A landscaping field supervisor drives between your crews all day, checking mowing routes, landscape installs and safety on site. They catch problems before homeowners do, back up crew leaders on hard calls, and report what they find to the production manager.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Oversee landscaping worksites to ensure top-quality execution and compliance with safety and company standards. Lead and mentor field teams to achieve daily operational excellence and efficiency. Serve as the primary point of contact for addressing on-site challenges and ensuring adherence to industry best practices. Play a vital role in maintaining the company’s reputation for excellence in home services.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Inspect worksites regularly to verify that all landscaping projects meet established quality and safety standards.
Enforce safety protocols and guidelines to protect both employees and clients.
Coordinate with team members and subcontractors to ensure timely completion of projects.
Report any deviations from project plans and recommend corrective measures.
Maintain thorough records of inspections, safety violations, and project updates.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Conduct daily site walkthroughs and inspections to monitor project progress.
Provide on-the-spot guidance and support to field teams regarding landscaping best practices.
Liaise with client representatives to ensure satisfaction and address any concerns promptly.
Review project plans and adjust workflows to optimize on-site operations.
Document daily activity logs and prepare end-of-day reports for management review.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Worksite inspection compliance: 100% adherence to company quality and safety standards.
Safety incident rate: Maintain below 2% incidents per quarter.
On-time project completion: Achieve at least 95% on-time project deliveries.
Customer satisfaction rating: Maintain an average rating of >4.8 stars on client feedback surveys.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent required; Bachelor’s degree preferred.
Minimum of 3 years of supervisory or field management experience in landscaping or related home services.
Excellent communication, problem-solving, and team leadership skills.
Proficiency with inspection and reporting tools, as well as basic computer skills for documentation.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience in landscaping contract management and client service within the home services industry.
Prior experience in implementing safety protocols and training staff on compliance.
Familiarity with industry-specific equipment and maintenance procedures.
Demonstrated ability to lead a diverse team in a fast-paced outdoor environment.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift up to 50 lbs and work with landscaping tools and equipment.
Frequent exposure to outdoor elements, including variable weather conditions.
Ability to stand, walk, and climb ladders or uneven terrain for extended periods.
Flexibility to work in physically demanding conditions and perform manual labor when needed.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Standard operating hours from 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM with occasional overtime as required.
On-site work across various landscaping projects throughout the service region.
Some travel between worksites on a daily basis may be required.
On-call responsibilities for emergency site visits during off-hours, when necessary.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive salary range between $55,000 to $70,000 per year based on experience.
Eligibility for performance-based bonuses and incentive programs.
Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
401(k) plan with company match and additional fringe benefits.
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we foster a culture of growth, teamwork, and continuous improvement.
We believe in investing in our employees by providing ample opportunities for professional development and career advancement.
Our focus on customer satisfaction and excellence drives our effort to create a supportive and inclusive work environment.
Join a company that values transparency, integrity, and innovation as we continue to set industry benchmarks in the home services landscape.
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].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
What makes landscaping field supervision different
A landscaping field supervisor checks work that grows back. Grass needs cutting again in a week, beds fill with weeds, and the crews are spread across many small properties.
Inspecting yards the crews already left
Most checks happen after the crew has driven off, since a supervisor can't ride along on every route. They pick properties from each route and look for clean edges, clippings off the drive, weeded beds and closed gates. On landscape installs they check planting depth, mulch kept off trunks, and grading that moves water away from the house. Photos and notes go back to the crew leader the same day.
Who may spray, and under whose watch
Most states license pesticide applicators, BLS reports. Federal rules add more for restricted use products. A worker who isn't certified may apply them only under a certified applicator's supervision. That worker must generally be at least 18, must have met training rules such as a course within the past 12 months, and must be able to reach the supervisor right away. A field supervisor who oversees spray work should hold the license. Source: 40 CFR 171.201: Supervising noncertified applicators of restricted use pesticides (Cornell LII).
Digging comes with two checks
OSHA's landscaping page lists calling for utility locates as a step before irrigation trenching. Deeper digs, such as footings for a retaining wall, also bring OSHA's excavation rule. Workers in a trench 5 feet deep or more need a cave-in protection system. A shallower trench is exempt only if a competent person checks the ground and sees no sign of a cave-in. Before any crew digs, the supervisor confirms both. Source: OSHA: Protective systems for excavations (29 CFR 1926.652).
Subcontractors on your jobs
Some residential companies hand part of the work, such as large tree removals, irrigation installs or stone walls, to subcontractors. The supervisor sets their dates around your crews, checks their work against the plan, and confirms they carry the insurance and any state license the work needs before they start. A sub's mistake still lands on your company's name.
Seasons change the job
BLS notes that grounds workers are busiest in spring, summer and fall, and some take on snow removal in winter. For a field supervisor, spring means new hires and full routes, summer brings heat and dry lawns, fall brings cleanups and planting, and snow season can mean nights on call. Plan their own time off around those peaks. Source: BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook: Grounds maintenance workers.
How much landscaping field supervisors make
The closest BLS group for 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 plus performance bonuses, as listed in the template. Tie the bonus to results the supervisor can move, like inspection scores, crews finishing within budgeted hours, or customers who renew. Whether overtime is owed depends on the duties, not only on the salary, so review them before you finalize the plan.
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
Has led a landscape crew and spots poor mowing, pruning or planting at a glance
Gives crew leaders hard feedback and keeps their respect
Plans a day of site visits across a wide service area
Stops unsafe work even on a day the routes are running late
Documents each property check with a score and photos
Handles an upset homeowner on site and follows through
Teach these on the job
Your inspection checklists and how you score them
Your scheduling and job costing software
Your injury, near-miss and property damage reports
Your rules for checking subcontractors' insurance
Pesticide license exam prep, if they're not licensed yet
Field supervisors drive a company truck between sites and carry a tablet or phone loaded with inspection checklists, photos and the crew schedule kept in LMN, Service Autopilot or a similar program. A soil probe, a small irrigation repair kit and a measuring wheel handle most checks on site. Tell applicants how many crews they'll oversee and whether they also price small extra jobs.
Landscaping field supervisor interview questions
They have their own page: 6 questions that test this job, what strong and weak answers sound like, and a work exercise to run with your finalists.
Your own season of inspections is the best guide. Use the template's numbers to start, measure all of the supervisor's crews together, and revisit the targets each quarter.
Worksite inspection compliance
Checks where the property met your quality and safety checklist with nothing to redo, out of all checks the supervisor made. Use one scoring method every time and look at each crew's results monthly.
Safety incident rate
Recordable injuries and reported near misses in the supervisor's area each quarter, set against the hours those crews worked. Sort them by cause, such as mowers, thrown debris, lifting or heat, to see where coaching is needed.
On-time project completion
Landscape installs and enhancement jobs completed by the day you promised the homeowner, out of the jobs closed that month. Log rain delays and late plant or stone deliveries apart from crew misses.
Customer satisfaction rating
Homeowner ratings, from surveys and reviews, in the supervisor's area each month. Read every low score for its cause, such as a missed mowing day, a scalped lawn or plant damage, and check that the crew leader fixed it.
They spend the day on the road, visiting properties during and after crew visits. They score the work, coach crew leaders, enforce safety rules, sort out problems like a cut irrigation line or a new shrub that died, and meet homeowners who have complaints. Before heading home, they send the production manager a short report on what they found.
How much does a 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.
Should a landscaping field supervisor hold a pesticide license?
Yes, if any of their crews spray. Licensing comes from your state, and BLS notes that most states require it. Restricted use pesticides add a federal layer: workers who aren't certified may apply them only under a certified applicator's supervision. A supervisor with their own license can also train crews and answer homeowner questions about what was applied.
Where does a field supervisor's job end and the production manager's begin?
The production manager plans: which crews go where, how many hours each job should take, and which equipment is free. The field supervisor checks on site that the plan worked, and reports back what didn't. In a company with just a few crews, one manager may do both. Split the jobs once that person can no longer get out to see the work.
Does a landscaping field supervisor need a degree?
The template requires a high school diploma and lists a bachelor's degree as preferred. Many good candidates come up through crews instead. BLS notes that classes in landscape design, horticulture or arboriculture can help grounds workers. So treat a degree as a plus, and give more weight to three or more years of running crews well.
How should a field supervisor score a maintenance visit?
Score every property on the same short checklist, so one crew's results line up against another's: mowing height and stripes, trimmed edges, clean walks and drives, weeded beds, shrubs shaped as agreed, gates closed, and nothing damaged. Add photos. Share the scores with crew leaders each week, so a low score turns into coaching, not a surprise.
