Horticultural Attendant

About the role

The Horticultural Attendant provides essential labor to maintain the university’s landscaped grounds, ensuring they remain safe, attractive, and functional. This onsite position involves operating a variety of hand and power tools, performing routine plant care, and supporting special events and emergency clean‑up activities.

Key responsibilities

• Operate power riding mowers, trimmers, edgers, blowers, hedgers, and other equipment to keep lawns, sidewalks, plazas, and building perimeters tidy.
• Assist arboriculture crews with limb chipping, debris hauling, chain‑saw work, pruning, and chemical spraying.
• Apply herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers, and mulch; perform weed removal and litter control.
• Maintain interior plants, including watering, pruning, fertilizing, disease treatment, and relocation.
• Support irrigation, grading, drain cleaning, concrete repair, and other ground‑work as needed.
• Inspect and perform routine maintenance on mowers and other mobile equipment, including blade and tire changes.
• Provide litter control and cleanup for athletic, fraternity, and public events.

Required profile

• At least one year of experience or training in groundskeeping, tree and shrub care, or related horticultural work, OR six semester hours in a plant‑science or landscape field.
• Ability to work in all weather conditions, including overtime and weekends.
• Willingness to undergo drug/alcohol testing and to remain on campus during emergencies.

Required skills

• Operation of hand and power equipment (mowers, trimmers, blowers, hedgers, chain‑saws).
• Chemical application for weed, pest, and soil management.
• Pruning and general plant care.
• Equipment inspection and preventative maintenance.
• Irrigation work, digging, grading, and drain cleaning.