How to hire a park superintendent

How to hire a park superintendent, step by step

Here's a step-by-step park superintendent hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a park superintendent job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new park superintendent
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   Before you start hiring a park superintendent, identify what type of worker you actually need. Certain positions might call for a full-time employee, while others can be done by a part-time worker or contractor.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect park superintendent also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   The following list breaks down different types of park superintendents and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Park Superintendent	Description	Hourly rate
   Park Superintendent	Conservation scientists and foresters manage the overall land quality of forests, parks, rangelands, and other natural resources.	$11-31
   Naturalist	Naturalists are people who educate the public on environmental-related matters. The core responsibilities of this position are preserving, restoring, maintaining, and protecting natural habitat... Show more	$11-35
   Park Manager	Park Managers are responsible for overseeing the operations of parks. Their duties include organizing work schedules and assignments, supervising park maintenance activities, conduct park inspections, and assess revenue channels... Show more	$14-29

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Grounds Maintenance
   • Equipment Maintenance
   • Patrol
   • Trail Maintenance
   • Budget Preparation
   • Construction Projects
   • Visitor Services
   • Reservations
   • Federal Agencies
   • Fee Collection
   • Mowing
   • Law Enforcement
   • Athletic Fields
   • Plumbing

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Provide leadership and supervision by managing day-to-day operations for a county park facility.
   • Operate equipment such as chain saws, tractors, mowers, weed trimmers, and blowers to facilitate park operations.
   • Approve and/or prepare revenue reports, expenditure reports, purchasing documents, and payroll.
   • Operate farm tractor with attachments, mowers, string line trimmers and various power hand tools.
   • Ensure payroll are accurately adjust bi-weekly.
   • Provide emergency medical responder care to wide variety of patients in park, operating within scope of responsibility.

   More park superintendent duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the park superintendent job description is a good way to get more applicants. A park superintendent salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a park superintendent in Wyoming may be lower than in Rhode Island, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level park superintendent. Additionally, a park superintendent with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average park superintendent salary

   $39,457yearly

   $18.97 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level park superintendent salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average park superintendent salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Delaware	$56,246	$27
   2	California	$41,747	$20
   3	Michigan	$39,311	$19
   4	Arizona	$37,745	$18
   5	Arkansas	$32,206	$15
   6	Florida	$31,071	$15
   7	Texas	$30,384	$15
   8	Kansas	$26,605	$13

   Average park superintendent salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Delaware State Government	$52,586	$25.28	5
   2	City of Detroit	$47,802	$22.98
   3	City of Peoria	$43,738	$21.03
   4	Swinerton	$40,527	$19.48	39
   5	Minnesota Limited	$39,127	$18.81
   6	San Bernardino County	$39,067	$18.78
   7	NC.gov	$35,883	$17.25
   8	Wyoming	$34,643	$16.66	2
   9	Americorps	$34,333	$16.51	1
   10	City of Garden City	$33,906	$16.30

4. Writing a park superintendent job description

   A good park superintendent job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a park superintendent job description:

   Park superintendent job description example

   Parks Superintendent - Landscape and Trails$75,268-$93,3325 days per week/8 hours per day Full-time YesOct 30, 2022
   Join Our Team
   
   The City of Peoria strives to be an employer of choice and most of our employees turn jobs into long-term careers.
   
   Tell me more…
   
   The ideal candidate for this position will be able to:
   
   * Develop and implement best management practices in landscape maintenance of City property, streetscapes, and trail corridors.
   * Develop programs for management and landscape maintenance contract administration including accountability measures, safety standards and innovative environmental procedures.
   * Select, train, supervise and evaluate staff, manage safety concerns, and ensure city and department goals, policies and objectives are followed.
   * Schedule and assign tasks in supervising staff workflow processes to measure performance and efficiency outcomes.
   * Assist with complex problem situations, resolves customer service issues, manage expenditures, monitor resources, prepare and deliver presentations of budgeting and forecasting.
   * Interpret data and documents, research trends, recommend projects, review plans, consult with internal and external departments and agencies in the management or assistance with landscape and trail construction projects.
   
   View the complete job description here.
   
   About Peoria
   
   The City of Peoria, AZ is a thriving city in the Northwest Valley that provides excellent municipal services to our community. Recently ranked as the #1 place to live in Arizona by Money Magazine, and in the top 50 happiest places to live in the country, we are committed to maintaining the level of service to our residents to sustain and enhance the lives, and culture of Peoria. Click here to view benefits offered.
   
   Join our growing team and become a part of the buzz that is Peoria! If you are passionate about providing excellent service through anticipating our community's needs, creating partnerships, promoting sustainability, and embracing diversity, then #PeoriaisthePlace for you!
   
   Get an inside look at the Culture of Peoria
   
   We are:
   
   P-Professional~E-Ethical~O-Open~R-Responsive~I-Innovative~A-Accountable
   
   Application Process:
   
   Applications will be accepted for current vacancies only until closing date, or until a sufficient number of applications have been received.
   
   DURING THE SELECTION PROCESS, ANY APPLICANT REQUIRING ACCOMMODATION FOR A DISABILITY SHOULD ADVISE THE HUMAN RESOURCES DEPARTMENT
   
   AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
   
   OPORTUNIDAD DE EMPLEO CON DERECHOS IGUALES
   
   MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS
   
   * Education: Bachelor's degree in a related field such as horticulture, environmental sciences, natural resources, etc.
   * Experience: Minimum of five years related experience. Requires a broad knowledge of contract administration, specialized practices, maintenance equipment, workflow systems and procedures.
   * Licenses/Certifications/Special Requirements:
   * Certified Arborist within 12 months of hire.
   * Pesticide/Herbicide Applicators License within 6 months of hire
   * Sustainable Landscape Management within 6 months of hire
   * Valid Driver's License upon hire.
   
   PREFERRED/DESIRABLE QUALIFICATION(s):
   
   * Three years supervisory experience
   * Experience in a municipal or government setting
   * Technical experience with geospatial information systems (GIS)
   * Tree Risk Assessment Qualified (TRAQ) or Certified Landscape Professional (ALCP)

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right park superintendent for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your park superintendent job on Zippia to find and recruit park superintendent candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with park superintendent candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new park superintendent

   Once you've decided on a perfect park superintendent candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's equally important to follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new park superintendent. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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