Assistant Horticulture Supervisor

Swarthmore College is a highly selective liberal arts college located in the suburbs of Philadelphia, whose mission combines academic rigor with social responsibility. Swarthmore has a strong institutional commitment to inclusive excellence and nondiscrimination in its educational program and employment practices and encourages candidates who will further advance the goal of fostering a diverse and inclusive community. As one of the nation’s finest institutions of higher learning, Swarthmore College is global in outlook and draws students from around the nation and world. The 425‐acre campus is a designated arboretum, complete with gardens, rolling lawns, a creek, wooded hills, and hiking trails in the Crum Woods.

Who We Are:

We are the Scott Arboretum & Gardens which consists of 400+ acres of Swarthmore College’s academic and residential campus and the Crum Woods. The Arboretum’s plant collections and garden spaces surround all of the campus buildings and outdoor athletic areas. Our department consists of all aspects of the Scott Arboretum & Gardens which include horticulture, learning and engagement, and grounds operations.

The opportunity:

Provides timely and reliable support for assisting with the supervision of gardeners, as well as directly performing gardening care and maintenance of the Scott Arboretum & Gardens plant collections and garden areas. Coordinates restoration projects and regular maintenance of the Crum Woods and coordinates and implements the deer control program. Ensures proper record keeping and inventory of horticultural chemicals, pesticides, application equipment, and personal protection equipment for the department. Assists in supervising horticulturists, interns, and student workers. Provides knowledge and guidance for sustainable landscapes and integrated pest management, and monitors for insects and diseases for the department. Performs necessary grounds maintenance tasks. Assists in the execution of and participates in the Arboretum’s educational and outreach programs. Performs grounds maintenance tasks such as turf renovation, snow removal, event setup, and other jobs to support College and Arboretum events and classes. Works to fulfill the missions of the Arboretum and Swarthmore College.

Essential Responsibilities

HORTICULTURAL TASKS 50%

• Performs horticultural tasks and maintains the plant collections and garden spaces by doing timely planting, weeding, mulching, pruning, fertilizing, irrigating, leaf raking and other plant cultural practices in order to maintain campus aesthetics and provide proper horticultural care, and supervises others to do the same.
• Maintains specialty garden areas such as Bond Rose Garden, Cosby Courtyard, Harry Wood Garden, Lang Fragrance Garden, Singer Hall landscape, Winter Garden, cherry border, peony collection, gravel culture, Scott Outdoor Amphitheater, various courtyard gardens and major horticultural collections as the most intensively-maintained gardens on campus.
• Coordinates restoration projects and regular maintenance of the Crum Woods.  Coordinates and implements the deer control program of the Crum Woods.
• Ensures proper record keeping and inventory of horticultural chemicals, pesticides, application equipment, and personal protection equipment for the department.
• Provides knowledge and guidance for sustainable landscapes and integrated pest management, and monitors for insects and diseases for the department.

GROUNDS MANAGEMENT  30%

• Keeps campus areas, turf, roads, sidewalks and patios maintained in an efficient way.  Has the ability to prioritize these tasks in order to provide a safe and aesthetically-pleasing campus.
• Performs trash removal, irrigation, turf renovation, turf mowing, snow removal and leaf raking in order to efficiently maintain safety and high horticultural aesthetics on campus.
• Assists with special function set-up and tear-down in order to prepare the facilities in a timely way for College-hosted events.
• Is present for and assists in College emergencies, bad weather occurrences and special College functions in order to maintain campus safety for students, staff and visitors.

OPERATES AND MAINTAINS EQUIPMENT  10%

• Safely and proficiently uses all hand gardening tools, consisting of pruners, shovels, rakes, loppers, hedge shears and other gardening tools, and can train others to do the same.
• With proper training, safely and proficiently uses grounds power equipment consisting of: tractor, loader, trucks, lawn mower, chain saw, weed whip, turf aerator, turf slicer/seeder, snow plow and thrower, chain saw, brush chipper and other grounds maintenance equipment, and can train others to do the same.
• Coordinates and/or performs annual inspection and m