Lead Arborist (Landscape/Nursery Service Sup)
Bloomington, IN, USA
USD 26.08-26.08 / hour
Posted on Aug 25, 2026
FACILITY OPERATIONS-IUB (BL-PHYP-IUBLA)
Capital Planning and Facilities (CPF) works to ensure that IU campuses are beautiful, functional, and sustainable supporting excellence in teaching, learning, research, and community engagement across the entire university. A unit within CPF, Facility Operations, maintains our physical campus to support research, teaching, and learning at Indiana University Bloomington. As a unit of Capital Planning and Facilities, Facility Operations provides wide-ranging services all with the goal of creating a beautiful, well-functioning campus.
- Maintains woody, perennial, and annual plants to ensure their healthy, safe, and attractive condition including weeding, mulching, pruning, transplanting, fertilizing, and removal of any dead, diseased, or declining plant stock. Inspects campus landscapes for issues, hazards, and risks and works with supervisor to determine solutions.
- Plans work schedules. Organizes daily activities of nursery/greenhouse workers and monitors project completion. Approves time sheets and time off requests of Nursery personnel. Provides appropriate counseling and discipline if necessary.
- Provides training to employees on proper tree, shrub, and annual installation methods, including modern planting protocols, staking, watering, mulching, weed prevention, etc.
- Propagates, maintains and nurtures young plant stock. Monitors nursery and greenhouse stock for pests and diseases. Applies appropriate treatments and chemicals as necessary. Coordinates training for staff related to modern greenhouse production standards.
- Installs mulches and planting schemes in accordance with blueprints, drawings, sketches, or design specifications in collaboration with Horticulture Supervisor and University Landscape Architect. Assists Arborists in maintaining tree inventory database and donor tree database.
- Prunes and shapes trees, shrubs and other plants for most desirable appearance and health. Waters, fertilizes, and mulches plants. Performs grounds maintenance work including weeding, seeding, mowing, snow removal and other seasonal tasks.
- Operates standard nursery and grounds keeping equipment, including trucks, tractors, skid-steers, rototillers, edgers, pruners, sheers, and mowers.
- Monitors and maintains nursery equipment and supplies inventory. Assists Horticulture Supervisor with sourcing and ordering of plant materials.
- Provides emergency response for grounds related campus emergencies, including weather emergencies. Performs preventative maintenance on nursery care equipment such as shovels, rakes, trucks, tractors, rototillers.
Combinations of related education and experience may be considered. Education beyond the minimum required may be substituted for work experience. Work experience beyond the minimum required may be substituted for education.
EDUCATION
Required
- High school diploma or equivalent (such as HSED or GED).
Preferred
- Associate's degree in landscape horticulture or landscape design.
WORK EXPERIENCE
Required
- 3 years of nursery, greenhouse, and/or landscape work
Preferred
- Experience in leadership.
LICENSES AND CERTIFICATES
Required
- Possesses a valid driver's license and ability to be insured by Indiana University upon date of hire.
SKILLS
Required
- Ability to work safely and efficiently.
- Strong verbal communication and listening skills.
- Ability to lead, plan, and organize the work of nursery/greenhouse workers.
- Ability to stay current with Best Management Practices (BMPs) regarding integrated pest management practices.
- Demonstrated advanced knowledge of plant identification and pest control.
- Demonstrated nursery/greenhouse grower skills and ability to train nursery personnel on all aspects of greenhouse production.
- Knowledge of maintaining and planting ornamental trees, flowers, and shrubs.
- Ability to read and interpret drawings and blueprints and provide estimates.
- Ability to determine the appropriate tools and equipment needed and use them safely.
- Ability to operate technology including electronic work orders, emails, and GIS based tree inventory.
- Ability to work in all weather conditions, including heat and freezing temperatures.
- Ability to build and maintain a team environment between Groundskeeping teams.
- Knowledge and experience in landscape design.
This role requires the ability to remain in a stationary position as well as the ability to move about the workplace for long durations. It requires effective communication, the ability to operate machinery, tools, and controls. The role requires the ability to ascend/descend ladders/stairs, and to position oneself in low level positions, detect a variety of chemicals and/or gases. The role requires the ability to ascend to rooftops and move in tight spaces to perform and complete inspections. The person in this role must be able to perform the essential functions with or without an accommodation.
Bloomington, Indiana
$26.08 per hour
For full-time staff employees, Indiana University offers a wide array of benefits including:
- Comprehensive medical and dental insurance
- Health savings account with generous IU contributions
- Healthcare and dependent care flexible spending accounts
- Basic group life insurance paid by IU
- Voluntary supplemental life, long-term disability, critical illness, and supplemental accidental death & dismemberment insurance
- Base retirement plan with generous IU contributions, subject to vesting
- Voluntary supplemental retirement plan options
- Tuition subsidy for employees and family members taking IU courses
- 10 paid holidays plus a paid winter break each year
- Generous paid time off plans
- Paid leave for new parents and IU-sponsored volunteer events
- Employee assistance program (EAP)
Learn more about our benefits by reviewing the IU Benefit Programs Brochure.
Career Level: Mastery
FLSA: Nonexempt
Job Function: Engineering, Trades & Facility
Job Family: Groundskeeping
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This posting is scheduled to close at 11:59 pm EST on the advertised Close Date. This posting may be closed at any time at the discretion of the University, but will remain open for a minimum of 5 business days. To guarantee full consideration, please submit your application within 5 business days of the Posted Date.
If you wish to include a cover letter, you may include it with your resume when uploading attachments.
Indiana University is an equal opportunity employer and provider of ADA services and prohibits discrimination in hiring. See Indiana University Notice of Non-Discrimination here which includes contact information.
The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, containing policy statements, crime and fire statistics for all Indiana University campuses, is available online. You may also request a physical copy by emailing IU Public Safety at iups@iu.edu or by visiting IUPD.
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