Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Irrigation Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Irrigation Coordinator is responsible for planning, implementing, and maintaining efficient irrigation systems and water-use programs across landscapes, parks, golf courses, facilities, or municipal infrastructure. This role focuses on system design and layout, smart controller scheduling (ET/weather-based), pump and valve maintenance, backflow prevention compliance, and contractor coordination to maximize water savings while ensuring reliable, healthy landscapes. The Irrigation Coordinator serves as the technical lead for irrigation projects, provides training and documentation, and reports on water consumption and conservation outcomes.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Irrigation Technician or Irrigation Apprentice
Landscape Technician / Groundskeeper
Maintenance Worker with irrigation experience

Advancement To:

Irrigation Manager / Irrigation Supervisor
Facilities or Grounds Operations Manager
Water Resources Manager / Sustainability Coordinator

Lateral Moves:

Landscape Project Coordinator
Construction Site Irrigation Lead
Municipal Utilities Technician

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop, implement, and manage seasonal and site-specific irrigation schedules using evapotranspiration (ET) data, soil moisture sensors, and weather-based controllers to optimize water use and ensure plant health across multiple properties or zones.
Inspect, diagnose, and repair irrigation system components including controllers, sprinkler heads, valves, solenoids, lateral lines, manifolds, backflow assemblies, and pump stations, ensuring timely restoration of service and minimal landscape impact.
Oversee installation, retrofit and upgrade projects for irrigation systems—prepare layouts, coordinate trenching and water line connections, verify as-built drawings, and ensure installations adhere to design drawings, AutoCAD plans, and municipal standards.
Program, calibrate, and maintain a variety of controllers and smart irrigation technologies (Hunter, Rain Bird, Toro, Hydrawise, Rachio, Irrigation CADD) including wireless stations and remote access platforms; troubleshoot communication and scheduling issues.
Manage and perform preventative maintenance plans, seasonal start-up and winterization of systems, pressure testing, valve exercising, and scheduled component replacement to prolong equipment life and prevent system failures.
Coordinate and supervise contractors, vendors, and internal crews for installs, repairs, and large-scale projects; create scopes of work, obtain quotes, monitor quality, and enforce safety and contract requirements.
Conduct irrigation audits and water-use analyses, producing detailed reports that include flow measurements, precipitation rates, uniformity tests (CUSM), water budgets, and recommendations for efficiency improvements and leak detection.
Maintain and operate pump stations and booster pumps including routine testing, troubleshooting, priming, motor checks, impeller inspections, and coordination of electrical and mechanical repairs with licensed contractors.
Ensure compliance with local and state water ordinances, drought restrictions, backflow prevention regulations, and environmental guidelines; complete required permit applications and coordinate inspections with regulatory agencies.
Administer cross-connection control programs and perform or coordinate backflow prevention testing, documentation and certification of assemblies in accordance with public health standards.
Perform hydraulic calculations for mainline sizing, head loss, friction loss, and booster pump requirements to verify system performance and recommend changes to improve uniformity and pressure management.
Create and maintain accurate documentation, as-built drawings, equipment inventories, repair logs, maintenance schedules, and GIS layers for irrigation assets to support asset management and capital planning.
Use GIS and GPS to map sprinkler heads, valves, lateral lines, zones, and irrigation assets to create searchable records that support rapid repairs, planning, and reporting.
Manage procurement, parts inventory, and budget for irrigation supplies and replacement parts; forecast needs, negotiate vendor pricing, and maintain cost controls for maintenance and capital projects.
Lead training sessions and mentor irrigation technicians and grounds staff on proper system operation, quick diagnostics, safe excavation practices, lockout/tagout, and efficient watering techniques.
Troubleshoot electrical issues related to controllers, solenoids, and wiring harnesses; read and interpret wiring diagrams and coordinate licensed electricians for high-voltage or complex control systems.
Integrate irrigation systems with building management or SCADA platforms where applicable; assist in developing telemetry, remote monitoring dashboards, and alarm response procedures.
Implement water conservation initiatives such as pressure regulation, rain sensors, zone optimization, nozzle upgrades, and drip irrigation conversions to reduce consumption and meet sustainability targets.
Respond to emergency calls and after-hours irrigation failures (main breaks, pump failures, significant leaks) and coordinate emergency repairs to mitigate landscape damage and infrastructure disruption.
Collaborate with landscape architects, project managers, engineers, and stakeholders to review irrigation design plans, provide constructability feedback, value-engineer proposals, and recommend alternative water-efficient solutions.
Prepare regular operational reports, KPI dashboards, grant applications, and compliance summaries for leadership, demonstrating progress toward water reduction targets and capital project milestones.
Monitor and analyze water meter data and billing to detect anomalies, reconcile irrigation loads, and recommend metering or billing changes to reduce departmental cost exposure.
Lead retrofit projects to convert spray systems to high-efficiency rotors, matched precipitation nozzles, or drip irrigation where appropriate; quantify projected water savings and payback.
Coordinate with tenant or customer representatives in multi-use sites to schedule irrigation-related work to minimize service impacts and provide clear communication about outages and expected restoration times.
Work with environmental compliance teams to evaluate stormwater interactions, reclaimed water usage, and nutrient management strategies when irrigation uses recycled or non-potable water sources.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc operational reporting and exploratory analysis of water use trends to inform capital planning and conservation program effectiveness.
Contribute to the organization’s water conservation strategy, capital improvement roadmap, and preventive maintenance plans, aligning irrigation initiatives with sustainability goals.
Collaborate with procurement and finance to translate equipment lifecycle needs into budget requests, purchase orders, and capital project justifications.
Participate in cross-functional project meetings, site inspections, and construction coordination to ensure irrigation scope aligns with overall site improvements.
Provide technical input for RFPs, scope of work documents, and contract reviews related to irrigation services and water management projects.
Update and maintain training materials, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and safe work practices related to irrigation operations.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Irrigation system design and layout, including lateral sizing, head-to-head coverage planning, pressure regulation, and hydraulic calculations.
Controller programming and management of smart, weather-based controllers (e.g., Hunter, Rain Bird, Toro, Hydrawise) and remote scheduling platforms.
Backflow prevention testing, cross-connection control knowledge, and experience with state/local backflow certification requirements.
Pump station operation, basic motor and electrical troubleshooting, and coordination with licensed electricians for repairs and motor replacements.
Hands-on repair skills for valves, solenoids, sprinkler heads, drip systems, manifolds, and lateral line repairs.
Irrigation audit techniques including uniformity (CUSM), precipitation rate measurement, flow/pressure testing, and soil moisture interpretation.
Proficiency with AutoCAD, Civil 3D or similar drafting tools and the ability to read and annotate plans and as-built drawings.
GIS mapping, GPS asset mapping, and experience maintaining spatial layers for irrigation infrastructure.
Familiarity with SCADA/PLC basics, remote telemetry, IoT sensor integration, and connecting irrigation telemetry to building/utility systems.
Knowledge of plant water requirements, soil science, and how to select irrigation strategies for turf, shrubs, trees, and specialty plantings.
Use of Microsoft Office (Excel pivot tables, data analysis) and CMMS/work-order systems to track work, budgets, and maintenance schedules.
Understanding of municipal water regulations, permit processes, and drought response protocols.

Soft Skills

Strong communication skills for clear interaction with vendors, contractors, regulatory officials, property managers, and internal stakeholders.
Leadership and crew supervision skills to train, mentor, and direct irrigation technicians and seasonal staff.
Problem-solving and critical thinking to troubleshoot complex system failures under time constraints.
Project management skills to manage multiple projects, timelines, scopes, and budgets simultaneously.
Attention to detail for accurate documentation, safety compliance, and quality assurance in installation and repairs.
Customer-service orientation when coordinating shutdowns, responding to tenant concerns, and explaining water conservation measures.
Time management and scheduling aptitude to prioritize emergency repairs vs. preventative maintenance.
Adaptability and continuous-learning mindset to stay current with irrigation technologies, codes, and best practices.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED; vocational training in irrigation, horticulture, or electrical basics recommended.

Preferred Education:

Associate degree or Bachelor’s degree in Horticulture, Landscape Technology, Turf Management, Civil/Environmental Engineering, Water Resources or related field.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Horticulture / Turfgrass Management
Landscape Architecture / Landscape Technology
Civil Engineering / Environmental Engineering
Water Resources Management / Environmental Science

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2 to 7 years of progressively responsible irrigation experience (technician through coordinator roles), including hands-on repairs and project oversight.

Preferred:

3+ years coordinating irrigation programs, managing contractors, working with smart controllers and pump systems, and demonstrating measurable water savings or successful retrofit projects.
Certifications such as Certified Irrigation Technician (CIT), Certified Irrigation Designer (CID), Backflow Prevention Tester, or related state certifications are strongly preferred. CDL, OSHA 10/30, and First Aid/CPR may be a plus.