The Director of Grounds and Pest Control provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for all campus grounds, landscaping, synthetic turf surfaces, pest control, waste management, and environmental sustainability programs. This role ensures that outdoor environments are safe, attractive, sustainable, and compliant with all regulatory requirements. The Director manages staff and vendors, oversees budgets and resources, ensures high‑quality service delivery, and partners with internal stakeholders to support institutional goals in safety, sustainability, and operational excellence.
Compensation: $100,000 annual salary (US Dollars)
The pay listed is the salary range for this position. Any specific offer will vary based on the successful applicant's education, experience, skills, abilities, geographic location, and alignment with market data. You may be eligible to participate in a Company incentive or bonus program
Benefits: ABM offers a comprehensive benefits package. For information about ABM's benefits, visit
Benefits | Staff & Management
ABM (NYSE: ABM) is one of the world's largest providers of integrated facility, engineering, and infrastructure solutions. Every day, our over 100,000 team members deliver essential services that make spaces cleaner, safer, and efficient, enhancing the overall occupant experience.
ABM serves a wide range of market sectors including commercial real estate, aviation, education, mission critical, and manufacturing and distribution. With over $8 billion in annual revenue and a blue-chip client base, ABM delivers innovative technologies and sustainable solutions that enhance facilities and empower clients to achieve their goals. Committed to creating smarter, more connected spaces, ABM is investing in the future to meet evolving challenges and build a healthier, thriving world. ABM: Driving possibility, together.
ABM is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer that does not discriminate on the basis of any trait or characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law, including disability and protected veteran status. ABM is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you have a disability and need assistance in completing the employment application, please call 888-328-8606. We will provide you with assistance and make a determination on your request for reasonable accommodation on a case-by-case basis.
ABM participates in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security E-Verify program. E-Verify is an internet-based system used to electronically confirm employment eligibility.
ABM is a military-friendly company proudly employing thousands of men and women who have served in the U.S. military. With ABM, you'll have access to a world-class training program and ample opportunities to use the skills you developed while serving our country. Whether you're looking for a frontline or professional position, you can find post-military career opportunities across ABM.
ABM directs all applicants to apply at www.abm.com/careers. ABM does not accept unsolicited resumes or submissions outside of this portal. Applicants should submit their application by clicking Apply Now.
For more information, visit www.abm.com
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
Strong knowledge of landscaping, horticulture, turf management, and irrigation systems.
Expertise in pest control methods, IPM principles, and pesticide regulations.
Understanding of environmental sustainability practices and green landscape management.
Ability to operate and oversee use of grounds and pest control equipment.
Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills.
Ability to manage multiple priorities across large or complex sites.
Proficiency with work order systems, reporting tools, and inspection platforms.
Education & Experience
High school diploma or GED required; Associate's or bachelor's degree in Horticulture, Environmental Science, Facilities Management, or related field preferred.
5-10+ years of experience in grounds maintenance, landscaping, or pest control.
2-5+ years of supervisory or management experience.
Experience in large campuses, healthcare, higher education, or commercial facilities preferred.
Certifications (Preferred / May Be Required)
State pesticide applicator license (or ability to obtain).
Landscape or horticulture certifications.
OSHA 10 or 30.
IPM certification.
Work Environment & Physical Requirements
Work performed primarily outdoors in varying weather conditions.
Ability to operate grounds equipment and lift/move materials and tools.
Flexibility to work early mornings, evenings, weekends, and respond to weather events.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Grounds appearance and inspection scores.
Pest control effectiveness and incident reduction.
Waste diversion and contamination reduction metrics.
Safety performance and compliance.
Budget adherence and cost control.
Stakeholder satisfaction.
Response time to issues and service requests.
Waste Collection & Diversion
Ensure strict separation of landfill, recycling, and compost waste streams during collection, handling, and transport.
Identify and report locations with recurring contamination issues and collaborate on corrective actions.
Support waste diversion activities for sustainability events such as Green Move Out and ReUse Market.
Oversee dining waste collection programs to reduce landfill disposal and improve diversion outcomes.
Manage event composting programs and support expansion of composting services across campus.
Provide enhanced seasonal and summer waste management support, including residence hall turnover and conference housing operations.
Oversee cardboard baling programs in designated buildings.
Training & Compliance
Partner with sustainability staff to train custodial and grounds teams on waste management protocols and sustainability programs.
Ensure training includes environmental compliance, green cleaning practices, and university‑specific procedures.
Maintain training logs and provide documentation upon request.
Equipment & Inventory
Maintain a comprehensive inventory of waste management equipment, including all bins and containers.
Update waste equipment inventory maps annually and submit them to appropriate university offices.
Financial Transparency
Procure and manage color‑coded liners for waste segregation:
Clear liners for recycling
Green BPI‑certified liners for compost
Black liners for landfill
Collaborate with sustainability staff to establish baseline metrics and KPIs for waste diversion and contamination reduction.
Track and report waste performance data to support continuous improvement.
Policy & Procurement
Develop, implement, and maintain a Green Cleaning Policy aligned with sustainability standards.
Source environmentally compliant, high‑quality, and cost‑effective cleaning products.
Provide cleaning product purchase lists to support evaluation and pilot programs.
Operations & Training
Maintain documented Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for green cleaning practices.
Maintain staff training records related to green cleaning and environmental compliance.
Data Tracking
Track sustainable product usage and cleaning performance.
Collaborate to establish baselines and KPIs for green cleaning outcomes.
Water & Irrigation Management
Minimize unnecessary water usage by optimizing irrigation schedules and avoiding watering during or after rainfall.
Update tree and plant inventory maps annually.
Maximize use of functioning irrigation systems; identify deficiencies and coordinate repairs.
Identify opportunities for drip irrigation and collaborate on implementation.
Oversee irrigation system maintenance and report inefficiencies or failures.
Manage daily policing and collection of exterior waste and litter across landscaped areas and grounds.
Ensure daily trash collection for key campus areas, including Big Belly collections on Saturdays.
Landscape Practices & Chemical Use
Reduce chemical inputs and use least‑toxic, environmentally friendly herbicides and fertilizers.
Use organic materials for plant treatment where practicable.
Maintain transparent records of all chemical usage and provide documentation upon request.
Clear debris from stormwater drains and water feature drainage areas.
Compost landscape green waste whenever feasible.
Mulch organic materials on site and utilize chipped wood from pruning operations.
Limit use of plastics in landscaping operations and support no‑single‑use‑plastic policies.
Maintain sustainable sites and ensure native landscapes are preserved per design.
Equipment & Operations
Transition to electric or low‑emission landscaping equipment where feasible.
Oversee daily policing and collection of exterior waste in coordination with custodial services.
Oversee integrated pest management (IPM) programs across campus grounds and exterior structures.
Ensure pest control practices prioritize prevention, environmental safety, and least‑toxic treatment methods.
Coordinate with vendors and internal teams to address pest issues promptly.
Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local pest control regulations.
Track pest control activities, treatments, and trends to support proactive management.
Train staff during onboarding and regularly on sustainable landscaping, pest control, waste management, and sustainability goals.
Collaborate with university offices, academic departments, and student organizations, including environmental justice groups.
Support living‑learning laboratory initiatives and applied sustainability projects.
Utilize campus landscapes as educational and research spaces when directed.
Support installation of educational signage highlighting sustainable landscape features.
Track sustainable product usage and performance across grounds, pest control, and custodial operations.
Collaborate to establish measurable baselines and KPIs for sustainability outcomes.
Share quarterly material purchase lists and training logs with sustainability staff.
Waste Collection & Diversion
Ensure strict separation of landfill, recycling, and compost waste streams during collection, handling, and transport.
Identify and report locations with recurring contamination issues and collaborate on corrective actions.
Support waste diversion activities for sustainability events such as Green Move Out and ReUse Market.
Oversee dining waste collection programs to reduce landfill disposal and improve diversion outcomes.
Manage event composting programs and support expansion of composting services across campus.
Provide enhanced seasonal and summer waste management support, including residence hall turnover and conference housing operations.
Oversee cardboard baling programs in designated buildings.
Training & Compliance
Partner with sustainability staff to train custodial and grounds teams on waste management protocols and sustainability programs.
Ensure training includes environmental compliance, green cleaning practices, and university‑specific procedures.
Maintain training logs and provide documentation upon request.
Equipment & Inventory
Maintain a comprehensive inventory of waste management equipment, including all bins and containers.
Update waste equipment inventory maps annually and submit them to appropriate university offices.
Financial Transparency
Procure and manage color‑coded liners for waste segregation:
Clear liners for recycling
Green BPI‑certified liners for compost
Black liners for landfill
Collaborate with sustainability staff to establish baseline metrics and KPIs for waste diversion and contamination reduction.
Track and report waste performance data to support continuous improvement.
Policy & Procurement
Develop, implement, and maintain a Green Cleaning Policy aligned with sustainability standards.
Source environmentally compliant, high‑quality, and cost‑effective cleaning products.
Provide cleaning product purchase lists to support evaluation and pilot programs.
Operations & Training
Maintain documented Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for green cleaning practices.
Maintain staff training records related to green cleaning and environmental compliance.
Data Tracking
Track sustainable product usage and cleaning performance.
Collaborate to establish baselines and KPIs for green cleaning outcomes.
Water & Irrigation Management
Minimize unnecessary water usage by optimizing irrigation schedules and avoiding watering during or after rainfall.
Update tree and plant inventory maps annually.
Maximize use of functioning irrigation systems; identify deficiencies and coordinate repairs.
Identify opportunities for drip irrigation and collaborate on implementation.
Oversee irrigation system maintenance and report inefficiencies or failures.
Manage daily policing and collection of exterior waste and litter across landscaped areas and grounds.
Ensure daily trash collection for key campus areas, including Big Belly collections on Saturdays.
Landscape Practices & Chemical Use
Reduce chemical inputs and use least‑toxic, environmentally friendly herbicides and fertilizers.
Use organic materials for plant treatment where practicable.
Maintain transparent records of all chemical usage and provide documentation upon request.
Clear debris from stormwater drains and water feature drainage areas.
Compost landscape green waste whenever feasible.
Mulch organic materials on site and utilize chipped wood from pruning operations.
Limit use of plastics in landscaping operations and support no‑single‑use‑plastic policies.
Maintain sustainable sites and ensure native landscapes are preserved per design.
Equipment & Operations
Transition to electric or low‑emission landscaping equipment where feasible.
Oversee daily policing and collection of exterior waste in coordination with custodial services.
Oversee integrated pest management (IPM) programs across campus grounds and exterior structures.
Ensure pest control practices prioritize prevention, environmental safety, and least‑toxic treatment methods.
Coordinate with vendors and internal teams to address pest issues promptly.
Maintain compliance with federal, state, and local pest control regulations.
Track pest control activities, treatments, and trends to support proactive management.
Train staff during onboarding and regularly on sustainable landscaping, pest control, waste management, and sustainability goals.
Collaborate with university offices, academic departments, and student organizations, including environmental justice groups.
Support living‑learning laboratory initiatives and applied sustainability projects.
Utilize campus landscapes as educational and research spaces when directed.
Support installation of educational signage highlighting sustainable landscape features.
Track sustainable product usage and performance across grounds, pest control, and custodial operations.
Collaborate to establish measurable baselines and KPIs for sustainability outcomes.
Share quarterly material purchase lists and training logs with sustainability staff.
ABM offers a wide variety of service-related positions, including electricians, HVAC technicians, security officers, parking attendants, and cleaning jobs. ABM cares about your success.
We provide training so that you learn new job skills and take pride in the quality service you're giving to clients. You'll look like the trained professional you are when you wear a ABM uniform.For your health and safety, we use non-toxic cleaning products and up-to-date equipment.
Our internal training program focuses on teaching you the skills and processes that have helped many of our employees starting out as a janitor, cashier, security officer or building engineer grow into various management roles throughout the company. These jobs aren't your everyday at ABM; they are careers.
Thousands of commercial, industrial, government and retail clients look to ABM for consistent quality service that meets their specialized facility service needs including commercial cleaning and maintenance, facility engineering, energy efficiency, parking and security services.
With fiscal 2011 revenues of approximately $4.2 billion and nearly 100,000 employees, our 300+ offices across the U.S. and various international locales enable us to provide custom facility solutions to sites of all sizes — from neighborhood banks and schools to the largest and most complex facilities, such as corporate office parks and major airports.
With more than 300+ offices located throughout the country, we are always accepting applications for janitorial maintenance, landscaping gardeners, security guards, parking attendants, shuttle drivers and building engineers.
ABM IS AN EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER (MINORITY/FEMALE/VETERAN/DISABILITY)