Landscaping crews require capable leaders to perform well, and a landscaping foreman plays a pivotal role in delivering the quality service your clients expect.

From reading blueprints to managing crews and communicating with customers, foremen require multifaceted skill sets to ensure projects run smoothly. 

However, that also makes this role challenging to fill. Whether you’re planning for the future or actively looking for your next hire, download this free template for a head start.

Introducing your landscaping foreman job description template

This job description template will help you hire qualified landscaping foreman candidates with clear, structured information. It’s divided into six key sections:

• Company overview: Describes your company’s background, mission, and work environment.

• Position overview: Outlines the primary duties and expectations, and describes the ideal candidate.

• Key responsibilities: List all management, organizational, and landscaping duties.

• Qualifications & skills: Details the education, experience, and skills required.

• Working hours: Specifies expected working schedule and hours.

• Compensation: Pay, benefits, and additional compensation, including bonuses and overtime.

Each section is designed to build upon the others, ensuring your job description is thorough and compelling.

How to fill in the template

This template can be used for hiring, onboarding, or updating internal HR records. Customize it by tailoring each section to your business size, landscaping services, and team structure.

Adjust the tone and content to align with your company culture—whether it’s lighthearted or more serious and professional. Ensure all points are clear and accurate to prevent misunderstandings.

Why does my company need a landscaping foreman job description template?

Having a job description template ensures that every job you post is detailed, precise, and tailored to your company. You’ll save time and effort by not having to write every job description from scratch, especially if you post to multiple job boards. 

Other benefits include:

• Standardized hiring practices: Having a single source of truth for role requirements helps uphold hiring standards, especially in fast-growing companies.

• Clear expectations: Clearly defined skills and qualifications will help you attract the right candidates and weed out unqualified ones.

• Reduced turnover: When candidates have a thorough understanding of the job requirements upfront, it reduces the likelihood of misaligned expectations that can lead to turnover.

• Enhanced professionalism: A well-structured job description signals an organized and professional work environment that appeals to high-quality candidates.

• Improved compliance: Job descriptions provide a legal foundation for performance reviews and compliance, ensuring that all postings comply with labor laws and that employee evaluations are based on clear, established standards.

Once you have a template in place, you can update it incrementally as your business needs change. That way, you’ll always be ready to hire and can reference the template to clarify any personnel issues on your team.

What information should I include in a landscaping foreman job description template?

A job description template is most effective when it contains clearly structured and thorough information. 

Here’s a brief overview of what it should include:

1. Role Summary

The role summary should be one to two sentences describing the purpose of the role and what it entails. Think of it as the ‘elevator pitch’ for potential candidates; it should help them quickly understand whether they’re qualified.

This section can also include a brief sentence describing the qualities you’re looking for in an ideal candidate.

2. Job Responsibilities

List the specific daily and weekly tasks the role entails. This could include things like:

• Supervisory duties: Assigning tasks to landscaping crews, monitoring progress, and performing quality control checks.

• Compliance duties: Ensuring OSHA guidelines and environmental regulations are met, especially for fertilizer and pesticide applications.

• Administrative duties: Daily job logs, timesheets, and equipment reports.

• Daily tasks: Operating landscape machinery and equipment, hardscape installation, seasonal cleanup, etc.

Note any job responsibilities unique to your business, such as operating drones for aerial imagery or environmentally friendly landscaping techniques.

3. Qualifications and Skills

This section should include any relevant education, experience, or niche skills required for the role. Also, be sure to mention the physical working conditions. 

For landscaping foreman roles, this often includes:

• Experience: Three to five years of landscaping experience, including team leadership and foreman-level tasks.

• Certifications: OSHA safety training or certification, first aid training, and pesticide applicator certification.

• Skills: Strong leadership skills, extensive landscaping knowledge, and basic administrative abilities.

• Physical requirements: Ability to lift up to 80 lb. and carry materials across job sites and to work outdoors in all weather conditions.

4. Working Hours

Typically, landscaping foremen work Monday to Friday, with early morning starts and the potential for weekend shifts during the spring and summer. 

Your job description should include anticipated working hours, as well as:

• Employment type: Whether the job is full-time, part-time, or contract work (for example, a seasonal contract).

• Schedule: Typical daily/weekly hours.

• Exceptions: A description of weather-dependent workdays or any overtime expectations.

5. Role Compensation

Include a clear hourly or salary range (since salaries can vary by experience and region). This is also a good place to mention:

• Overtime pay: How overtime pay is calculated, especially if you offer more than what’s required by law.

• Additional compensation: Including bonuses or seasonal incentives.

• Benefits: Health insurance, retirement plans, PTO, or professional development funds.

6. Company Overview

Include a brief overview of your landscaping company to help potential candidates understand how they might fit in. That could include the services you offer, company values, or your team culture. 

This is also a good opportunity to highlight how the role contributes to the company’s success, allowing you to attract candidates who align with your brand and goals.

What are the primary responsibilities of a landscaping foreman?

A landscaping foreman will typically be responsible for a combination of management and landscaping duties on the job. These can include:

• Project oversight: Monitor project timelines and crew productivity to keep jobs on schedule.

• Supervision: Train and mentor new crew members, schedule crews, and ensure work meets quality standards.

• Compliance: Conduct site inspections to identify potential hazards and ensure workers wear proper safety gear.

• Administration: Track material usage and costs on jobs, complete purchase orders to ensure supplies are available.

• Landscaping: Complete maintenance, installation, tree and shrub care, seasonal cleanup, etc.

Keep in mind that your business model will determine the primary responsibilities of the role, so take careful stock of what you genuinely need from the role as you work through the template. 

What skills, experience, or training does a landscaping foreman need?

Field experience is key for landscaping foremen; most have done at least three to five years of hands-on work in residential, commercial, or industrial projects. That experience usually includes:

• Expertise in operating landscaping tools and machinery safely and effectively.

• Horticultural knowledge, including soil grading, drainage, and hardscaping materials.

• An understanding of how to apply pesticides and fertilizers safely.

Team leadership experience is also crucial for managing teams and resolving conflicts. This requires both communication and organizational skills to relay instructions clearly, manage schedules, and interact professionally with both teams and clients.

Many foremen rise through the ranks after demonstrating leadership potential, but they’ll also need OSHA, safety, and pesticide application certificates.

What is the salary range for a landscaping foreman?

The average annual salary for landscaping foremen in the U.S. is $56,170, or $27.01 per hour. However, annual salaries range from $39,270 to $83,080 depending on the state you’re in and the candidate’s expertise.

The specifics of a competitive compensation package will also depend on your company's size and the role requirements. Conduct market research and benchmark salaries against other companies in your area to establish a baseline that meets candidate expectations. 

Determining a realistic salary range is becoming increasingly crucial as pay transparency laws become more prevalent. But beyond compliance, posting clear salaries will also improve the candidate experience.

How can I improve the hiring and onboarding process?

Your hiring and onboarding process is the first impression you give new candidates, so a smooth one can help you start on the right foot. 

With Aspire’s all-in-one landscape business software, you can provide your landscaping foreman with the tools they need to succeed from day one:

• Employee scheduling: Easily create and modify schedules with Aspire’s drag-and-drop scheduling tool.

• Job checklists: Improve quality assurance with detailed task lists for every job.

• Aspire mobile app: Stay connected in the field with schedules, performance metrics, and more at your entire team’s fingertips.

• Time tracking: Geo-tagged time tracking ensures employees are accountable and job costs are accurate.

• Optimized routes: Save on fuel with route optimization that considers real-time traffic.

From team communication to job costing and more, Aspire can place all the right information at your team’s fingertips, enabling them to complete jobs faster, better, and more efficiently.

Over to you!

Whether you’re hiring a landscaping foreman or looking for new crew members, a good job description is the best start. 

By building efficiency into your business, you can help new hires onboard quickly to succeed and grow. 

Ready to see what Aspire can do for your team? Book a demo to see how you can improve your operations today.