TURF MAINTENANCE OPERATIONS INSTRUCTOR
POSITION TYPE: NR1
POSITION START: September 2026

FACULTY OVERVIEW:

As Canada's only polytechnic university, Kwantlen Polytechnic University (KPU) is the fourth largest university in the province of British Columbia and serves communities in the South Fraser region and beyond. A Leader in innovative education with a teaching-focused mandate, KPU offers all learners opportunities to achieve the highest standards of academic performance.

Within KPU, the Faculty of Science has over 1,500 full-time students and over 200 faculty members and instructors from across the natural and applied sciences. Faculty of Science includes nine departments and over 30 programs at the undergraduate level, with offerings at all four KPU campuses. The faculty is also home to Canada Research Chair: Dr. Paul Adams.

The Faculty of Science offers experiential learning through hands-on curriculum and co-ops and research collaboration opportunities with KPU's Institute for Sustainable Horticulture (ISH), Institute of Sustainable Food Systems (ISFS), and Applied Genomics Center (AGC). As well, our faculty is home to over a hectare of horticulture field lab and working farm and a state-of-the art brewery, which has been recognized internationally and locally, winning BC Brewery of the Year in 2019.
For more information about the Faculty of Science, please visit our website at: kpu.ca/science

POSITION OVERVIEW:
The School of Horticulture invites applications for Part-Time Non-Regular Type 1 Contract Instructor(s) to teach HORT 1132 Turf Maintenance Operations (Fall 2026 Semester) at the KPU Langley campus.

The following is a brief description of the course, and supplementary qualifications:

1132 Turf Maintenance. Students will operate machinery at the School of Horticulture Field Lab to gain practical experience in turf maintenance. They will engage in tasks including mowing, cultivation, topdressing, seeding, sodding, and sand trap maintenance. Students will explore employment opportunities in the turfgrass industry.

DURING THE COURSE STUDENTS ARE EXPECTED TO:

Summarize the range of careers in the turfgrass industry

Recognize turfgrass industry commodity groups

Practice turfgrass career advancement strategies

Identify hand tools common to turf maintenance

Use hand tools common to turf maintenance

Perform turfgrass maintenance tasks

Operate landscape and turfgrass equipment effectively and safely

Perform operation of turf maintenance machinery safely

Write field trip reports

More information concerning the working conditions for a faculty member are outlined in Article 12 of the Kwantlen Faculty Association (KFA) Collective Agreement

QUALIFICATIONS:
Minimum qualifications for this position include at least five years of relevant industry experience in the maintenance and/or management of sports turf fields and sites. Preference will be given to candidates who hold a Landscape Horticulturist Red Seal, another recognized industry certification, or an appropriate bachelor's degree. Teaching experience is considered an asset. The successful candidate will be expected to organize field trips that provide students with opportunities to observe and learn from professionally maintained sites.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Candidates are asked to submit:

• Current resume/CV
• Cover letter highlighting key qualifications and teaching approach

We invite applications from candidates who are available to teach turf courses on a contract basis, typically one course per term or one course per year (NR1 instructor classification), with the possibility of an increased teaching load in the future. Please indicate in your application whether you prefer to teach one course per term, one course per year, and whether you would be available to take on additional courses if needed.

We also invite applications from candidates who wish to be added to our Qualified Faculty Inventory (QFI). Based on future program needs, successful candidates included in the QFI may be invited to teach specific courses. Applicants should indicate in their cover letter which courses they are interested in teaching.

Potential courses include:
1118 Basic Machinery Operations and Maintenance. Students will be introduced to horticulture machinery. They will perform preventative maintenance. Students will safely demonstrate machinery operation. Students will complete a Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) Certificate.

1132 Turf Maintenance. Students will operate machinery at the School of Horticulture Field Lab to gain practical experience in turf maintenance. They will engage in tasks including mowing, cultivation, topdressing, seeding, sodding, and sand trap maintenance. Students will explore employment opportunities in the turfgrass industry.

1232 Sports Turf Management Practices. Students will explore management techniques for specialized turf areas such as football, rugby and soccer fields, baseball diamonds, bowling greens, and grass tennis and croquet courts. They will examine the management of alternative sports surfaces such as synthetic turf athletic fields, skinned baseball infields, clay and asphalt tennis courts, and hybrid turf and synthetic sports fields.

2332 Environmental Turf Management. Students will explore turfgrass industry environmental issues. They will assess societal positions, conduct site assessments and investigate environmental protection techniques. Students will develop an action plan for the promotion of environmental protection practices on intensely managed turfgrass sites.

2432 Grounds Machinery Maintenance. Students will perform maintenance on turfgrass machinery used on a golf course or in parks facilities. They will repair and maintain machinery used for turf cultivation, renovation, mowing, spraying, and other types of grounds maintenance. Students will design a layout plan of a mechanics shop and storage facility following environmental and safety guidelines.

2436 Golf Course Management. Students will study the operation and management of the golf course in the context of golf as a recreational activity, a competitive activity, and a business. Students will assess the impacts of the rules of golf, the play of the game, environmental stewardship, the organization of the turf care operations, and the organization of the golf business on golf maintenance operations. They will also analyze best management practices.

*SALARY INFORMATION:
Placement on the salary scale will be dependent on level of education and relevant teaching experience. Advancement up the pay scale is based on FTE and employment status.

This competition is for a maximum FTE of 12.5% NR1. When possible, priority will be given to the candidate(s) who can maximize the FTE either individually, or collectively, as such please indicate on your application your preferred workload percentage. This competition could also be used to add candidates to our Qualified Faculty List, therefore also please indicate on your application if you are interested in being added to this list.