Job Overview

IFS is hiring a Grounds & Landscaping Specialist in Gbagada, Lagos. Candidates need 5+ years of landscaping experience and team supervision skills.

Grounds & Landscaping Specialist at IFS – Gbagada, Lagos

Job Type: Full Time
Location: Gbagada, Lagos, Nigeria
Job Field: Engineering / Technical
Qualification: OND / HND or relevant certification
Experience: Minimum 5 years

International Facilities Services Limited (IFS) is seeking a Grounds & Landscaping Specialist to oversee landscaping and grounds maintenance operations at a client site in Gbagada, Lagos.

The position combines practical horticultural work with team supervision. The successful candidate will coordinate gardeners and equipment operators, maintain landscaped areas, oversee plant health and irrigation, manage grounds equipment and ensure that maintenance work is completed safely and to a consistent standard.

About IFS

International Facilities Services Limited (IFS) provides facilities management services to clients across several markets, including Nigeria, Ghana, South Africa and the Middle East.

Its work covers the management and maintenance of client facilities, with specialist teams supporting different aspects of facility operations.

What you will be responsible for

The Grounds & Landscaping Specialist will coordinate daily grounds operations and ensure that landscaped areas remain well maintained.

Key responsibilities include:

• Supervising gardeners and grounds equipment operators and assigning daily tasks across different areas of the site.
• Planning preventive and corrective grounds maintenance, including mowing, trimming, planting, watering, fertilising and pest or weed control.
• Monitoring the health of lawns, hedges, garden beds and ornamental plants.
• Identifying plant diseases, pest problems and irrigation issues and taking appropriate corrective action.
• Operating grounds equipment such as ride-on and push-behind mowers, brush cutters, hedge trimmers, chainsaws and fertiliser spreaders.
• Providing practical guidance to team members on the correct use of grounds equipment.
• Ensuring equipment and tools are properly used, maintained and stored.
• Keeping equipment logs and reporting faults or maintenance issues promptly.
• Managing irrigation schedules and promoting efficient use of water across landscaped areas.
• Ensuring team members follow safety procedures and use appropriate personal protective equipment.
• Maintaining maintenance records, work schedules and defect reports through the facility’s CMMS or CAFM system.
• Working with the Facilities Management site lead and engineering team on scheduling, resources and grounds-related operational issues.
• Supporting grounds preparation and restoration for events and periods of high site activity.
• Training, mentoring and supervising members of the grounds team and supporting improvements in their horticultural and equipment-handling skills.

Qualifications and experience

Applicants should have:

• OND, HND or a relevant certification in Horticulture, Landscape Management, Agricultural Science or a related discipline.
• Strong practical experience may also be considered where formal qualifications are not directly aligned with the role.
• At least 5 years of experience in grounds or landscaping management.
• Demonstrable experience supervising or leading a team.
• Hands-on experience using grounds equipment such as ride-on mowers, brush cutters, hedge trimmers, chainsaws and fertiliser spreaders.
• Good knowledge of planting, irrigation, plant health and pest and weed control practices suitable for the local environment.
• Experience using a CMMS or CAFM system to record maintenance work and schedule tasks.
• Strong organisational and people-management skills.
• A good understanding of safe equipment operation and PPE requirements.
• Willingness to work flexible shifts, including weekends, depending on operational and event requirements.
• The physical ability to work outdoors and perform grounds-maintenance duties in different weather conditions.

What the role requires day to day

This is a practical supervisory position. The successful candidate should be comfortable moving between planning work for the team and getting involved directly when hands-on support is needed.

A strong understanding of landscaping alone will not be enough. The role also requires someone who can organise people, keep maintenance records, monitor equipment, follow safety procedures and communicate effectively with the wider Facilities Management team.

Candidates with experience working on large commercial, residential, institutional or managed facilities may find that their previous experience transfers well to the position.

Equipment and maintenance responsibilities

Grounds maintenance depends heavily on the safe and reliable use of powered equipment. The successful candidate should therefore have practical experience with equipment such as:

• Ride-on mowers
• Push-behind mowers
• Brush cutters
• Hedge trimmers
• Chainsaws
• Fertiliser spreaders

The role includes checking equipment condition, ensuring appropriate maintenance is carried out, keeping equipment records and reporting faults before they affect operations.

Safety is particularly important when operating powered equipment. Team members will be expected to follow established procedures and use the appropriate PPE.

Working with the Facilities Management team

The Grounds & Landscaping Specialist will not work in isolation. The position involves regular coordination with the Facilities Management site lead and wider engineering team.

This may include planning maintenance schedules, arranging resources, resolving grounds-related operational issues and preparing landscaped areas for events or periods when the site expects higher footfall.

Good communication and organisation will therefore be important alongside practical horticultural knowledge.

Who is likely to be a good fit?

This role would suit an experienced landscaping or grounds-maintenance professional who is ready to take responsibility for both people and day-to-day site standards.

The ideal candidate should enjoy practical outdoor work but also be comfortable organising a team, maintaining records and planning preventive maintenance. Experience supervising gardeners or equipment operators will be particularly relevant.

Because the position may involve weekends, flexible shifts and outdoor work in varying weather conditions, applicants should be prepared for the physical and operational demands of the job.

How to apply

Interested and qualified candidates should apply through the International Facilities Services Limited (IFS) recruitment platform.

When applying, make sure your CV clearly shows your landscaping or grounds-maintenance experience, supervisory responsibilities, experience with powered grounds equipment and any relevant horticulture, agricultural or landscape-management qualifications.

There is no application deadline specified in the vacancy, so candidates should review the requirements and apply promptly.