Manager, Turfgrass and Athletic Grounds
- Employer
- University of Rhode Island
- Location
- Kingston
- Salary
- Salary Hiring Range: $90,000 - $100,000
View more categoriesView less categories
- Employment Type
- Full Time
- Institution Type
- Four-Year Institution
Job Details
Posting Number: SF02239
Position Type: Professional Staff
Union: PSA/NEA - Professional Staff Assoc
Pay Grade Level: Grade Level: 12
Pay Grade Range: Salary Hiring Range: $90,000 - $100,000
Department: Facilities Operations
Campus Location: Kingston
Job Description Summary:
About URI:
The University of Rhode Island enrolls approximately 17,000 students across its graduate and undergraduate programs and is the State's flagship public research university, as well as the land grant and sea grant university, for the state of Rhode Island. The main campus is located in the historic village of Kingston, and the Bay Campus is located in Narragansett. Both campuses are near major beaches in a beautiful coastal community. URI is just 30 minutes from Providence, RI and within easy reach of Newport, Boston, and New York City.
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POSITION SUMMARY:
Manage the daily operations of Athletics Lands and Ground workers. Oversee the University's turf areas and other sports field surfaces, including campus landscapes and athletic/recreation fields. Design and execute maintenance plans to provide aesthetic and functional turf using best management practices. Communicate and coordinate varsity sports fields and recreation fields use with the Department of Athletics, Department of Recreation, and Special Events Staff. Develop maintenance operating standards and specifications for commercial equipment, landscape maintenance, turf maintenance, construction, and winter operations. Manage and verify hourly time entry and related records for department personnel.
Duties and Responsibilities:
KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Develop and implement best management practices to achieve the highest possible standard for the University's recreational and intercollegiate sports fields, including natural grass and synthetic turf surfaces in addition to other exterior sport facility surfaces.
Collaborate with and make recommendations to University Facilities Operations and Athletics Departments to develop a systematic approach to turfgrass management with a goal of developing exceptional quality playing surfaces for the University's student athletes, visitors, and external users.
Supervise operations and assigned workers in the division of Athletics Grounds. Act as secondary supervisor for the Campus Grounds division operations and assigned workers.
Manage, inspect, and document construction, renovation, and deferred maintenance projects. Manage construction and maintenance contracts for Facilities Operations and provide oversight for landscape projects for other University departments, including Campus Planning and Design and the office of Capital Program Design and Delivery.
Manage the summer use of athletic and recreational sports fields and coordinate with external customers to optimize revenue opportunities and showcase campus facilities.
Write specifications to procure equipment and materials. Develop written project specifications. Coordinate with the Procurement department for ordering of equipment, materials, and other required services.
Directly supervise one small engine mechanic and oversee maintenance of all Turf and Landscape Equipment within Athletics Lands and Grounds. Assist with Campus Grounds Turf and Landscape Equipment maintenance when needed. Develop preventive maintenance schedules for vehicles and equipment. Coordinate with the Automotive department for repairs and maintenance to department fleet vehicles.
Exercise knowledge of function and ability to operate and perform adjustments and maintenance on: reel mower cutting units, commercial sprayers, tractors, aerifiers, topdressers, fertilizer and seed application equipment, field painting equipment including robotic autonomous marking equipment, and paint removal equipment.
Operate, maintain, and repair irrigation systems for sports fields and landscape areas.
Provide oversight and recordkeeping for the application of turf chemicals and pesticides.
Provide oversight for accurate field layout and installation, painting sports fields lines, logos, and other markings.
Provide management oversight for grounds crews working Athletic department sports events.
Manage snow removal operations to include state employees, students, and contractors.
OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Coordinate and collaborate with university turfgrass experts on research and outreach activities.
Coordinate with Athletics' Operations and Coaching staffs to provide timely setup needs for field facilities and events.
Develop and implement projects on the University's sports turf areas, to include field resurfacing, drainage improvements, irrigation improvements and other construction as needed. Establish and cultivate collaborative relationships with university faculty/staff, strategic partners, turf industry representatives, and professional turf organizations in Rhode Island and the Northeast Region.
Evaluate and provide recommendations on products, tools, and equipment used to cultivate, maintain, and use University turf areas.
Train employees on equipment operation, pesticide application, and other department procedures and safety protocols. Manage and disseminate Personal Protective Equipment to Lands & Grounds employees.
Work in partnership with the Manager, Lands and Grounds to oversee daily Lands & Grounds operations.
Coordinate and work closely with the URI Coordinator, Recycling and Solid Waste Management for campus litter cleanup tasks and trash/recycling removal.
Perform other duties as assigned.
LICENSES, TOOLS, AND EQUIPMENT:
Personal computers, printers; word processing, database management, and spreadsheet software; cell phone; pesticide certification (commercial applicator); RI hoisting license within 6 months of hire; valid driver's license; willingness to travel throughout the State and region.
Posting Date: 10/19/2026
To apply, visit https://jobs.uri.edu/postings/17215
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Organization
The University of Rhode Island
Founded in 1892, this land and sea grant university is the flagship public research institution in Rhode Island, enrolling more than 14,500 undergraduate students and 2,000 graduate students.
Thinking big
URI is home to some of today’s leading innovators, discoverers, and creative problem solvers and is known regionally and worldwide for its big ideas and pioneering research in such areas as environmental studies, neuroscience, biotechnology and life sciences, engineering, marine sciences, forensic sciences, pharmaceuticals, behavioral sciences, and public health promotion. A strong core of traditional academic disciplines provides the foundation for all specialized, professional, and applied areas of study. The University receives about $60 million annually in federal funding for research across 87 undergraduate and 70 graduate degree programs.
Motivated students, engaged faculty
Nearly 23,000 students applied for fewer than 3,300 openings in the 2017 freshman class, which boasts an average grade point average of 3.54. The 17 to 1 student/faculty ratio allows for personal attention and rewarding teaching experiences. Approximately 87 percent of faculty hold terminal degrees. In 2018 URI produced two Fulbright Scholars, five Boren Scholars, a Truman Scholar, and was named a one of the country’s top Gilman scholar-producing schools. URI’s commitment to diversity is demonstrated through its student body, with 43 states and 65 nations represented and 20 percent of students identifying as persons of color, a 65 percent increase since 2008.
Four campuses, one community
URI’s main campus is located on 1,248 acres in rural Kingston, where the campus core — including a quadrangle surrounded by handsome granite buildings — is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Six miles from Rhode Island’s beaches, this campus is conveniently situated along the Boston to New York corridor. The University’s renowned Graduate School of Oceanography is located at the 165-acre Narragansett Bay Campus. The Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies brings higher education to downtown Providence. Nearby, the 133,000-square-foot Rhode Island Nursing Education Center includes unparalleled simulation labs. The W. Alton Jones Campus — 2,300 acres of forests, lakes, and farmland in West Greenwich — provides a secluded setting for academic research, environmental education, business meetings and special events.
Investing in the future
Since 2007, the University has invested $607 million in campus capital projects, including: a $150 million engineering complex, due to open in 2019; Brookside, another new apartment-style residence hall, 2019; a Welcome Center, 2018; the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center, 2017; Beaupre Center for Chemical and Forensic Sciences, 2016; and Avedisian Hall, home to the College of Pharmacy, 2012.
Expertise on demand
The University is home to several centers of expertise that tackle some of society’s most vexing challenges. The George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience brings multi-disciplinary research to bear on devastating brain diseases, such as ALS and Alzheimer’s. The Digital Forensics and Cyber Security Center supports state, national, and international public welfare through education, research, training, and service. The Business Engagement Center is the “front door” through which industry taps into research and training opportunities and assistance with intellectual property or technology issues. The R.I. Food Center brings URI’s agricultural roots to the 21st century as a resource for farmers, consumers, retailers, and others across the food industry
- Telephone
- 401-874-1000
- Location
-
80 Lower College Road
North Kingston
Rhode Island
02881
United States
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