Landscape Maintenance Crew Leader / Foreman

Crew Lead / Assistant Foreman – Garden Goddess Landscaping & Design

Location: Atlanta, GA
Compensation: Competitive, based on experience. Includes hourly rate, planned overtime and tiered bonus schedule.

Schedule: Full-time
Language: English required; Spanish a major plus

About Garden Goddess

We’re Garden Goddess! We’re excited every day to deliver mid-premium residential landscaping and design, serving top Atlanta neighborhoods. We deliver high horticultural standards, precision workmanship, and customized, down-to-earth customer experiences. Our team takes pride in clean lines, proper horticultural technique, and long-term plant health.

We’re also growing! We are hiring an experienced Crew Lead / Assistant Foreman with strong technical skills and deep plant knowledge.

Position Summary

The Crew Lead / Assistant Foreman reports directly to the owner and president and is responsible for daily jobsite operations, quality control, and crew coordination. This is a hands-on role requiring strong horticultural understanding, expert pruning, equipment operation, and a commitment to excellence.

Key Responsibilities

Crew & Workflow Support

• Assist with daily task coordination, property routing, and jobsite organization
• Help train crew members in Garden Goddess horticultural standards and proper techniques
• Communicate efficiently with the team to maintain productivity and high-quality results
• Ability to operate independently, with responsibility for routine operations activities includes (but not limited to):
• • Scheduling vehicle maintenance
  • Basic day-to-day answering questions of customers on-site
  • Routine check-ins and updates on properties with President
  • Other duties as assigned

Horticultural Knowledge & Hands-On Detail Work

Planting Knowledge

• Understand seasonal planting windows for Atlanta’s climate, including:
• • Trees & evergreen shrubs: optimal planting in fall through early spring
  • Deciduous shrubs & ornamentals: best planted during dormancy
  • Perennials: ideal spring/fall planting windows based on species
  • Annuals: knowledge of warm-season vs cool-season cycles (pansies/violas vs begonias/coleus)
• Assess soil conditions, drainage, root flare, planting depth, spacing, and backfill composition
• Ensure proper mulching and staking techniques for new tree installations

Pruning Expertise

• Perform skilled hand pruning on shrubs, hedges, and ornamental trees
• Knowledge of correct pruning timing , including:
• • Bloom on old wood vs bloom on new wood
  • When to prune camellias, hydrangeas, tea olives, gardenias, hollies, loropetalum, boxwoods, abelias, and other Atlanta standards
  • Avoiding mid-season or late-summer cuts that encourage tender growth before frost
  • Seasonal rejuvenation pruning vs light structural shaping
• Use clean, sharp cuts that protect plant health, airflow, and long-term structure

Plant Health Observation

• Identify early signs of pests, disease, dieback, or improper irrigation
• Advise the team when corrective action is needed
• Maintain clean, beautiful beds with attention to detail: edges, mulch levels, weed control, debris removal
• Advise on anything invasive including but not limited to fungus, excessive weeds etc.

Maintenance & Installation Work

• Operate ride-behind mowers and all standard equipment
• Execute high-detail bed maintenance: edging, trimming, shaping, mulching, pine straw installation
• Assist with plant layouts and installation plans based on design sketches or foreman direction
• Ensure properties are left immaculate — no clippings, no debris, no uneven mulch lines

Requirements

• At least 3 - 5 years professional landscaping experience
• Strong horticultural understanding: plant identification, planting seasons, pruning timing, growth habits
• Advanced understanding of pruning techniques and schedules
• Confident operation of ride-on mowers and commercial equipment
• Valid driver’s license and reliable transportation
• Able to lift 50+ lbs and work outdoors year-round
• Ability to use a phone, ipad and computer
• English required; Spanish a major plus

Preferred Qualities

• Experience supervising or mentoring crew members
• Experience with CRM tools such as Jobber for routine property updates and communication
• Familiarity with Atlanta plant varieties and microclimates
• Strong customer-service attitude
• Desire to grow into a full supervisory role