Grounds Manager Career Guide,
Salary, Licence & Jobs 2026

A grounds manager leads the crews that maintain landscapes and outdoor collections at a botanical garden, zoo, campus, park or commercial property. Duties include scheduling planting, mowing, pruning, irrigation, fertilization and pest control, supervising groundskeepers and gardeners, managing equipment, supplies and budgets, and enforcing safety and horticultural standards. At a garden or zoo the role adds care of specimen plants, seasonal displays and living collections, working closely with horticulturists and curators. The job blends hands-on plant knowledge with people management and planning. BLS counts the role as First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (SOC 37-1012), a broad code that also covers supervisors at commercial landscaping and lawn-service companies, so most positions under it are outside gardens and zoos.

Most grounds managers rise through experience rather than a degree. The path usually starts as a groundskeeper, gardener or landscape laborer, learning planting, mowing, pruning, irrigation and equipment operation, and building knowledge of plants, soil, turf and pests. From there you take on lead responsibilities — directing other workers, scheduling tasks and owning safety and quality — before stepping into a supervisory grounds-manager role. Along the way, certifications add value: a state pesticide-applicator license is often needed to apply or supervise chemical use, and credentials such as Landscape Industry Certified or ISA arborist certification signal skill. A horticulture certificate or associate degree can speed advancement but is optional. From grounds manager, advancement runs toward senior grounds or horticulture manager and director-of-grounds or facilities roles.

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No, a four-year degree is generally not required. Grounds-manager roles are typically reached through years of hands-on groundskeeping, landscaping or horticulture experience, combined with lead and supervisory responsibility. What matters most is practical knowledge of plants, turf, soil, irrigation and equipment, plus the ability to schedule work, manage a crew and enforce safety. Certifications carry real weight: a state pesticide-applicator license is often legally required to apply or supervise pesticide use, and credentials such as Landscape Industry Certified recognize technical and management skill. A certificate or associate degree in horticulture or turf management can help you advance faster, especially at large gardens, but it supplements experience rather than replacing it. This makes grounds management an accessible path for people who prefer hands-on, outdoor work.

BLS reports First-Line Supervisors of Landscaping, Lawn Service, and Groundskeeping Workers (SOC 37-1012) at an OEWS May 2025 median of $58,430 a year, or $28.09 an hour, ranging from $38,180 at the 10th percentile to $86,910 at the 90th. New supervisors start near the lower end, established grounds managers sit around the median, and senior managers and directors of grounds at large gardens, campuses or resorts reach the upper end. Because the code covers all landscaping and lawn-service supervisors, pay varies by employer and setting. The main levers are the size of the crew and grounds managed, horticultural and pesticide credentials, and advancement into senior and director roles. Large institutions and high-cost metros tend to pay above small landscaping firms and rural sites.

The two roles work side by side at gardens and zoos but differ in focus and BLS coding. A horticulturist is a plant specialist who selects, propagates and cares for specimen plants and collections, often with a horticulture or botany degree, and is counted among agricultural and food scientists or related science codes. A grounds manager supervises the crews and operations that maintain the landscape — scheduling, equipment, budgets and staff — counted as a First-Line Supervisor of Landscaping (SOC 37-1012), a role usually reached through experience rather than a degree. Put simply, the horticulturist leads on plant science and collection quality, while the grounds manager leads on people, logistics and maintenance. In smaller organizations one person may wear both hats, but at large gardens they are distinct, complementary roles.

For people who enjoy hands-on, outdoor work and leading a crew, it can be a solid career, with a median around $58,430, an $86,910 top decile for directors, and a path you can reach without a four-year degree or tuition debt. Working at a botanical garden, zoo or campus adds real pride in the results. The honest trade-offs: the SOC 37-1012 code covers all landscaping supervisors, so many jobs are with commercial firms rather than showcase gardens; the work is physical and exposed to weather; and reaching the top decile takes years of experience plus horticultural and management skill. Those who build plant and turf expertise, earn pesticide and industry certifications, and develop crew-management ability position themselves best to advance into senior and director-of-grounds roles.