Sports Turf Specialist

EXPIRED

Please note that references provided at the time of application for staff positions will not be contacted until the applicant has been offered the position.

Description:

The Sports Turf Specialist is responsible for the maintenance and management of high-quality athletic fields, with a strong emphasis on safety, within the Facilities Management Department. This position provides direct supervision of student employees, ensuring the efficient execution of daily maintenance operations in accordance with established standards.

The incumbent collaborates closely with coaching staff to coordinate and schedule field maintenance activities in alignment with athletic events, ensuring optimal field conditions before and after use. This role requires a comprehensive understanding of sports turf management and the proficient application of a broad range of cultural practices necessary to sustain athletic fields and surrounding areas, including irrigation, fertilization, aeration, and related maintenance techniques.

The field maintenance includes but is not limited to: athletic complex grounds, baseball, softball, soccer, tennis courts, track, and cross country course.

Your Key Responsibilities:

• Plan, coordinate, and execute year-round maintenance practices for the Athletic Complex and associated athletic fields to ensure optimal playing conditions
• Planning, maintenance and planting of landscape areas within the athletic complex.
• Communicate effectively and professionally with colleagues, staff, students, summer labor, contractors, vendors, and coaching personnel
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of budget management, including the responsible use and allocation of resources
• Maintain proficiency in integrated pest management practices; regularly monitor field conditions and coordinate with the Grounds Superintendent to address any identified issues

Please note that references provided at the time of application for staff positions will not be contacted until the applicant has been offered the position.

Description:

The Sports Turf Specialist is responsible for the maintenance and management of high-quality athletic fields, with a strong emphasis on safety, within the Facilities Management Department. This position provides direct supervision of student employees, ensuring the efficient execution of daily maintenance operations in accordance with established standards.

The incumbent collaborates closely with coaching staff to coordinate and schedule field maintenance activities in alignment with athletic events, ensuring optimal field conditions before and after use. This role requires a comprehensive understanding of sports turf management and the proficient application of a broad range of cultural practices necessary to sustain athletic fields and surrounding areas, including irrigation, fertilization, aeration, and related maintenance techniques.

The field maintenance includes but is not limited to: athletic complex grounds, baseball, softball, soccer, tennis courts, track, and cross country course.

Your Key Responsibilities:

• Plan, coordinate, and execute year-round maintenance practices for the Athletic Complex and associated athletic fields to ensure optimal playing conditions
• Planning, maintenance and planting of landscape areas within the athletic complex.
• Communicate effectively and professionally with colleagues, staff, students, summer labor, contractors, vendors, and coaching personnel
• Demonstrate a working knowledge of budget management, including the responsible use and allocation of resources
• Maintain proficiency in integrated pest management practices; regularly monitor field conditions and coordinate with the Grounds Superintendent to address any identified issues
• Perform seasonal grounds related duties on campus such as leaf removal and snow and ice removal as required
• Maintain accurate inventory records of materials, supplies, and related equipment necessary for field maintenance operations
• Conduct routine inspection, maintenance, and care of vehicles and equipment to ensure safe and efficient operation.
• Assist with additional campus grounds duties and responsibilities as needed

What You'll Bring:

Education required to ensure success in this position:

• High School Diploma, or equivalent, required
• Bachelor’s or Associate degree in Turfgrass Science/Management, Agronomy, Horticulture, or related field, preferred.

Experience required to ensure success in this position:

• Minimum of two years’ related experience, required

Experience working on highly maintained athletic fields or golf courses is strongly preferred.

Founded in 1855, Berea College is nationally recognized as the first coeducational and interracial college in the South. Berea has a longstanding commitment to interracial education and is one of the most racially diverse private liberal arts colleges in the United States. With an emphasis on service to Appalachia and beyond, Berea enrolls more than 1,500 students from 46 states and U.S. territories and more than 70 countries. Berea College admits students who are unable to afford tuition and provides all of them with a no-tuition promise. Berea’s students excel in the College’s supportive yet demanding academic environment, and most are the first in their families to attend college. As one of only ten federally recognized Work Colleges, all Berea students are expected to work 10-12 hours weekly in various positions across campus. Berea College is also the only institution in Kentucky to receive the 5-Star Rating from Money Magazine, 2025. Washington Monthly has named Berea College the #1 Best College in the nation in its 2025 College Guide. Berea College appears in their rankings as #1 College (overall): Best College for your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars, #1 Best-in Class College, #1 Liberal Arts College and #1 Best Bang for the Buck Southern College.

Located where the Bluegrass Region meets the Cumberland Mountains, the town of Berea (pop. 16,000) lies forty miles south of Lexington and is approximately two hours from Cincinnati, Louisville, and Knoxville. More information about Berea College is available at www.berea.edu.

Berea College, in light of its mission in the tradition of impartial love and social equality, welcomes all people of the earth to learn and work here.

Berea College is always looking for talented, self-motivated individuals to join our team. If you think you are ready to be a part of an exciting team, then we encourage you to continue with this applicant friendly, online job application!

Berea College is an Equal Opportunity Employer that recruits and hires qualified candidates without regard to race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, age, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, disability, or veteran status.

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