Greenhouse and Nursery Assistant

Chemeketa Community College; Salem (OR); On-site; USD 21,000 - 30,000; Part time

Job summary

The Greenhouse and Nursery Assistant at Chemeketa Community College works independently to operate the college greenhouse and organic garden, coordinating with Agricultural Sciences faculty to support the horticulture program.

This part-time hourly pool position involves daily watering, equipment maintenance, tool organization, and maintaining logs of plant health and IPM activities, with opportunities to assist in on-campus plant sales and student labs.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED required with one year of related experience in nursery or greenhouse settings.
• Ability to manage crop timelines and lab setup for horticulture courses.
• Strong organizational and communication skills with diverse student interaction.

Responsibilities

• Daily watering and fertilizing; operate and monitor greenhouse systems.
• Organize tools, prepare labs, clean and maintain equipment.
• Maintain detailed greenhouse logs on plant health and IPM activities.
• Assist instructors with lab setup, student activities, and plant sales planning.
• Provide instruction on proper tool handling and plant care.
• Ensure sanitation and safety across greenhouse, headhouse, and garden paths.

Skills

Time management

Organizational skills

Communication

Safety compliance

IPM knowledge

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Associate's degree in Horticulture

Tools

Greenhouse systems

Irrigation systems

Ventilation systems

Pesticide application equipment

Job description

The Greenhouse and Nursery Assistant works independently to carry out the daily operations of the Chemeketa Community College greenhouse and organic garden. This works collaboratively with Agricultural Sciences faculty and staff to ensure the successful operation of the overall horticulture program.

This is a part-time hourly pool. Applications are collected for possible immediate, or future college vacancies. This type of employment is temporary and often sporadic. You may only be contacted if a review of your application results in the intent to pursue your candidacy.

Chemeketa is a proud Hispanic-Serving Institution that aspires to be an inclusive environment where we honor and value the unique contributions of our diverse students, employees, and community. We seek to foster cultural competence and pursue equitable solutions that support all students in achieving their educational goals.

• Resume
• Responsible for the daily operations and physical maintenance of the Chemeketa greenhouse facility and tools. Includes daily watering and fertilizing; operation and monitoring of greenhouse heating and cooling systems; carrying out general greenhouse sanitation and tool maintenance to ensure a safe, clean, and secure learning environment.
• Organizes and prepares horticultural tools, equipment, pots, and soil mixtures. Helps setup instructional labs for horticulture courses. Cleans and maintains tools and specialized greenhouse equipment, ensuring everything is stored safely and is in proper working order.
• Responsible for keeping detailed, accurate greenhouse operational logs. This includes tracking plant health, propagation schedules, pest monitoring logs, pesticide application records (under licensing compliance), and beneficial insect releases. Maintains technology files for administrative records.
• Works in direct collaboration with the Agricultural Sciences Dean, Horticulture Program Chair, and instructors to support class requirements. Helps setup lab exercises, coordinates student activities in the greenhouse and organic garden, and helps identify and execute additional maintenance priorities defined by faculty.
• Performs general sanitation in the greenhouse, headhouse, and immediate garden pathways, including sweeping floor surfaces, disinfecting growing benches to prevent plant diseases, and emptying waste bins to maintain professional standards.
• Carries out routine checks and minor troubleshooting/maintenance of greenhouse irrigation lines, misting systems, ventilation fans, and hand tools.
• Reports major mechanical or structural malfunctions to the supervisor.
• Instructs and guides students, hourly workers, and volunteers on the proper, safe handling of greenhouse tools, seeding/planting machinery, soil mixers, and greenhouse environmental controls.
• Answers general, procedural, and plant care questions from students working in the greenhouse or organic garden. Provides instruction on proper watering, transplanting, and integrated pest management (IPM) practices.
• Coordinates with the Program Chair to plan, schedule, and execute on-campus plant sales. Collaborates with the appropriate instructor to coordinate organic garden activities, crop plantings, and public events.

Institutional Expectations

• Embraces diversity and actively collaborates effectively with a variety of students, staff and the public from diverse cultural, social, economic and educational backgrounds
• Participates in recruitment and retention of students at an individual and institutional level in promotion of student success
• Embraces, understands and uses appropriate technology tools to accomplish job functions
• Provides high quality, effective service to internal and external customers through continuous improvement and adoption of lean office practices

Minimum Qualifications

High School Diploma / GED

• AND- One (1) year of related experience, which must include a minimum of six (6) months of direct experience working in a commercial nursery or academic greenhouse setting. Core Competencies
• Good organizational and independent time-management skills; ability to manage crop timelines and work calendars.
• Ability to communicate well with diverse students and staff; bicultural/multicultural skills sufficient to select appropriate behaviors, values, and attitudes across cultures.
• Technical horticulture knowledge: Proper plant care, propagation, nutrition, soil preparation, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) using biological controls.
• Reliability and punctuality to ensure consistent daily plant care, watering, and ventilation monitoring.

Preferred Qualifications

• Associate's degree from an accredited institution with academic coursework in Horticulture.
• Two (2) years of full-time equivalent experience in greenhouse and/or nursery production/management.
• Direct hands-on experience operating and maintaining greenhouse mechanical and environmental control systems.
• Familiarity with sustainable and innovative agricultural or horticultural practices.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

• Part-time hourly positions will not exceed 900 working hours per fiscal year
• All positions at Chemeketa are required to be available for work onsite as requested by the college.
• Requires flexible work schedule to meet program needs, which may include evenings and/or weekends
• This position may require the use of your personal vehicle for transportation between campus locations
• If requested, you must supply official transcripts within 30-days of hire
• Employees must maintain Oregon, Washington or Idaho residency as a condition of employment.
• Successful applicants for designated positions must successfully pass a background inquiry, which may include criminal, driving, credit and full background checks. Only information relevant to the position will be considered. An individual with negative information on their background inquiry will not necessarily be denied employment.
• Providing false information will result in rejection of an application, employment offer or dismissal

Physical Requirements

Sedentary Work: Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary requirements are met.

VETERANS' PREFERENCE

Applicants are eligible to use Veterans' Preference when applying with Chemeketa Community College in accordance with ORS 408.225, 408.230 and 408.235; and OAR 105-040-0010 and 105-040-0015. Preference will be given only if the applicant meets the minimum criteria of the position and electronically attach the required documentation at the time of application.

For information regarding Veterans' Preference qualifications, visit http://www.oregonjobs.org/DAS/STJOBS/vetpoints.shtmlq

Documents Required For Veterans' Preference

• One of the following:
• MEMBER COPY 4 of the Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty (DD Form 214 or 215) -OR-
• Letter from the US Dept. of Veterans Affairs indicating receipt of a non-service connected pension -OR-
• Certification that discharge or release from active duty under honorable conditions will take place not later than 120 days after the submission of the certificate
• In addition to one of the above documents, Disabled Veterans must also submit one of the following:
• A copy of their Veterans disability preference letter from the Department of Veterans Affairs -OR-
• Certification that medical separation from active duty under honorable conditions will take place not later than 120 days after the submission of the certificate.

You can request copies of your military service record through the National Archives website at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/

PleaseNote:As part of the first round of screening, the committee will conduct an anonymous review of the application materials and will not be able to view any personally identifiable information. Please be sure that your application is complete and thoroughly depicts how you meet the minimum qualifications, core competencies and preferred qualifications.

Required documents must be provided at the time of application. Any applications which do not have the required documents attached will be considered incomplete. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Chemeketa makes employment decisions based solely on the candidate's demonstrated competencies as related to successful performance in the position.

PUBLIC SERVICE LOAN FORGIVENESS

Chemeketa Community College is considered a qualifying public employer for the purposes of the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Through the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, full-time employees working at the College may qualify for forgiveness of the remaining balance on Direct Loans after 120 qualifying monthly payments under a qualifying repayment plan. Questions regarding your loan eligibility should be directed to your loan servicer or to the US Department of Education.

LEGAL COMPLIANCE

Chemeketa Community College does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, immigration or citizenship status, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, familial status, pregnancy, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by federal, state, or local law in any area, activity, or operation of the College.

Chemeketa Community College is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer.

• For students with disabilities: Section 504/ADA Coordinator in Student Accessibility Services, 503.399.5279
• For employees with disabilities: Vice President of Governance & Administration, 503.399.2537
• For sex-based discrimination: Title IX Coordinator, 503.584.7323
• For equal employment opportunities or affirmative action: Affineitive Action Officer in Human Resources, 503.315.4586

To request this publication in an alternative format, please call 503.399.5192. For language access, please call 503.315.4586.