Vanderbilt University · 1 month ago
Assistant Director of Grounds
Nashville, TN
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
5+ years expVanderbilt University is seeking an Assistant Director of Grounds to manage the daily and strategic operations of the Grounds Department. This role involves supervising staff, planning and directing work, and collaborating with various stakeholders to maintain the university's outdoor environment.
E-LearningEducationHigher Education
Responsibilities
Manages all day-to-day operational and administrative activities of the Grounds Maintenance Program and assigned staff; monitors workload, work orders, available resources, and work scheduling to ensure delivery of services
Plans, prioritizes, and manages efficient and economical grounds maintenance and horticultural programs in accordance with the seasonal calendar and current weather conditions to ensure that expected levels of appearance, plant health, cleanliness, and public safety are attained
Identifies and implements opportunities to reduce costs and increase efficiencies
Maintains a safe and attractive landscape across the university campus
Collaborates with stakeholders to scope, design, install, and maintain athletic turf fields, campus green spaces, landscape beds, drainage systems, plant materials, trees, mulch, hardscapes, parking lots and garages, roads, loading docks, waste collection areas, and outdoor waste receptacles throughout campus
Plans and oversees support services for programs, activities, and events for university, student, or outside groups. Includes collaboration with various departments and groups to scope, plan, and execute support for outdoor campus events
Manages various supplies, equipment, and building operations including university vehicles and assigned program spaces
Researches, analyzes, compares, and summarizes grounds and landscape maintenance best practices
Tracks, compiles, and reports data on the results of all program activities on monthly, quarterly, and annual basis including expenses, labor hours, work order completion, planned work completion, project statuses, inspections, and training
Researches and makes recommendations on the most appropriate equipment, products, techniques, and services to meet organizational goals
Maintain an understanding of current and emerging improvement needs for plant material, plant health, soil health, drainage, aesthetics, and safety
Provide training to all Grounds’ staff on topics such as safety, proper work techniques, chemical application, equipment operation, and other topics. Serves as a resource and trainer to less experienced personnel. Ensures all employees are working in accordance with university safety policies and procedures
Sources products and services that support departments activities and follows established purchasing procedures. Oversees purchasing actions of subordinate staff
Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with all areas and departments within the university and local community
Provides supplier management to ensure positive partnerships, delivery of goods and services within contract terms, quality goods and services delivered, timely and effective communication, and the timely receipt of accurate invoices, reports, and rebates
Makes decisions and resolves routine issues / problems arising from contracted services, and ensures suppliers comply with all applicable rules, regulations, and policies
Serves as a primary point of contact for service and material suppliers. Ensures pricing, quality, availability, and delivery of services and materials
Collaborates with Purchasing and Payment Services on RFP development, RFP review and analysis, and participation in bidding process as subject matter expert
Checks, validates, and processes supplier invoices to ensure that charges are in accordance with contract terms
Raises awareness in aspects of proper use of the university grounds at all levels of the University through presentations, goal setting, mentoring, and education to communicate the purpose and importance of treading lightly and taking action to avoid damage to the campus grounds to event organizers, facilities departments, administrative departments, student organizations, and academic departments
Promotes the opportunities and appropriate use of the campus outdoor environment to all Vanderbilt community members
Ensures Grounds operations are compliant with applicable rules, regulations, and policies, such as OSHA, TOSHA, EPA, DOT, USDA, TWRA, Metro Nashville, and others
Other duties as assigned
Ensures a strong and resilient organizational structure through effective management of current staff and operations, evaluation of operations for improvement opportunities, and assisting management with analysis and planning
Evaluates, coaches, and develops direct report staff regularly
Guide, teach, and lead all team members to ensure organizational effectiveness, professional interpersonal interactions, excellent communication, ownership, commitment, and teamwork
Qualification
Required
A bachelor's degree from an accredited university is required
At least 5 years of related experience leading university-level grounds maintenance operations is required
Demonstrated effective communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills are required
Excellent organizational skills, record-keeping abilities, and attention to detail are required
Demonstrated skills utilizing Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Office applications is required
A valid TN driver's license and ability to satisfy Vanderbilt University MVR requirements is required
Preferred
Additional post-secondary education is preferred
Applicable professional certifications are preferred
Experience with work order management systems is preferred
Previous facilities maintenance and operation work experience is preferred
Previous frontline service staff management is preferred
Previous vendor service contract management experience is preferred
Previous Higher Education work experience is preferred
Company
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university offering undergraduate, graduate, and professional programs.
1001-5000 employees
H1B Sponsorship
Vanderbilt University has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (90)
2024 (91)
2023 (87)
2022 (58)
2021 (62)
2020 (65)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$28.55MKey Investors
Mark AbkowitzNational Science Foundation
2018-11-07Grant· $4.5M
2018-04-18Grant· $0.55M
2015-07-10Grant· $12.8M
Leadership Team
B
Bharat Bhuva
Professor
Bill Blot
Professor
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