Urban Park Supervisor

University Overview
The University of Pennsylvania, the largest private employer in Philadelphia, is a world-renowned leader in education, research, and innovation. This historic, Ivy League school consistently ranks among the top 10 universities in the annual U.S. News & World Report survey. Penn has 12 highly-regarded schools that provide opportunities for undergraduate, graduate and continuing education, all influenced by Penn’s distinctive interdisciplinary approach to scholarship and learning. As an employer Penn has been ranked nationally on many occasions with the most recent award from Forbes who named Penn one of America’s Best Large Employers in 2023.
Penn offers a unique working environment within the city of Philadelphia. The University is situated on a beautiful urban campus, with easy access to a range of educational, cultural, and recreational activities. With its historical significance and landmarks, lively cultural offerings, and wide variety of atmospheres, Philadelphia is the perfect place to call home for work and play.
The University offers a competitive benefits package that includes excellent healthcare and tuition benefits for employees and their families, generous retirement benefits, a wide variety of professional development opportunities, supportive work and family benefits, a wealth of health and wellness programs and resources, and much more.
Posted Job Title
Urban Park Supervisor
Job Profile Title
Supervisor, Campus Maintenance
Job Description Summary
The Urban Park Supervisor position is critical to maintaining safe, functional, and well-maintained exterior campus environments across the University. The position provides direct supervision and coordination of landscaping and grounds maintenance, snow removal, turf and irrigation management, tree and plant care, hard surface maintenance, athletic field maintenance, and bulk waste and recycling operations. The supervisor is responsible for deploying staff and contractors, assigning and inspecting work, coordinating schedules for weather and athletics-related events, supporting workplace safety, and ensuring compliance with university and departmental procedures. The position also plays an important role in managing a unionized workforce, including adherence to the collective bargaining agreement and participation in grievance and disciplinary processes.
Job Description
Job Responsibilities:
Responsible for supervising operations of Facilities & Real Estate Services' Urban Park to include:
Landscaping
Grounds maintenance
Snow removal
CDL activities for the University of Pennsylvania's main campus.
Supervises operation of turf and irrigation management, maintenance of exterior plant/flower beds, tree care, hard surface maintenance and maintenance of athletic fields.
Supervises and coordinates bulk waste management and recycling operations. Coordinates equipment repair.
Supervises staff and contractors, which includes work allocation, training, enforcement of internal procedures and controls and problem resolution. Administers and approves expenditures.
Coordination of related work with schools/centers.
Provides customer follow-up to ensure quality and timeliness of work.
Supports all designated initiatives while ensuring adherence to collective bargaining agreement.
Ensure compliance with all University and departmental policies and procedures.
Manages and participate in grievance/discipline process.
Works with Managers and vendors to meet established service priorities/requests.
Develops working knowledge of time and attendance and divisional work order systems including the accuracy of payroll inputs.
Contributes to safety in the workplace, sustainability efforts, staff training and talent management.
Qualifications:
Associates degree or Two year college equivalent required or completion of a technical specialty program of eighteen months to three years duration.
A minimum of 3-5 years of supervisory experience preferably in a unionized work environment and preferably in an academic or similar work environment.
A minimum of 3-5 years of experience in landscape maintenance.
Experience using a computerized maintenance management system to monitor and control all aspects of the maintenance operation.
Proven record of strong customer service skills.
Knowledge of safety practices.
Job Location - City, State
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
About Facilities & Real Estate Services
The Division of Facilities and Real Estate Services (FRES) provides the expertise, business process, policies and standards required to plan, design, construct, operate, maintain and renew the physical assets of the University, excluding the health system. In addition, the Division, comprised of approximately five Departments, is responsible for the strategic planning, management and operation of non-academic University property, and collaborating with the neighborhood to create a safe, diverse and economically vibrant destination. With close to 18M square feet of space, FRES maintains more than 220 buildings on a campus of 299 acres, completes over 60,000 maintenance requests per year, and starts approximately 250 projects a year. FRES is comprised of the following Departments: Finance & Administration, Office of the University Architect, Design and Construction, Real Estate, Operations and Maintenance.
The University of Pennsylvania is implementing a campus transformation entitled Penn Connects (http://www.pennconnects.upenn.edu). This comprehensive, award winning effort is expanding the campus over the next 20 years, including the construction of new academic research and recreational facilities. In addition, the University has secured $300M in Century Bond funding and continues to upgrade existing facilities over the coming years.
To learn more, visit us at: https://www.facilities.upenn.edu/
Department / School