Director, Sports Turf & Grounds
KC Current
Full-time
On-site
Riverside, Missouri, United States
Women's Soccer, Field Maintenance & Groundskeeping, Professional Soccer, Director
Join the Team.
Kansas City Current is home to the best-in-class training facility and the first stadium built for a women’s sport team. Our organization is committed to seeing the fullest potential of our athletes and of our city.
To foster our vision, we prioritize hiring and retaining world-class talent. We’re looking for talented individuals with diverse perspectives, skill sets, and backgrounds to provide our guests with an unforgettable experience. As leaders in women’s sports, we are excited to offer a variety of positions within our front office, stadium, and event settings. We provide opportunities for professional growth and development and invest in our employees through competitive pay, robust health care and wellness benefits, and employee resources and networking.
Who are we hiring?
Kansas City Current is seeking Director, Sports Turf & Grounds to collaborate with & support VP, Sports Turf & Grounds. The Director will primarily lead the maintenance program at TUKHS Training Center. Director will also assist at CPKC Stadium as needed.
What is Sports Turf & Grounds responsible for?
Sports Turf & Grounds Department has one defining goal: Provide KC Current players with the best playing surfaces in the world.
To ensure success, KC Current has made a unique commitment to playing surfaces that utilize some of the most advanced technology in two different locations:
- The University of Kansas Health System Training Center (TUKHS TC): Includes Training Center + new Performance Center, new Riverside Stadium (2500 seat event stadium with glycol under soil heated natural grass playing surface), & new KC Current Youth Academy
- 2 – World Class quality natural grass training surfaces (specifically for Professional 1st & 2nd team trainings)
- 1 - new World Class quality natural grass surface with glycol under soil heating (Inside Riverside Stadium)
- 4 – new native soil youth academy surfaces
- 5 – FIFA certified artificial turf surfaces with Bio-Based Infill
- 20 acres of common / native areas & landscaping
- CPKC Stadium:
- 1 – World Class quality natural grass surface with glycol under soil heating, SubAir vacuum & ventilation, & the 1st SGL LED grow light installation in North America
- Stadium common / native areas & landscaping
- New Current Landing Riverfront District common / native areas & landscaping, including 1st of its kind riverfront park
With Kansas City hosting 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, both TUKHS TC & CPKC Stadium are training sites for the tournament:
- TUKHS TC: two – 1st team training surfaces to serve as a base camp site for 1 of the top teams in the world
- CPKC Stadium: Venue Specific Training Site for teams preparing for matches at Kansas City Stadium
What will Director do?
Leadership
- Organize then direct the day-to-day maintenance program with a supportive, respectful “coaching” approach that complies with established Department culture
- Help expand established Department culture that emphasizes safety, trust, open communication, and value for every single Sports Turf & Grounds Team member
- Lead a staff of 2-4 Managers plus several additional full-time & part-time Team members
- Portray an attitude that encourages getting things done when they need to be done / do not put off till tomorrow that can be done today
- Carry an understanding that small details matter
- Warmly collaborate with management staff across the entire organization, especially in Operations & Event Management, to ensure all matches & events are the best they can possibly be
- Serve as cooperative liaison with FIFA Pitch Management in preparation for & during FIFA Men’s World Cup
- Spearhead hiring all TUKHS TC Sports Turf & Grounds staff members (full-time, part-time, FIFA MWC volunteers, etc)
Agronomic / Technical
- Understand how to fully utilize technologies such as:
- SubAir Turf Watch
- Glycol under soil heating
- SubAir vacuum & ventilation
- SGL Portal
- SGL LED grow lights
- Understand how to analyze data from a full-scale playing surface data collection program that a) guides ALL daily / weekly maintenance & b) provides accountability for Sports Turf management program with Players, Technical Staff, & Team Leadership. Data comes from devices that could include:
- Deltec FieldTester
- SGL FLEX
- SGL Turf Pods
- Pogo TurfPro
- Soil Scout in-soil sensors
- ACS-435 active canopy sensors
- Turf Rad
- and/or any other devices deemed impactful (by the VP, Director, or Managers) for playing surface assessment
- Actively research & explore new technologies that could be added to the playing surface data collection program
- Be responsible for irrigation management utilizing POGO TurfPro, Soil Scout in-soil sensors, & Rainbird IQ irrigation controllers
- Have experience with and/or buy-in to an established agronomic program based with:
- Regular soil testing to monitor nutrients, organic matter, & the soil microbiome
- Biological Soil Management
- Pre-stress conditioning with defensive nutrition that protects plant performance & supports Systemic Acquired Resistance
- Creating approaches that can reduce and/or eliminate the need for sod replacements on existing surfaces
- Aggressive maintenance including fraze mowing, re-seeding instead v sodding, & growing grass 12 months / year, even in Kansas City cold or heat
Business Operations
- Oversee budgets & accounting for all playing surfaces & some landscape maintenance
- Participate in creating & managing budgets for assets, maintenance, renovation, and construction
- Observe and/or collaborate on projects that involve off-site playing surfaces for pre-season training, youth academy sites, & HB Koge in Denmark (purchased by KC Current ownership in May, 2025)
- Collaborate across the organization on potential future large-scale events such as concerts, festivals, Women’s World Cup, Rugby World Cup, etc
Perform other duties as assigned to support KC Current’s mission to become the best soccer club – with the very best playing surfaces – anywhere in the world
What do you need to succeed?
- 7+ years of experience with Professional level, high quality sports turf maintenance
- 4+ years of people management
- Previous experience with multiple grass types in transition zone
- Proficient in the Microsoft Office Suite, including Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint & Calendar
- Associate or bachelor’s degree in a turfgrass related field
- Obtain Missouri Pesticide Applicators License within 6 months of hire
Special requirements of the Job:
- Must be able to work a flexible schedule, including weekends, nights (event evenings & overnight operation shifts) and holidays
- Ability to monitor company communications and respond to time-sensitive matters with senior executives
- Ability to work in various degrees of outdoor weather conditions, including but not limited to, extreme heat, cold, and/or rain
- Ability to lift 50 pounds of weight frequently throughout assigned workday
- Ability to work in various positions, including but not limited to, stooping, standing, bending over, sitting, kneeling, and squatting for extended periods of time
We value diversity and seek world-class employees of all backgrounds. The Kansas City Current values diversity and is looking for extraordinary employees of all backgrounds! We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, sexual and reproductive health choices, national origin, citizenship, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. In addition to federal law mandates, we comply with all applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in all locations and will consider requests for reasonable accommodations as required.