Commercial landscaping field supervisor job description
A commercial landscape field supervisor drives a territory of HOA communities, business campuses and shopping centers, inspecting each site against its contract and fixing problems before the property manager finds them. They coach crew leaders on safety, log every inspection and incident, and report to the production manager.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Responsible for overseeing commercial landscaping sites to ensure adherence to quality, safety, and operational standards. Plays a key role in maintaining excellent customer satisfaction through consistent inspections and rapid issue resolution on site. Acts as the primary point of contact for operational concerns and supports the field team in achieving company objectives.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Inspect commercial landscaping sites regularly to ensure compliance with company, industry, and regulatory standards.
Enforce safety and quality standards across all job sites to minimize risks and maintain high operational standards.
Resolve on-site issues efficiently, liaising with team members and management to minimize downtime.
Provide clear direction and leadership to landscaping crews, ensuring understanding of project objectives and deadlines.
Document site inspections and prepare reports detailing performance, incidents, and corrective actions taken.
Collaborate with maintenance, procurement, and administrative teams to align field operations with strategic goals.
Support continuous improvement initiatives through feedback and proactive problem-solving.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily walkthroughs of commercial landscaping sites to assess work quality and compliance.
Engage with on-site staff and customers to address concerns and gather feedback regarding service performance.
Oversee the implementation of safety protocols and provide on-the-spot coaching when necessary.
Coordinate with the operations team to schedule inspections and allocate resources effectively.
Monitor work progress against project plans and communicate updates to senior management.
Log detailed observations and corrective actions in a centralized reporting system.
Participate in daily briefings and review scheduled maintenance or project tasks to ensure alignment.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Site Inspection Schedule Adherence: >95% compliance with scheduled inspections.
On-Site Issue Resolution Rate: <3% escalation to senior management.
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 out of 5 across feedback surveys.
Safety Compliance: 100% adherence to all safety protocols and standards.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent; Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in a related field preferred.
Minimum of 3 years of experience in field supervision or a similar role within the landscaping or home services industry.
Strong leadership and communication skills to manage teams and interface with clients effectively.
Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, maps, and site plans.
Proficient in using digital tools for logging reports and maintaining documentation.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in commercial landscaping supervision or field operations management.
Familiarity with environmental regulations and safety standards in landscaping services.
Experience working with multidisciplinary teams in fast-paced outdoor environments.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to walk, stand, and inspect outdoor sites for extended periods.
Capacity to lift and move materials up to 25 pounds on a regular basis.
Exposure to a variety of weather conditions, including hot, cold, and wet environments.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, with occasional weekend site visits.
Required to travel frequently between commercial sites within the designated territory.
May include on-call duties during critical incidents or emergency site issues.
9. Compensation and Benefits
$55,000 - $70,000 annual salary based on experience and qualifications.
Eligible for performance bonuses and commissions based on project outcomes and safety metrics.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, Vision, 401(k), and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster a collaborative and inclusive environment that values growth, innovation, and excellence.
Our company is committed to providing outstanding home service solutions and supports every team member in reaching their full potential.
We believe in empowering our employees through continuous learning opportunities and transparent communication, building a culture where everyone feels valued and motivated.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
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What changes for a field supervisor in commercial landscaping
A field supervisor sees more properties in a week than any crew does. These are the checks that matter most on commercial grounds.
Look where the crews don't park
Crews finish what they can see from the truck. Walk the back of each property too: loading docks, dumpster corrals, retention pond edges, parking islands and the beds behind monument signs. Property managers and HOA boards notice these spots on their own walks, and a missed island at a retail center draws a call faster than a perfect front entrance earns praise.
Spray signs stay up on a timer
In Wisconsin, a pesticide application to the turf or beds at an office park or shopping center needs warning signs posted before the spray goes down. No one may pull them until sunset the day after, or until sunset on the day the label's restricted entry interval ends, whichever is later. On your walks, check that signs went up and that a mowing crew didn't toss them early. Other states set their own posting rules. Source: Wisconsin Admin. Code ch. ATCP 29, s. 29.56: landscape pesticide applications and warning signs.
Ten feet from the lines over the lot
Pole saws, ladders and lifts come out near the power lines that run along a property's frontage. Under OSHA's electrical rules, a crew member who is not a qualified electrical worker, along with any conductive tool in hand, must stay 10 feet or more away from an unguarded, energized overhead line when its voltage to ground is 50 kV or below. Higher voltages need more room. Mark these trees on the site map and call the utility when pruning would break that gap. Source: eCFR 29 CFR 1910.333: work near overhead power lines.
Some injuries go to OSHA within hours
Landscaping companies aren't on OSHA's list of industries excused from injury records, so the injuries you write up can end up on the company's OSHA log. A few can't wait for the log. Deaths on the job go to OSHA within 8 hours. Amputations, eye losses and in-patient hospital admissions go within 24 hours. Phone the office from the site right away, not once the crew is back at the yard. Source: eCFR 29 CFR 1904.39: reporting fatalities, hospitalizations, amputations and eye loss to OSHA.
How much commercial landscaping field supervisors make
The closest BLS group for commercial landscaping field supervisors is First-Line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers. First-Line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $27.31 an hour ($56,810 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $58,430 median for First-Line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers in all industries. About 90,190 of the 130,760 First-Line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers in that survey work for landscaping companies.
A salary per the template, plus bonuses or commissions tied to project results and safety measures. The BLS figures shown cover supervisors of landscaping and grounds crews at landscaping companies, and the template's range lands in the middle of them.
Landscaping companies
$56,810$56,810 median Middle half $46,890–$65,780 10th–90th $40,060–$80,400
All industries
$58,430$58,430 median Middle half $47,390–$72,590 10th–90th $40,560–$85,650
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k$100k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Landscaping companies
$40,060
$46,890
$56,810
$65,780
$80,400
All industries
$40,560
$47,390
$58,430
$72,590
$85,650
BLS reports residential and commercial landscaping companies together. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Reads site plans, irrigation maps and contract scopes without help
Spots quality misses fast, from scalped turf to ragged pruning cuts
Coaches crew leaders on the spot without taking over the crew
Writes up inspections and incidents before leaving the site
Stays calm with a property manager who is upset about a missed visit
Teach these on the job
Your inspection score sheet and reporting app
Each property's contract scope and service calendar
Your state's pesticide posting rules
Your incident steps, including who reports serious injuries to OSHA
Which crews and crew leaders cover each property
Most commercial landscape companies log inspections in a field management platform like Aspire, BOSS LM or SingleOps, or in a tablet form app that adds the date and location to each photo. The supervisor also works from site maps, irrigation as-builts and each contract's scope, and drives a company truck between properties.
Commercial landscaping field supervisor interview questions
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Pesticide licensing
You find a crew member applying herbicide in a bed without the license your state requires. What do you do?
A strong answer: Stops the application, secures the product, reports it, assigns a licensed applicator and makes sure the application is recorded properly.
Behavioral · Supervising many sites
Tell me about a day you supervised several crews across many commercial sites. How did you decide where to spend your time?
A strong answer: Visited new or at-risk sites and new crew leaders first, checked client-facing areas, and used photos or calls for the rest.
Those template numbers are placeholders. Build yours from last season's inspection logs and complaint history, and revisit them with the supervisor monthly.
Site Inspection Schedule Adherence
Compare the inspections planned for each week against the ones logged in your reporting system with photos and a time stamp. Count a visit only when the full score sheet was filled in.
On-Site Issue Resolution Rate
Track every issue the supervisor logs and mark whether it closed in the field or went up to the production manager or account manager. Review the escalated ones for patterns by property.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Use the property manager and HOA board surveys your company already sends, sorted by the supervisor's territory. Read the comments too, since one board member's note can explain a low score.
Safety Compliance
Score each site walk on a short safety checklist covering equipment guards, eye and hearing protection, spray signs and fuel handling. Add the territory's incident reports and near misses.
Career path
Crew leaderRuns one crew's day on a set of properties and learns the contract scopes.
Field supervisorInspects a territory of commercial sites and coaches the crew leaders who work them.
Production managerOwns quality, safety and budgets across field work and the supervisors who check it.
How many properties should one commercial landscape field supervisor cover?
Drive time and contract size matter more than a count. A territory of large office parks takes longer to walk than a cluster of small retail pads. Plan it so every property gets a full inspection on a regular cycle, with extra visits to new accounts and sites coming up for renewal. If inspections keep slipping, the territory is too big.
How much does a commercial landscaping field supervisor make?
First-Line supervisors of landscaping, lawn service, and groundskeeping workers who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $27.31 an hour ($56,810 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $46,890 and $65,780 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
What should a field supervisor do when a property manager disputes a missed visit?
Pull the visit record first: the crew's clock-in at the site, the route log and any photos. Then walk the property, with the manager if possible, and name exactly what was or wasn't done. If the crew missed it, set the fix and say when it will happen. If the visit was done, show the record calmly and ask what the manager expected to see, since the gap may be in the contract scope, which the account manager should handle.
Can a residential landscape supervisor do this job?
Often, if they can adjust to contract work. A residential supervisor answers to homeowners one yard at a time. Here the customer is a property manager or a board with a written scope, set service days and a renewal date, and the crews are larger. Ask how they would handle a site where the work looks fine but doesn't match the contract.
The template lists long site walks, lifting 25 pounds and all kinds of weather. What should the ad say?
Describe the tasks. The supervisor walks properties to inspect beds, turf and irrigation, carries tools, signs or bags of material up to 25 pounds, and is outdoors in summer heat, winter cold and rain. Most days split between driving and walking sites. Keep the template's wording and add that you offer reasonable accommodation.
