Posted by Full Throttle Media on behalf of a private property owner. FTM is managing this search; the successful candidate will be employed directly by the property's ownership.
We are hiring one experienced Estate Grounds & Land Manager for a private property in Middle Tennessee.
$28–$36 per hour depending on experience ($58,000–$75,000 per year). A true 40-hour week. Annual discretionary bonus. Paid time off and paid holidays. A late-model equipment fleet. Real autonomy.
THE PROPERTY
The grounds include a barn, ponds, seasonal creeks, gravel roads, fencing, outbuildings, pasture, and wooded ground. This is not a production farm and there is no livestock operation — it is a private property maintained to an estate standard.
THE STANDARD
We are looking for one thing above all: someone who maintains property at the level you see at high-end private clubs and estates. Core areas such as the barn compound, entrances, and road frontage should look show-ready at all times. Fields mowed on a disciplined rotation. Fence lines and tree lines trimmed clean. Ditches and culverts flowing. Gravel roads graded and pothole-free. No junk piles, no scrap metal in sight, no half-finished burn piles, no weeds growing against buildings, no equipment left sitting out.
If you have maintained a property like this for owners with exacting standards, you already know exactly what this looks like — and that is who we are hiring.
THE ROLE
This is a self-directed, hands-on position with limited day-to-day on-site supervision. You will not be handed a task list every week. You will walk the property, see what needs to be done, build your own work plan, and execute it — operating and maintaining a well-kept, late-model equipment fleet. You will meet weekly with a designated representative and send a brief weekly photo report, with priorities set periodically by ownership. You will be trusted to treat the property like it is your own, with real autonomy over day-to-day execution, while larger projects and spending follow owner-approved priorities and budgets.
We also want you to lead. If the goal is weed-free fields, a better entrance, or cleaner creek lines, you bring the plan — what to do, when to do it, what it costs, and where we can save money without cutting the standard. As the property's needs grow, this position will build and lead a small grounds crew. We are hiring the person we intend to grow with.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
- Mowing, trimming, and edging on a tiered schedule: barn compound and entrances kept show-ready; fields and pastures rough-mowed on rotation; trails and creek-side edges kept clean
- Gravel road maintenance: grading, pothole repair, washout and drainage correction
- Ditch, culvert, and pond-edge maintenance
- Fence and gate repair and upkeep across the property
- Tree and limb work: felling, trimming, storm cleanup, chainsaw and pole saw work, brush management
- Basic construction, carpentry, and repairs around the barn, gates, and outbuildings
- Develop and run annual property programs — weed and pasture management, drainage, entrance and landscape improvements — bringing cost-effective recommendations to ownership. Broadcast herbicide work is performed by a licensed custom applicator you select and supervise; in-house work is limited to spot-spraying of fence lines, gravel, and pads (applicator certification a plus)
- Barn and pad kept clean, swept, and organized; all outbuildings maintained
- Debris management done completely: burn piles finished and cleaned, scrap hauled off, nothing left staged
- Equipment care: routine service (oil, filters, grease, blades, chains), service logs, and clean storage for tractors, skid steer, mowers, UTV, and implements
- Routine visual checks of gates, fencing, and property conditions, promptly reporting unusual activity or damage. This is an observe-and-report duty, not a security-guard or confrontation role
- Coordinating and supervising outside vendors and contractors when specialized work is needed
- Storm response as needed, handled within the normal 40-hour week through schedule adjustment
WHAT WE REQUIRE
- 5+ years with primary responsibility for a large private property (or multiple properties), a high-end club or community grounds operation, or an estate-maintenance operation, maintained to an exacting standard for discerning owners
- Proficient operator across the full equipment range: tractors and implements (rotary cutter, box blade, grapple), skid steers, and compact excavators, with extensive chainsaw and pole saw experience including safe felling, limbing, and bucking
- Hands-on maintainer: routine service and basic repairs on the equipment you run, and handy with basic construction and building upkeep. Welding and small-engine repair a plus
- Self-starter who plans and manages your own work without supervision, with experience directing helpers, vendors, or a small crew
- Professional communicator comfortable working directly with property ownership: clear weekly reporting, responsive, discreet
- Evidence of your standard of work: photos of properties you maintain or maintained (a few good phone photos are perfect), or project summaries and maintenance records where photos are not possible
- Two professional references at the finalist stage who directly observed your work — an owner, estate or property manager, superintendent, or senior long-term vendor. We will not contact your current employer without your written permission, and only at the final stage
- Valid driver's license with a driving record acceptable under our vehicle-insurance standards. Job-related background, motor vehicle record, and drug screening are conducted after a conditional offer
- Able to reliably report to the job location for scheduled work. No on-site housing and no relocation assistance is provided
SCHEDULE AND COMPENSATION
Full-time, 40 hours per week, generally Monday through Friday daylight hours with seasonal schedule flexibility. This is a true 40-hour role: we plan the work around a 40-hour week, and storm or weekend response is handled by adjusting that week's schedule, not by piling on overtime. $28–$36 per hour depending on experience ($58,000–$75,000 per year), paid as an hourly, non-exempt position. Annual discretionary bonus. Paid time off and paid holidays.
HOW TO APPLY
Email your resume and evidence of your standard of work to [email protected].
Evidence means photos of properties you have maintained — a few good phone photos are perfect, and they should show the property and your work, not people — or project summaries and maintenance records where photos are not possible. Please do not send confidential materials or photos you are not authorized to share.
References are requested only after a successful phone screen.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY
We consider qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, military status, or any other legally protected status. Reasonable accommodations are available during the application process and on the job. Essential functions include regularly working outdoors in all weather, walking and working on uneven terrain, mounting and operating equipment, and bending, kneeling, climbing, lifting, and carrying consistent with grounds work, with or without reasonable accommodation.
Pay: $28.00 - $36.00 per hour
Benefits:
- Opportunities for advancement
- Paid time off
Application Question(s):
- Are you a proficient operator of tractors, skid steers, and compact excavators, including chainsaw felling work?
- Can you provide two professional references at the finalist stage who directly observed your work?
- Have you had primary responsibility for maintaining a large private property, or high-end club, community, or estate grounds, for 5 or more years?
- Can you email evidence of your work to [email protected] - authorized photos, project summaries, or maintenance records?
Work Location: In person
