TREAD LIGHTLY™ GARDEN MAINTENANCE MANAGER TRAINEE

FULL-TIME

Terra Nova Ecological Landscaping is a full service landscape contracting company. We provide
regenerative garden design, installation and maintenance services as well as Permaculture. Our
motto is “Unpaving the way since 1988.” Terra Nova was rated Best Landscaper in Santa Cruz in
2020 by Good Times magazine.

We are seeking a new team member to manage and develop our garden maintenance service.
This employee will be the backbone of the Tread Lightly ™ program. This employee must have
advanced gardening knowledge and be motivated to apply it in the field daily, and a strong
work ethic. They must be a quick learner and a good planner and communicator. They must be
enthusiastic about using a bike for part of their work.

DAYS/ HOURS: Monday through Friday, 8:30-4:30 with paid ½ hour lunch and two 15 minute breaks

COMPENSATION: $19-21 hour, DOE

GARDEN MAINTENANCE: We provide high quality service to customers without the use of toxic chemicals or gas-powered equipment, such as blowers. Terra Nova provides garden maintenance services by both truck and bicycle, depending on location. Bicycle routes are the “go-to” wherever possible, yet some locations must be serviced by truck. The bicycle routes are currently in the Westside and Seabright neighborhoods in Santa Cruz. Truck routes are in Scotts Valley, Aptos, Capitola, and Bonny Doon.

THE POSITION: The Tread Lightly Maintenance Manager Trainee will learn to run the program, with the goal of promoting them to Manager within 3-6 months of their hire date, which will include a raise. In addition to program and account management duties, they will perform landscape maintenance routes independently or with other maintenance employees, traveling between clients by both bicycle+trailer and truck. They will also do garden clean-ups.

SCOPE OF WORK:

The Manager Trainee will have duties in these areas

● Management: Liaison with Management Team; maintain Tread Lightly documents and
records on Google Drive; provide end-of-month reports. 10%

● Operations: Maintain tools and supplies; create or revise bike and truck routes as
needed; keep bikes operating well; hire new employees. 10%

● Account Management: Prepare estimates; serve as primary contact with maintenance
clients and provide customer service 10%

● Gardening: Serve as senior maintenance gardener and lead crew member, performing
services in the field independently or with maintenance crew. Serve as main point of
contact for maintenance employees. 70%

COMMUNICATIONS: The Manager Trainee must have their own cell phone. They must check email and respond daily. They will use apps such as T-Sheets and GSuite. When promoted to Manager, they will also provide estimates, and will serve as a member of Terra Nova’s Management Team. They must tag-team with employees by phone and text .

CREW ASPECT: This is a fast-moving position where you may visit 5-8 clients in a day,
independently or as one of a team of two. The work is typical garden maintenance, performed
eco-style: weeding, raking, fertilizing, pruning, deadheading, fertilizing, sweeping (instead of
blowing), etc. A few clients have lawns, but lawn care is not a main emphasis.

GARDENING ASPECT: The new employee must have extensive knowledge of plants for Central
Coast gardens, and how to perform garden maintenance. They are expected to expand their
aptitude and understanding of horticulture and caring for plants while employed with Terra
Nova. It is highly desired for the employee to engage in ongoing education at Cabrillo College or
other educational source. Terra Nova provides support for ongoing education.

PERSONAL QUALITIES:
• Love working outdoors with plants
• Love bike-riding or bike-touring
• Cooperative, flexible and patient
• Neat appearance
• Fun to work with
● Can establish and maintain cordial, cooperative work relationships
● Communicates personal issues that may affect performance in advance

REQUIRED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE:
• 1 years garden maintenance experience; more experience highly desired
• Physically able to ride a bicycle with a trailer with tools
• Punctual, with excellent time management skills
• Detail-oriented, and able to follow directions
• Must have a smartphone, quality pruning shears, and gloves
• Can lift 50 lbs. or more
• College degree or some college preferred
• 1 year minimum commitment

DESIRED ABILITIES & EXPERIENCE:
• 2 years horticulture, gardening, landscaping or nursery experience; more experience desired
• Horticultural education or landscaping certificate
• Drip irrigation experience
• Bike touring experience

BENEFITS
● One week paid vacation
● Paid holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, Labor Day and Memorial Day
● Up to 48 hours paid sick leave per year
● $25 monthly reimbursement for cell phone usage

To apply, send an email to Jillian@terranovalandscaping.com explaining why you are a good fit for the position, and include a resume detailing your relevant experience, plus three references. Please include your cell phone number and personal email address.