Horticulturist

Daali; Nagarukhra; On-site; INR 400,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Daali is hiring a skilled Horticulturist to lead full lifecycle landscaping—from site assessment and planning to plant procurement, on-site execution, handover and nursery management. The role emphasizes field work, plant health, BOQ creation and team supervision across residential, commercial and institutional projects.

You will manage Daali’s nursery operations, ensure plant health and quality, and coordinate with designers and vendors to deliver high-standard landscapes on time.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Horticulture or related discipline.
• 2–4 years of practical horticulture and landscape project experience.
• Strong knowledge of plant health, nursery management and landscape execution.

Responsibilities

• Landscape Planning and Design: conduct site surveys and develop planting concepts.
• Landscape Project Execution: take ownership from planning to handover.
• Nursery Management and Plant Health: oversee nursery upkeep and plant health.
• Procurement and BOQ: prepare accurate plant specifications and quantities.
• Coordination: work with architects, designers and clients to integrate landscaping.

Skills

Horticulture

Landscape design

Project execution

Team supervision

AutoCAD

Plant health management

Education

Bachelor's or Master's in Horticulture

Tools

AutoCAD

Job description

Location: Kolkata, West Bengal
Employment Type: Full-time
Experience Required: Minimum 2-4 years
Industry: Horticulture, Nursery Management and Landscaping

About Daali

Daali is a growing green-lifestyle brand offering plants, planters, plant-care solutions and end-to-end landscaping services. We undertake residential, commercial, retail, institutional and large-scale landscaping projects, managing everything from plant selection and design planning to execution and ongoing maintenance.

Role Overview

We are looking for an experienced and hands-on Horticulturist who can independently manage the complete lifecycle of a landscaping project from site assessment and landscape planning to plant procurement, on-site execution, handover and maintenance. The candidate will also be responsible for managing Daalis nursery and ensuring that all plants remain healthy, well-maintained, properly graded and ready for sale or dispatch to project sites.

The candidate must have strong horticultural knowledge along with practical experience in landscape design, BOQ preparation, project execution, nursery management, plant-health management and team supervision. This is a field-intensive role and not a desk-only design position.

Key Roles and Responsibilities

Landscape Planning and Design

• Conduct detailed site surveys to assess dimensions, sunlight, shade, wind exposure, soil condition, drainage, water availability and other site-specific requirements.
• Understand the clients requirements, design preferences, budget, intended use of the space and long-term maintenance capacity.
• Develop practical landscape concepts, planting layouts, plant palettes, planter-placement plans and zoning plans for indoor and outdoor spaces.
• Select plants according to site conditions, visual requirements, mature plant size, root behaviour, seasonal performance and maintenance requirements.
• Prepare basic 2D landscape drawings using AutoCAD or similar software.
• Read and interpret architectural, civil, MEP and landscape drawings.
• Prepare accurate BOQs covering plants, planters, soil media, fertilisers, irrigation materials, accessories, labour and other project requirements.
• Recommend cost-effective alternatives wherever required without compromising plant health, quality or design intent.
• Coordinate with architects, interior designers and consultants to ensure that the landscaping integrates seamlessly with the overall project.

Landscape Project Execution

• Take complete ownership of landscaping projects from planning and mobilisation to execution, snag closure and final handover.
• Prepare project timelines, material requirements, manpower plans and daily execution schedules.
• Supervise site preparation, marking, soil conditioning, drainage correction, plantation, repotting, staking, mulching, lawn development and planter installation.
• Ensure that plant spacing, placement, levels, visual balance and quantities match the approved design and BOQ.
• Coordinate with clients, architects, contractors, facility teams, vendors, gardeners and internal Daali teams.
• Monitor site progress, material consumption, labour productivity, workmanship, cleanliness and adherence to timelines.
• Identify site-related challenges and provide practical horticultural solutions during execution.
• Maintain project records, progress photographs, delivery details, material reconciliation, snag lists and handover documents.
• Ensure that completed sites are clean, healthy, visually finished and ready for client handover.
• Conduct post-installation inspections and resolve plant-health or execution-related issues promptly.

Nursery Management and Plant Health

• Take day-to-day responsibility for the overall upkeep, organisation and functioning of Daalis nursery.
• Maintain high standards of plant health, appearance and quality so that plants are ready for sale, delivery or installation at project sites.
• Develop and implement nursery maintenance schedules covering watering, fertilisation, pruning, soil improvement, pest management, cleaning and seasonal care.
• Monitor plant mortality, stress, wastage and replacement requirements, and take timely corrective action.
• Maintain accurate nursery inventory records, including plant varieties, quantities, sizes, condition, location and dispatch status.
• Oversee plant tagging, labelling, pricing support and quality grading wherever required.
• Coordinate with the sales, procurement, delivery and landscaping teams to ensure smooth movement of plants from the nursery.
• Maintain nursery cleanliness, hygiene, safety, drainage and overall presentation.
• Train and supervise nursery staff and gardeners in correct plant-care practices and handling methods.
• Support plant propagation, stock planning and replenishment of high-demand varieties whenever required.

Plant Health and Horticultural Management

• Possess strong knowledge of indoor plants, outdoor plants, trees, shrubs, climbers, groundcovers, flowering plants, lawns, succulents, bonsais and seasonal varieties.
• Diagnose pest attacks, fungal and bacterial diseases, nutrient deficiencies, transplant shock, root damage, watering problems and other plant-health issues.
• Implement preventive plant-health practices to reduce mortality, wastage and unnecessary replacements.
• Support the nursery team with plant identification, quality grading, stock planning, propagation and inventory management.
• Promote sustainable horticultural practices, including efficient water use, responsible chemical application, organic inputs and reduced plant wastage.

Procurement and Quality Control

• Prepare accurate plant and material specifications for procurement.
• Coordinate with Daalis nursery, external nurseries and vendors for timely availability of plants and landscaping materials.
• Inspect and approve plants before dispatch based on variety, size, height, spread, health, root condition and overall quality.
• Reject unhealthy, pest-affected, damaged, undersized or specification-noncompliant plants and materials.
• Monitor wastage, replacement requirements and actual material consumption against the approved BOQ.
• Maintain consistent plant-quality standards across the nursery and all Daali projects.

Preferred Candidate Profile

• Bachelors or Masters degree in Horticulture, Agriculture, Floriculture, Forestry, Landscape Horticulture or a related discipline.
• Minimum 25 years of practical experience in horticulture, nursery management and landscape project execution.
• Proven experience in independently handling residential, commercial, institutional, hospitality or township landscaping projects.
• Strong technical knowledge of plant varieties, soil media, nutrition, irrigation, pests, diseases and preventive plant care.
• Practical understanding of both indoor and outdoor landscaping.
• Experience managing a nursery or plant facility and maintaining the health and quality of a diverse plant inventory.
• Ability to conduct site surveys and convert observations into workable planting plans.
• Experience preparing landscape layouts, BOQs, plant schedules, quantity estimates and project timelines.
• Working knowledge of AutoCAD or similar 2D landscape-design software is strongly preferred.
• Ability to read architectural, civil and MEP drawings.
• Strong experience in managing gardeners, nursery staff, labour teams, vendors and multiple project sites.
• Good vendor network or sourcing knowledge for plants, soil media, irrigation materials and landscaping accessories would be an advantage.
• Based in Kolkata or willing to relocate to Kolkata.
• Willing to travel regularily to Daali’s nursery, client locations and outstation project sites.
• Comfortable working outdoors and during extended site hours when required for nursery operations or project execution.
• Must be proactive, accountable and capable of taking end-to-end ownership rather than waiting for continuous supervision.
• A portfolio containing landscape drawings, BOQs and photographs of personally executed projects will be strongly preferred.

Key Performance Indicators

• Timely completion of landscaping projects.
• Accuracy of BOQs, plant quantities and material estimates.
• Quality of project execution and adherence to the approved design.
• Overall health, appearance and saleability of nursery plants.
• Plant survival rate and reduction in avoidable replacements.
• Reduction in nursery plant mortality, pest damage and wastage.
• Control of material wastage and project costs.
• Timely identification and treatment of plant-health problems.
• Quality of nursery maintenance, project maintenance and post-installation support.
• Accuracy of nursery inventory and plant-dispatch records.
• Client satisfaction and timely closure of complaints and snag points.
• Productivity, discipline and quality of supervised nursery and site teams.
• Accuracy and timeliness of nursery, project and plant-health reports.

Compensation

Salary will be discussed during the interview and will be based on the candidate’s experience, technical knowledge, nursery-management capabilities, project portfolio and ability to independently manage landscape projects.