East Carolina University (ECU)

Horticultural Specialist

Job Label: CL 4002545 AD 7064908

Horticultural Specialist

Position Number: 001438

Full Time or Part Time: Full Time

Anticipated Recruitment Range:

Position Type:

Job Category: Staff - Technical/Trade

Organizational Unit Overview:

Facilities Services is a unit in Campus Operations Division, which is a part of a broad division of Administration and Finance that includes all aspects of facilities management at East Carolina University. East Carolina University is the third largest university in the University of North Carolina system with approximately 28,000 FTS and a staff of over 6,000. The university is comprised of more than 7 million square feet of facilities located on approximately 1400 acres with physical assets in excess of $1.5 billion. This includes the Main, Health Sciences, and West Research Campuses, and satellite locations throughout North Carolina associated with university programs. Facilities Services has an annual budget in excess of $30 million and employs approximately 500 FTE . Major functions include facilities maintenance and housekeeping services.

Facilities Services primary purpose is to plan and perform corrective and preventive maintenance functions on all building structures and equipment and utility infrastructure. Corrective maintenance returns equipment to optimal design performance after failure or upon degradation from age, adverse operation conditions, etc. Preventive maintenance minimizes equipment failures and reduces corrective maintenance.

Job Duties:

Primary duties include, but are not limited to:

• Managing natural and synthetic turf, trees, shrubs, and native vegetation
• Scheduling, organizing, and overseeing daily on-site work activities
• Managing and maintaining the stormwater system
• Planning, ordering, receiving, and inventorying supplies and materials
• Coordinating with Facilities staff, contractors, academic departments, students, staff, and faculty
• Serving as the primary point of contact for Facilities-related issues at the complex
• Assisting with budgeting and forecasting future-year expenses
• Collaborating with supervisors, the Grounds Director, and other stakeholders to project future needs
• Developing programs that promote long-term health, sustainability, and performance of the fields
• Serving as a technical resource for grounds services across the complex and university
• Performing basic maintenance and operation of grounds equipment and vehicles
• Providing support for special events and responding to weather-related emergencies
• Performing debris and garbage removal

• Conducting pest management activities

 In his inaugural address as ECU’s first president, Robert Wright established a mission that guided its leaders for more than 100 years and still guides it today. “It was built by the people, for the people, and may it ever remain with the people, as a servant of the people.” His vision was that the university would offer an education equal to the very best institutions of higher learning, while also lifting the quality of life for the entire region. How pleased he would be to see how successfully ECU lived up to that long-ago promise!

Minimum Education/Experience:

High school diploma or equivalency and demonstrated possession of the competencies necessary to perform the work; or an equivalent combination of training and experience. May require North Carolina Pesticide License and North Carolina Commercial Driver’s License. 

License or Certification Required by Statute or Regulation:

N/A 

Preferred Experience, Skills, Training/Education:

Prefer experience with turf grass management in a medium to large-scale athletic operation and/or experience with horticultural management in a medium to large-scale organization. Experience operating grounds-related equipment, such as riding lawn mowers, backhoes, forklifts, skid steers, etc., is preferred.

Special Instructions to Applicant:

• Please ensure your full range of knowledge, skills, abilities, experience and education are listed on your application. Do not write ‘see resume’ on your application when completing the job duties section.
• If you answer the questions at the end of the application, please ensure your application reflects the knowledge, skills, abilities and experiences to support your answers (see job duties section of previous employment).
• Failure to answer the questions at the end of the application will not preclude your application from being consid