time, seasonal, and temporary staff members and their work assignments, schedules, and time off.
• Plan full-year work schedules and beyond to support longer-term project work all within an operating budget.
• Coordinate contracted work when necessary.
• Comply with established regulatory, safety, and risk management guidelines.

• Grounds Department
• Train staff members.
• Oversee the annual and monthly schedules based on normal agricultural/horticultural cycles related to the maintenance of turf areas including mowing, edging, weeding, watering, and fertilizing; patching or resodding dead areas; removing leaves; and dethatching, aerating, top-dressing, and overseeding as needed.
• Manage Bermuda athletic field care including mowing, treating, watering, aerating, top-dressing, and striping.
• Maintain shrubs and trees including trimming and shaping, watering, mulching, and weeding.
• Remove and replace dead or damaged trees and shrubs.
• Manage flower beds and potted ornamentals throughout the year.
• Manage the grounds materials yard including coordinating pickup and delivery of fill dirt, mulch, fertilizers, plants, equipment, etc.
• Operate and maintain grounds maintenance motorized equipment and hand tools, trucks, tractors, and other related equipment.
• Perform preventative maintenance tasks in-house and coordinate contracted maintenance.

• Campus-Wide
• Manage trash collection and disposal.
• Oversee minor maintenance of parking lots, drives, and sidewalks.
• Coordinate and assist with emergency response tasks including, but not limited to, snow removal, flood response, and storm and wind damage.

Position Qualifications

Successful applicants must have the following qualifications and experience:

• High school diploma or equivalent
• Minimum of five years of grounds and landscaping experience
• Minimum of three years of supervisory experience
• Comprehensive working knowledge of grounds methods and procedures, materials, tools, and equipment
• Must hold, or have the ability to obtain, a commercial, not-for-hire pesticide license through the Virginia Department of Agricultural and Consumer Services
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Basic computer skills (particularly e-mail and payroll web site)
• Full range of body motion
• Ability to operate motorized equipment and hand tools
• Ability to lift/carry items weighing up to 50 lbs.
• Ability to walk moderate distances
• Ability to work in all types of weather
• Ability and willingness to work weekends, special events, and during campus emergencies as needed
• Valid United States driver’s license with minimal violations

Preferred candidates will have the following:

• Three years of experience managing grounds or landscaping crews
• Experience with budgeting and capital expenditure forecasting
• Experience working at an educational institution

Application Process

Qualified candidates should submit a cover letter and resume to hollinshr@hollins.edu . Candidates are encouraged to comment in their cover letter on how their contributions will further the university’s efforts to ensure the success and inclusion of all members of its community. Review of applications will begin immediately and will continue until the position is filled. Semi-final candidates will be asked to submit contact information for three references. Once the selected candidate accepts a contingent employment offer, criminal history and motor vehicle background checks will be conducted. Previous applicants need not apply.

About Hollins

Hollins University is dedicated to academic excellence, creativity, belonging, and preparing students for lives of purpose. Hollins provides an outstanding and academically rigorous undergraduate liberal arts education for women and entrepreneurial and innovative graduate programs for all in a gender-inclusive environment. The university promotes opportunities for research, study abroad, and leadership training, and offers real-world experience through global internships supported by an extensive alumnae/i network.

An equal opportunity employer, Hollins fosters diversity and inclusiveness at every level of the university.  Persons of all genders, gender identity/expression, and sexual orientation; persons with disabilities; persons of all racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds; and first-generation college graduates are encouraged to apply.

Visit www.hollins.edu for more information.