A landscaping HR manager staffs the crews and office for each spring rush, including any seasonal workers brought in on H-2B visas. Onboarding, equipment safety training, applicator license records and the rules for teen hires and CDL drivers sit with them, along with discipline, complaints and injury claims.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
[Director of Admin & Operations or Chief Operating Officer]
Location:
[INSERT LOCATION HERE]
1. Position Summary
This role is responsible for spearheading all HR functions within our landscaping division, ensuring effective recruitment, comprehensive training, strict compliance, and a thriving company culture. The HR Manager will drive our strategic initiatives that support attracting top talent, enhancing employee performance, and fostering an inclusive work environment that contributes to the overall success of the company.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Develop and implement comprehensive recruitment strategies to attract qualified candidates.
Oversee onboarding, training programs, and professional development initiatives for new and existing employees.
Ensure compliance with all federal, state, and local employment laws and regulations specific to the landscaping industry.
Manage employee relations and performance issues, implementing solutions to improve workplace culture.
Collaborate with management to align HR strategies with overall business goals.
Maintain accurate HR records and prepare reports to support decision-making.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Review and process job applications and resumes on a daily basis.
Coordinate interviews and onboarding sessions with department managers and candidates.
Monitor training schedules and track completion rates to ensure workforce readiness.
Address employee inquiries and resolve workplace concerns through effective communication.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Time-to-Fill Positions: Achieve an average of less than 30 days from job posting to hire.
Employee Retention Rate: Maintain a retention rate of over 90% annually.
Training Completion Rate: Ensure 100% of employees complete mandatory training sessions within the designated period.
Compliance Rate: Sustain 100% adherence to all employment laws and industry regulations.
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources, Business Administration, or a related field.
Minimum of 5 years of progressive HR experience, preferably within the home services or landscaping industry.
Strong knowledge of HR laws and best practices with proven experience in compliance management.
Excellent interpersonal, conflict resolution, and communication skills.
Proficient in HR information systems (HRIS) and Microsoft Office Suite.
Strategic thinker with the ability to work autonomously and as part of a team.
6. Preferred Experience
Experience working in a landscaping, home services, or related industry environment.
Prior involvement in implementing training programs tailored to service-based businesses.
Demonstrated success in building and sustaining a positive workplace culture.
Familiarity with talent management and employee engagement initiatives in a fast-paced setting.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to sit or stand for extended periods while performing administrative tasks.
Occasional mobility to visit various job sites or attend industry events.
Ability to lift and carry materials up to 20 lbs, if required for onsite HR activities.
Comfortable working in varied environments including outdoor settings during site visits.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional extended hours may be required during peak operational periods or special projects.
Minimal travel is expected to company sites and industry events.
On-call availability may be required for urgent HR support.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Salary range of $70,000 - $85,000 USD annually, commensurate with experience.
Opportunity for performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive health benefits including medical, dental, and vision.
401(k) plan with company match.
Additional fringe benefits such as paid time off, professional development programs, and employee wellness initiatives.
10. Company Culture and Overview
We are a dynamic, growth-oriented organization dedicated to providing exceptional landscaping services while cultivating an inclusive and supportive environment for our team. Our commitment to continuous improvement and professional development fosters a culture where every employee is empowered to excel and contribute to our shared success. We celebrate innovation, teamwork, and a passion for excellence that drives every aspect of our operations.
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
A landscaping company hires most of its people in a few weeks each year. Some of them run mowers and saws or tow heavy trailers, and some may arrive from abroad on seasonal visas.
H-2B doesn't skip local hiring
When a company hires seasonal crews through H-2B, HR runs the local hiring the rules require. You must hire every qualified U.S. worker who applies until 21 days before the job order starts, and job offers to U.S. workers can't carry worse pay or terms than the H-2B crew gets. H-2B workers and U.S. workers in the same jobs get a copy of the job order, and a Labor Department poster goes up at each worksite. Source: U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #78, H-2B workers under the INA.
Teen summer hires can't tow the trailer
Federal child labor rules decide where teens fit on a crew. At 14 and 15, they may not run power mowers, string trimmers or edgers, or drive. At 16, driving on public roads for work is off-limits. A 17-year-old may drive only now and then, in daylight, in a vehicle of 6,000 pounds or less, never towing, among other limits. Chain saws and chippers wait until 18, apart from narrow apprentice and student-learner exceptions. HR checks ages at hire and tells crew leaders who may do what. Source: 29 CFR 570.52: Driving by 16- and 17-year-olds (Cornell LII).
Safety training has to land
Mower, trimmer, chipper and heat training only works if every crew member follows it. OSHA says all required training must come in a language and words workers understand, and it offers Spanish materials. HR builds short, hands-on sessions, records who attended and in what language, and repeats them for each wave of spring hires. Source: OSHA: Landscaping and horticultural services.
CDL drivers bring federal testing rules
Some crew trucks pull equipment trailers heavy enough that the driver needs a commercial license. Hiring for those seats adds federal steps that usually land with HR. Before a new CDL driver's first run, you generally need a verified negative drug test and a full query of FMCSA's Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse, which the driver must consent to. Every CDL driver also gets a fresh Clearinghouse query each year. Source: 49 CFR 382.701: Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse queries (Cornell LII).
How much landscaping HR managers make
The closest BLS group for landscaping HR managers is human resources managers. Human resources managers who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $139,010 a year ($66.83 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s below the $149,280 median for human resources managers in all industries. About 180 of the 220,660 human resources managers in that survey work for landscaping companies.
A salary, plus the template's bonus option. Few HR managers work at landscaping companies in BLS's count, so the industry figure rests on a small sample; check the national figure as well.
Landscaping companies
$139,010$139,010 median Middle half $96,970–$145,660 10th–90th $85,770–$202,820
All industries
$149,280$149,280 median Middle half $111,110–$199,290 10th–90th $88,200–$267,810
$50k$100k$150k$200k$250k$300k
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
$85,770
$96,970
$139,010
$145,660
$202,820
All industries
$88,200
$111,110
$149,280
$199,290
$267,810
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
High-volume seasonal hiring, from posting to first day, in a few weeks
Spots overtime and child labor problems before they become claims
Clear explanations of policy to crews, in Spanish too if your crews speak it
Keeping I-9s, sign-offs and license dates complete for every seasonal hire
Handling discipline and complaints the same way on every crew
Teach these on the job
The H-2B steps and your filing agent's calendar
Your equipment training for mowers, trimmers, saws and chippers
Your state's pesticide applicator licensing
Which of your trucks and trailers need a commercial license
Your time-clock app and how crew hours reach payroll
The daily tools are a payroll platform whose phone time clock pulls crew hours in from the field, and hiring software that can sort a spring flood of applicants by job and start date. Equipment sign-offs and license copies need a home too, in the HR system or a shared tracker.
Landscaping HR manager 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.
Start from last year's hiring season. Check results with leadership after spring hiring and again when the season ends. Losing a crew member in July hurts far more than losing one in November.
Time-to-Fill Positions
Start the clock when a posting goes up and stop it on the day the new hire starts work. Keep H-2B jobs out of the average, since the visa process sets their pace.
Employee Retention Rate
Of the people on payroll when the season starts, count how many finish it and how many come back next spring. Track returning seasonal staff as their own group.
Training Completion Rate
No one runs a machine before signing off on it. Compare each worker's sign-offs with the equipment they're assigned, weekly in spring, and close gaps that day.
Compliance Rate
Pull a few personnel files every quarter and check each for a complete I-9, current license copies, signed equipment training, proof of age for minors and any H-2B records. Report how many had nothing missing.
Career path
HR coordinatorBooks interviews, runs orientation days and keeps personnel files current.
HR managerLeads spring hiring, equipment training, H-2B steps and crew discipline.
Late winter and spring are about headcount: posts, interviews, offers, I-9s and orientation, plus mower, saw and heat training for each new group. Summer brings injury claims, discipline and keeping crews from quitting mid-season. Fall and winter go to reviews, handbook updates, the next hiring plan and, for H-2B employers, the coming season's filing with the agent.
How much does a landscaping HR manager make?
Human resources managers who work for landscaping companies earned a median of $139,010 a year ($66.83 an hour) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $96,970 and $145,660 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and bonus terms.
What licenses should a landscaping HR manager track?
Start with anyone who sprays weed control, insect treatments or weed-and-feed, and check your state pesticide agency's rules. In New York, applying any pesticide commercially takes state certification. An uncertified apprentice there may apply only after the required training and under a certified commercial applicator's direct supervision, and certified applicators and technicians renew every three years. HR keeps copies, expiration dates and recertification credits, and warns managers before a license lapses.
How early should landscapers start spring hiring?
Earlier than feels natural. Call last year's crew members in winter, before other companies do. Post for new crew and office jobs so people can start before the first mowing week, not during it. If you use H-2B workers, plan the filing calendar with your agent months ahead, working back from the date you need crews on site.
Should crew leaders hire their own crews?
Crew leaders should help, since they know who will fit and they train the new hire. HR should own the process. That means the same interview questions for everyone, the same reasons for saying no, and complete paperwork before day one. Without that, each crew ends up with its own rules, and the company carries the legal risk.
