Grounds Assistant Supervsior
Job Duties:
The Grounds Assistant Supervisor supports the Associate Director of Facilities Management in maintaining the university’s outdoor spaces, ensuring they are safe, functional, and visually appealing. This role includes leading groundskeeping crews, coordinating seasonal tasks such as snow removal, and collaborating with academic departments—Biology and Environmental Sciences—to support research, teaching, and sustainability initiatives. This position must be available for early morning, evening, or weekend shifts during snow events.
Buildings and Grounds Assistant Supervisor (FP157) / Job Description
RESPONSIBILITIES
30% Team Leadership & Supervision
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Provide daily direction to grounds staff and seasonal workers.
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Train new employees in safety procedures, equipment use, and groundskeeping techniques.
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Assist in scheduling shifts, assigning tasks, and evaluating performance.
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Schedule work orders and manage priorities
20% Grounds Maintenance and Landscaping
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Assist in planning and executing routine landscaping, turf care, tree maintenance
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Maintain irrigation systems.
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Monitor the condition of lawns, gardens, walkways, and athletic fields.
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Ensure compliance with environmental and safety standards.
20% Snow & Ice Removal
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Coordinate and participate in snow plowing, shoveling, salting, and de-icing across campus.
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Monitor weather forecasts and prepare crews and equipment for winter events.
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Maintain snow removal equipment and ensure readiness throughout the season.
10% Academic Collaboration
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Work with the Biology department and other academic units to support outdoor research areas, and teaching gardens.
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Coordinate access and maintenance of outdoor lab spaces and field study areas as needed.
10% Equipment & Inventory Management
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Oversee the use and maintenance of grounds equipment including mowers, tractors, plows, and utility vehicles.
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Track inventory of supplies such as salt, mulch, fuel, and tools.
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Report equipment issues and coordinate repairs or replacements.
Key Job Responsibilities:
- Coordinates and/or performs scheduled services within an area of responsibility, administering preventive maintenance programs for facilities, inspecting facilities to determine repair or replacement needs, and performing emergency and routine maintenance on campus facilities
- Ensures buildings are maintained by touring the common areas/public spaces, tracking and identifying needed repairs, and communicating with building managers and department administrators
- Implements unit operational policies and procedures, and provides training and feedback to ensure safety and compliance
- Assists in the supervision and the coordination of work within the unit to meet the needs of the university, its employees, and visitors
- Schedules logistics and secures resources for the completion of established projects
Department:
The Facilities Management Department is a service unit that reports to the Vice Chancellor of Business, Finance, and Administrative Services and provides many services to the UW-Stout campus including building and grounds maintenance, facility modifications and improvements, custodial services, snow removal, landscaping, campus planning & engineering, construction management, purchasing, fleet services, key management, campus inventory management, campus heat/steam production and chilled water, building openings and closings, event setup and teardown, moving services, trash and recycling collection, etc.?
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The mission of Facilities Management is to provide quality service in an efficient, professional manner while being fiscally responsible to ensure campus safety and comfort. Our focus is to continually improve and ensure customer satisfaction.?
Compensation:
Minimum starting salary of $28/hour, commensurate with qualifications, experience and available budget. A six-month probationary period is required.
Required Qualifications:
High School diploma or equivalent.
Excellent interpersonal and customer service skills.
3+ years of experience in groundskeeping or landscaping.
Work independently and as part of a team environment.
Preferred Qualifications:
Experience in a higher education environment.
Associate degree in horticulture, turf management, or related field.
1+ years of supervisory experience.
How to Apply:
Complete applications received by end of day, November 18, 2025 are ensured full consideration. Applications submitted after November 18th may be reviewed at the discretion of the search committee or until position is filled.
To apply, click on the APPLY button or go to: https://www.uwstout.edu/about-us/careers-jobs
Required application materials:
Cover letter (* See below)
Resume
All final candidates will be asked to provide names, email contact information, and/or phone numbers for three (3) references, with at least one being from a manager or supervisor, during the interview process.??
*Please use your cover letter to speak to each of the Minimum/Required Qualifications for this position as listed above. For each required qualification, describe your relevant experience, using specific examples from your work history to illustrate how your experience satisfies the requirement.
It is the policy of UW-Stout to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance, or accommodation in applying because of a disability, please contact us using the information below. Employment opportunities will not be denied because of the need to make reasonable accommodation for a qualified individual's disability.
Contact Information:
For questions regarding this position or recruitment, please contact:
Search Chair: Zenon Smolarek
Email: smolarekze@uwstout.edu
If you need assistance with the online application process or if you submitted your application prior to uploading all the required application materials, please contact:
Search Coordinator: Jake Fox
Phone: 715-232-2491
Email: foxjac@uwstout.edu
Guidelines to ensure consideration:
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Applicants must complete all required fields and attach all required application materials.
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Within your cover letter address each of the Minimum/Required Qualifications specified for this position. For each required qualification, describe your relevant experience, using specific examples from your work history to illustrate how your experience satisfies the requirement.
It is the policy of UW-Stout to provide reasonable accommodation to qualified applicants with disabilities. If you need assistance, or accommodation in applying because of a disability, please contact us using the information below. Employment opportunities will not be denied because of the need to make reasonable accommodation for a qualified individual's disability.
The Universities of Wisconsin provides an excellent benefits package including participation in the Wisconsin State retirement plan, demonstrating our commitment to the diverse needs of our employees.
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Employee Benefits: https://www.wisconsin.edu/ohrwd/benefits/
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To calculate the estimated value of your total compensation, use the Health & Retirement Contributions Estimator | Employee Benefits (wisconsin.edu)
Employment is contingent upon the final candidate’s completing a criminal background check and being cleared to work by the Human Resources Office. Employment is also contingent upon the final candidate passing reference checks and an essential job function test, as applicable. The reference check process includes asking the final candidates’ professional references questions regarding employee misconduct, sexual violence, and sexual harassment. Reference checks must be conducted at a minimum with three professional references, at least one of which must be a prior supervisor.
Final candidates with previous employment within the Universities of Wisconsin and State of WI agencies will be subject to additional reference checks.
In response to a public records request, the Universities of Wisconsin will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in their online application, except that the identity of the successful final candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).
UW-Stout is committed to providing safety and security of all members of our community in accordance with the Clery Act. For campus safety information and crime statistics visit: https://www.uwstout.edu/life-stout/police-and-parking/clery-information
UW is an Equal Opportunity Employer
Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other bases protected by applicable federal or State law and UW System policies. We are committed to building a workforce that represents a variety of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills, and encourage all qualified individuals to apply.
University Overview
University of Wisconsin-Stout, Wisconsin’s Polytechnic University, offers an unmatched career-focused education that combines applied learning, theory and research with real-world experience that prepares tomorrow’s leaders to drive the future of business and industry. At UW-Stout, our students do more than earn a degree--they do on day one. And we are #StoutProud to produce lifelong learners, ethical leaders and responsible citizens who succeed in a global society.
UW-Stout is recognized nationwide for its operational excellence. We were the first and remain the only full four-year public higher education institution in the nation to receive the Malcolm Baldrige Award, and we are dedicated to a process-improvement model that leverages the power of data and the value of our people. We believe in critical thinking and fact-informed decision making. We pursue sustainability in form and function and collaborate across campus and with our partners to solve problems in industry and society. And providing an equitable, diverse and inclusive environment for our faculty, staff and students to live, learn and work is a top priority.
We offer 170+ programs in Art, Design & Graphics; Business & Management; Education; Human & Social Sciences; Information Technology & Communications; and Science, Engineering & Math. On a campus where labs and studios outnumber traditional classrooms by 3:1, our first-class digital infrastructure and learning environments provide our over 7,000 students with every avenue to explore and personalize their success. As the only laptop+ campus among the 13 Universities of Wisconsin, UW-Stout provides laptops and industry-standard software, open education resources and other technology-driven advantages—all included in on-campus undergraduate tuition and fees. And we invest in people who share our vision to advance our position as Wisconsin’s only Polytechnic University and as a regional, national and international leader in higher education.
Be a part of the future at UW-Stout. Learn more at https://www.uwstout.edu/about-us
University of Wisconsin-Stout is located in Menomonie, Wisconsin, a community an hour east of Minneapolis-St. Paul. A pillar of Wisconsin’s Chippewa Valley and recognized as one of the best small towns in America, Menomonie provides an idyllic combination of natural beauty, outdoor recreation, boutiques and arts and culture with access to a metropolitan area. For more information about the UW-Stout community and region visit: https://www.uwstout.edu/about-us/our-community
