Tree Care Program Manager Job Announcement

Position Details

Classification and Time: Full-time, Non-exempt

Compensation: $42.50 - $46.00 per hour, depending on experience

Benefits: Health, dental and vision insurance, long-term disability and life/AD&D insurance, pretax commuter benefit, 403(b) retirement plan with employer match, paid holidays, sick, and vacation time

Hours: 40hrs/week; Monday - Friday or Tuesday - Saturday, fluctuating

Reports to: Deputy Director of Programs

Posted Date: June 2026

About Friends of the Urban Forest

Since 1981, Friends of the Urban Forest (FUF), a premier San Francisco environmental nonprofit, has brought together communities throughout the city to plant more than 60,000 trees -- half of San Francisco’s street tree canopy. Friends of the Urban Forest has a long history of integrating urban greening with civic engagement as a way to increase community health and resilience, combat the effects of the climate crisis, and promote environmental equity and social justice. Friends of the Urban Forest recognizes San Francisco’s many communities and cultures and the diverse ways in which they connect with our urban forest. We also connect San Franciscans to nature and to each other.

This position at Friends of the Urban Forest would give you the exciting opportunity to be part of a growing and dynamic professional organization that has been creating a greener San Francisco for the last 40 years.

Position Summary

The Tree Care Program Manager plans, develops, and manages FUF’s Tree Care and Watering programs to optimize young tree health during their critical 3-to-5-year establishment period, responsible for making approximately 3,500 tree care visits annually and watering 1,100 trees per week. This is a hybrid role split between field operations (2 days per week) and program management (3 days per week) out of our Presidio of San Francisco office.

Supervising a field crew of 6 to 8 team members, the Program Manager provides critical leadership, training, and mentorship while actively working alongside them. Field days (Wednesdays and Fridays) are highly active and focused on leading public and corporate volunteer groups. Driving is an essential component of this position; the manager must safely operate loaded work trucks to facilitate tree care work as well as a 750-gallon water truck to train new drivers or substitute for crew members as needed. In the office, the manager collaborates with internal teams (Operations, Development, Tree Planting, and Community Engagement) to oversee workflows, database tracking, budget forecasting, grant reporting, and public communications.

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties, or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job.  Activities, duties, or responsibilities may change at any time with or without notice.  Both the Tree Care and Watering programs are core areas of impact and may be the focus of future expansion, the Program Manager will play a key role in continually shaping and building these programs.

Representative Duties and Responsibilities

Personnel Supervision & Volunteer Management

• Hire, train, coach, evaluate, and supervise Tree Care and Watering field crews.
• Train team members on safety protocols, watering techniques, structural pruning, and other tree care standards.
• Oversee the recruitment, training, and staffing of the Tree Care volunteer programs in conjunction with the Community Engagement team.
• Regularly conduct tree care field work, both supervising & training staff as well as leading volunteers in tree maintenance.
• Lead and participate in team collaborations, including weekly check-ins with the Watering Crew and Tree Care teams; biweekly individual 1:1s; and monthly cross-functional meetings with the Workforce Development and Tree Planting teams.

Program Operations & Fleet Logistics

• Design and implement efficient tree maintenance, health assessment, and watering schedules that fulfill partner contracts.
• Safely operate a 750-gallon low cab forward light-duty commercial water truck in the public right-of-way, providing critical field coverage when needed.
• Support team in coordinating deliveries, maintenance and load up of tools/equipment, and bringing vehicles in for mechanical maintenance.
• Enforce safety standards, legal regulations, and public right-of-way safety protocols across all field operations.

Administration, Data, & Financial Management

• Develop and maintain Salesforce workflows to efficiently plan field routes, track tree health metrics, and log resident inquiries.
• Assist with grant management, track budgets, approve invoices, and generate compliance reports for program funders.
• Contribute to organization-wide financial planning by projecting tree care goals.
• Oversee program expenses, ensuring tools, fuel, and equipment receipts are promptly coded and uploaded.

Community Relations & General Duties

• Respond to public and SF Public Works inquiries, providing professional tree care advice and resource solutions to local residents.
• Maintain strong relationships with program funders and municipal partners, including the SF Public Works Bureau of Urban Forestry.
• Attend and participate in, and occasionally assist in planning special events hosted or participated in on behalf of Friends of the Urban Forest.

Requirements

• Valid California Driver’s License with a clean driving record and the ability to safely drive a 750-gallon commercial water truck (a commercial driver’s license is not required).
• Two years of experience supervising, coaching, and mentoring field staff.
• Professional background in urban forestry, arboriculture, or horticulture, with specific knowledge of young tree establishment. 
• ISA Arborist Certification, or the ability to attain it within a reasonable, agreed-upon timeframe.
• Strong public speaking, conflict resolution, and written/verbal communication skills.
• Ability to frequently lift and move items over 40 lbs.
• A strong commitment to environmental justice, equity, and inclusion within the broader movement and the workplace
• COVID-19 vaccination (reasonable medical or religious accommodations considered).

Preferred Qualifications:

• Knowledge in young tree care, structural pruning, and pest/pathogen identification.
• Experience managing or training volunteers and working within the public right-of-way.
• Knowledge of equipment maintenance and care such as: water pumps, trucks, manual pruning tools
• Proficiency in navigating and managing data systems. Salesforce and Google Workspace platform experience is a plus.

Competitive Compensation and Benefits

The Tree Care Program Manager position is full-time, non-exempt with an hourly rate between $42.50 - $46.00 per hour. Friends of the Urban Forest offers a competitive benefits package that includes 100% employer-paid medical, dental, vision, long-term disability, life, and AD&D insurance for employees and 50% for dependents (up to a certain limit). We offer a 403(b) Retirement Plan with an employer match, a generous paid leave policy that includes 13 holidays each year, vacation starting at 12 days and increasing with additional years of employment, 10 sick days and funds for professional development opportunities.

Work Environment 

This hybrid role requires 3 to 4 days per week in our Presidio office, with the possibility of regular remote work 1 to 2 days per week. Office configurations change periodically. While in the field, the employee is regularly exposed to outdoor weather, urban traffic noise, pedestrians, and water from hoses and hydrants. When in the field, a majority of the workday is spent working on urban streets in close proximity to vehicle traffic, pedestrians, and parked cars. 

Office workspace and cubicle assignments change from time-to-time and employees should not have any expectation that any assignment is permanent. 

Physical Demands 

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Because this position manages both teams and regularly performs field duties, it is highly active and requires standing, walking, bending, reaching, pulling, kneeling, stooping, crouching, crawling, and climbing throughout the workday. The employee must frequently lift and move items over 40 pounds, load tools and heavy materials into truck beds, and safely ascend/descend ladders. Employees must be physically conditioned for repetitive motions, including operating manual pruning tools, starting motorized water pumps, pulling heavy reeled hoses, and getting into and out of high commercial truck cabs.

The employee must project their voice and communicate effectively over the noise of traffic and water pumps. Required vision abilities include close, distance, peripheral, depth perception and ability to adjust focus to maintain high spatial awareness while driving large vehicles. Color vision is essential to accurately perform tree health assessments.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Friends of the Urban Forest is dedicated to anti-racism, gender inclusivity, and inclusion. As an equal opportunity employer, FUF does not discriminate against any applicant or employee on the basis of any status or characteristic protected by applicable laws or ordinances.

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color are strongly encouraged to apply, and so are candidates dedicated to anti-racism, gender inclusivity, and inclusion.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and convictions records.