
Continuing Care Advisor - Landscape Management Consultant
Role summary
Populous is seeking a Continuing Care Advisor - Landscape Management Consultant in San Diego, CA. This role provides strategic horticultural and landscape management consulting throughout a project's lifecycle, ensuring landscapes align with design intent and remain healthy long-term. The ideal candidate has 5+ years of experience, strong knowledge of plants and maintenance operations, project management skills, and experience in field assessments and technical reporting. Responsibilities include developing maintenance programs, conducting quality assurance inspections, and advising project teams. The role requires collaboration with design teams, owners, contractors, and maintenance providers. Travel up to 30% is expected.
- Working closely with design teams, owners, contractors, and maintenance providers to ensure landscapes remain healthy, resilient, visually successful, and aligned with the project’s original vision.
- Developing site-specific landscape maintenance programs, specifications, and resource guides.
- Supporting and advising project teams with plant performance information, soil strategies, irrigation approaches and other recommendations.
- Prepare and manage landscape maintenance and tree care RFPs.
- Conduct landscape quality assurance inspections and assess plant health, irrigation performance, and maintenance practices.
- Generate written site assessment reports and make recommendations for corrective actions and improvements.
- Providing field training and horticulture education, researching industry best practices, and serving as the firm’s horticultural and landscape management resource.
- Strong understanding of plant identification, plant health care, irrigation systems, soils, pest management, and landscape maintenance operations.
- Exceptional organizational skills including multi-project coordination, workflow management, status tracking and reporting.
- Strong quality assurance skills and attention to detail, with the ability to evaluate landscape conditions, installation, and maintenance practices against design intent, project specifications, horticultural standards and client expectations.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to diagnose plant health, soil, irrigation and maintenance issues, identify root causes, and develop practical, sustainable corrective actions.
- Sound technical judgement and observational skills with the ability to interpret field conditions, technical reports, plans, and specifications and translate findings into clear, actionable recommendations.
- Outstanding verbal and written communication skills and team-oriented mindset that encourages effective collaboration.
- Strong relationship-building and stakeholder management skills with the ability to effectively communicate, coordinate, and influence across teams and organizational levels, including senior leadership and clients.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite.
- Familiarity with Bluebeam, Adobe InDesign, Autodesk Construction Cloud (ACC) and Vantagepoint is preferred.
- Comfortable working in a dynamic and fast-paced environment with the ability to adapt to changing priorities and drive departmental success.
- Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture, Plant Sciences, Botany, Landscape Management, Landscape Architecture, or related field.
- 5+ years of professional experience in horticulture, landscape management, arboriculture, landscape construction, or related disciplines.
- Experience conducting field assessments and preparing technical reports.
- Experience working within a Landscape Architecture, Landscape Design/Install, or Landscape Maintenance firm in managing landscape maintenance contracts and procurement processes.
- Professional certifications such as ISA Certified Arborist, Landscape Industry Certified Technician or Manager, Certified Professional Horticulturist (CPH), and Irrigation Association Certifications.
- The projected salary range for this opportunity is $85,553 - $95,803 annually, and may be more or less depending on skills, experience and education.
- Travel will be required, up to 30%.
- Position requires ability to work outdoors for extended periods in varying weather conditions, including heat and cold, and to walk up to 10-12 miles per day, including over uneven terrain, with or without reasonable accommodation.
