Director of Landscape Construction Unit

City of New York•Flushing, NY

7h•Onsite

About The Position

ONLY OPEN TO CURRENT FULL-TIME ANNUALLY PAID PARKS EMPLOYEES - Under general direction of the Chief of Capital Construction, supervise a group interdisciplinary team of landscape architects and arborists to ensure horticultural operations and the preservation and protection of trees occur to the highest standards for all Capital Projects. - Coordinate with Team Leaders, Landscape Architects, Project Managers, Design Directors, Construction Directors and Resident Engineers to prioritize workload and ensure timely completion of design and construction projects. Assign staff appropriately to meet project schedules. - Work with other divisions within Parks, including Environment & Planning, to develop agency standards for planting operations, tree health and tree protection practices and best management practices for improving survival of new plant material installed under Capital Projects. - Manage and oversee unit’s collaboration with designers to formulate and optimize tree and site protection plans, including the performance of tree inventories and assessments and continuous support related to tree preservation measures throughout the design process. - Coordinate tree inventory and assessments with Forestry and Natural Resource teams in the design process, enter data, identify and diagnose tree health problems and potential hazards, prescribe tree care, removal, and protection and provide unit estimates for tree work. - Facilitate Forestry and Natural Resource teams’ review of designs and tree removals, during design or construction, when necessary, due to unforeseen conflicts or condition changes. Ensure projects meet Agency tree replacement requirements and track associated data. - Coordinate and conduct constructability review and review finalized construction documents, specifically related to construction staging and access, planting, grading, and other aspects of construction that impact both the existing and designed landscape. - Manage and oversee unit’s collaboration with Parks Capital Construction Directors and Resident Engineers and construction professionals in all matters relating to tree preservation and landscape construction to maintain quality assurance and quality control. Tasks may include analyzing horticultural construction submittals, directing proper installation of tree protection measures, overseeing proper tree pruning, the hand selection and tagging of quality plant material at nurseries, routine monitoring of construction operations for compliance with contract specifications and documents, enforcement of all agency standards and guidelines relating to site work within the vicinity of existing trees, on-sight supervision for work performed within the critical root zones of existing trees, and other relevant and necessary aspects of tree preservation and landscape construction during construction. - Inspect plant material during construction and throughout the guarantee period and provide construction team lists for any material requiring replacement. - Routine site visits to verify contractor’s compliance with Agency regulations and contract requirements related to tree work and to work with construction staff to ensure that tree protection deficiencies are promptly and rectified. - Review qualifications of arborist and landscape subcontractors working under the general contractor in order to uphold Agency standards and requirements - Work with Forestry and Parks Enforcement Patrol if needed to uphold Agency tree protection standards and represent Agency position at court appearances. - Provide detailed documentation to Construction offices or Parks Legal staff as needed to justify monetary credits or claims resulting from tree damaged caused by contractor’s actions. - Represent the Capital Division to Agency senior staff, Community Boards and other public venues. - Assist with hiring, training and administrative oversight of Landscape Construction Unit personnel.

Requirements

A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college with major study in horticulture, arboriculture, or landscape architecture and four years of full-time, paid experience in horticultural work of which two (2) years must have been in a supervisory, administrative, consultative, managerial, or executive capacity; or
A satisfactory equivalent. However, all candidates must have at least a high school diploma or evidence of having passed an examination for a high school equivalency diploma and one year of supervisory, administrative, consultative, managerial, or executive experience as described above.

Responsibilities

Supervise a group interdisciplinary team of landscape architects and arborists to ensure horticultural operations and the preservation and protection of trees occur to the highest standards for all Capital Projects.
Coordinate with Team Leaders, Landscape Architects, Project Managers, Design Directors, Construction Directors and Resident Engineers to prioritize workload and ensure timely completion of design and construction projects.
Assign staff appropriately to meet project schedules.
Work with other divisions within Parks, including Environment & Planning, to develop agency standards for planting operations, tree health and tree protection practices and best management practices for improving survival of new plant material installed under Capital Projects.
Manage and oversee unit’s collaboration with designers to formulate and optimize tree and site protection plans, including the performance of tree inventories and assessments and continuous support related to tree preservation measures throughout the design process.
Coordinate tree inventory and assessments with Forestry and Natural Resource teams in the design process, enter data, identify and diagnose tree health problems and potential hazards, prescribe tree care, removal, and protection and provide unit estimates for tree work.
Facilitate Forestry and Natural Resource teams’ review of designs and tree removals, during design or construction, when necessary, due to unforeseen conflicts or condition changes.
Ensure projects meet Agency tree replacement requirements and track associated data.
Coordinate and conduct constructability review and review finalized construction documents, specifically related to construction staging and access, planting, grading, and other aspects of construction that impact both the existing and designed landscape.
Manage and oversee unit’s collaboration with Parks Capital Construction Directors and Resident Engineers and construction professionals in all matters relating to tree preservation and landscape construction to maintain quality assurance and quality control.
Tasks may include analyzing horticultural construction submittals, directing proper installation of tree protection measures, overseeing proper tree pruning, the hand selection and tagging of quality plant material at nurseries, routine monitoring of construction operations for compliance with contract specifications and documents, enforcement of all agency standards and guidelines relating to site work within the vicinity of existing trees, on-sight supervision for work performed within the critical root zones of existing trees, and other relevant and necessary aspects of tree preservation and landscape construction during construction.
Inspect plant material during construction and throughout the guarantee period and provide construction team lists for any material requiring replacement.
Routine site visits to verify contractor’s compliance with Agency regulations and contract requirements related to tree work and to work with construction staff to ensure that tree protection deficiencies are promptly and rectified.
Review qualifications of arborist and landscape subcontractors working under the general contractor in order to uphold Agency standards and requirements
Work with Forestry and Parks Enforcement Patrol if needed to uphold Agency tree protection standards and represent Agency position at court appearances.
Provide detailed documentation to Construction offices or Parks Legal staff as needed to justify monetary credits or claims resulting from tree damaged caused by contractor’s actions.
Represent the Capital Division to Agency senior staff, Community Boards and other public venues.
Assist with hiring, training and administrative oversight of Landscape Construction Unit personnel.