Horticultural Technician

University of Wisconsin-Madison; Madison (WI); On-site; USD 23,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Paid time off

WRS pension

Job summary

University of Wisconsin–Madison seeks a Horticultural Technician to design and maintain seasonal campus landscapes. You will grow, plant, and care for annuals and perennials across outdoor spaces and the UW–Madison greenhouse, including high-visibility areas.

The role blends independent work with a team of horticulture and grounds professionals and may support campus events with floral displays for winter and spring ceremonies. This is a full-time, on-site position with flexible shifts.

Qualifications

• At least one year of experience operating landscape maintenance tools and equipment.
• Ability to work outdoors in varying weather conditions, lifting, bending, standing, and walking.
• Experience working independently and as part of a team to complete tasks.
• Ability to interpret landscape plans and work documents.
• Licenses: Commercial Turf & Landscape (Category 3.0) and Greenhouse & Nursery (104.0/105.0) within six months of hire.
• Driver’s license is required and must meet UW risk standards.

Responsibilities

• Train, assist, and monitor students and staff as needed.
• Maintain records of plant acquisitions and greenhouse/garden activities.
• Develop and execute spraying programs for fungicide, pesticide, and herbicide applications.
• Perform snow removal duties in winter.
• Coordinate planting, sowing, fertilization, trimming, watering, and spraying of areas.
• Coordinate greenhouse facility and equipment maintenance and environmental controls.
• Plan and implement instructional plant production schedules and cultural practices.
• Perform daily operational activities of a greenhouse, garden, or plant project(s).
• Serve as horticultural expert to internal and external stakeholders; assist with lab demonstrations.

Skills

Independent work

Teamwork

Landscape plans

Physical stamina

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Tools

Commercial pesticide licenses

Turf & Landscape licenses

Job description

Current Employees: If you are currently employed at any of the Universities of Wisconsin, log in to Workday to apply through the internal application process.

Job Category

University Staff

Employment Type

Regular

Job Profile

Horticultural Technician

Job Summary

Help shape the beauty of the UW-Madison campus by creating and maintaining the seasonal landscape displays that make campus vibrant and welcoming!

This position will create and maintain the seasonal landscape displays on the UW–Madison campus. Responsibilities include designing seasonal displays and growing, planting, and caring for a wide variety of annual and perennial plants used in campus displays throughout the year. Work will be divided between outdoor campus landscapes and the Grounds Department Greenhouse, where staff grow thousands of annual plants for seasonal floral displays. Technicians may care for highly visible areas such as the iconic “W” along University Avenue, the Chancellor’s Residence, the System President’s House landscapes, and other locations across campus.

This position offers a combination of independent work and collaboration with a team of horticulture and grounds professionals. Technicians will also have the opportunity to contribute to special campus events, including preparing and installing floral displays for winter and spring commencement ceremonies.

Daily work may include planting, watering, cultivating, pruning, weeding, and maintaining seasonal and intensive landscape displays, as well as operating a variety of landscape maintenance tools and equipment. Depending on the assignment, this may include hand tools, motorized walk-behind equipment, and ride-on machinery. This position is also responsible for snow removal on campus, playing an important role in keeping the university grounds safe, accessible, and beautiful throughout the year.

Ongoing/Renewable

Full-Time: 100% FTE

Hours generally scheduled: Monday- Friday, 7am- 3:30pm.

Occasional nights, weekends and holidays may be required for this position. Work is performed onsite.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Trains, assists, and monitors the work of students and unit staff as needed
• Maintains records of plant acquisitions and of greenhouse/garden activities and schedules
• Develops, coordinates and executes spraying programs for fungicide, pesticide, and herbicide applications
• Performs all necessary snow removal duties in the winter
• Coordinates the planting, sowing, fertilization, trimming, watering, and spraying of assigned areas
• Coordinates the maintenance of a greenhouse facility, equipment, and environmental controls. May coordinate the care of animals and other organisms
• Plans and implements instructional plant production schedules; determines and implements proper cultural practices for plant materials, disease and pest control practices, and plant requirements for light, temperature, moisture, and nutrition
• Executes the technical day-to-day operational activities of a greenhouse complex, botanical garden, or plant research project(s)
• Serves as a horticultural expert and consultant to internal and external stakeholders. May assist with laboratory demonstrations when necessary

Department

Division of Facilities Planning & Management (FP&M), Physical Plant- Grounds

About the Division of Facilities Planning & Management (FP&M)

The Division of Facilities Planning & Management (FP&M) is a full-spectrum service organization that builds, maintains, and operates the physical environment of UW-Madison in the university's education, research, and outreach activities. We are responsible for everything from the building projects that change the face of campus to the flowers that beautify the grounds.

Find out more about our Division: https://inside.fpm.wisc.edu/about-fpm/

Compensation

$20/hr minimum

The minimum rate for this position is $20/hr but it is negotiable based on experience and qualifications.

This position offers a comprehensive benefits package, including generous paid time off, competitively priced health/dental/vision/life insurance, tax-advantaged savings accounts, and participation in the nationally recognized Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) pension fund.

For a summary of benefits, please see below for more information: University Staff Benefits Summary

Required Qualifications

• At least one year of experience safely operating landscape maintenance tools and equipment, such as hedge trimmers, string trimmers, cultivators, and other hand and power tools.
• Ability to perform physically demanding work outdoors in a variety of weather conditions, including lifting, bending, standing, and walking for extended periods.
• Experience working independently and as part of a team to complete assigned work tasks.
• Experience interpreting and carrying out work assignments using landscape plans, written instructions, or related work documents.
• Ability to obtain and maintain Commercial Turf & Landscape (Category 3.0) and Greenhouse & Nursery (Categories 104.0/105.0) pesticide applicator licenses within six months of hire.
• Driver’s license - Valid and Meets UW Risk Management Standards

Preferred Qualifications

• 2 years of Horticulture/Landscape experience in a commercial setting
• 1 year of commercial greenhouse experience

Education

Preferred; High School Diploma or GED

Contact Information

Miluska Canicoba, 608-262-6593, [e-mail]

Relay Access (WTRS): 7-1-1. See RELAY_SERVICE for further information.

Institutional Statement on Diversity

Diversity is a source of strength, creativity, and innovation for UW-Madison. We value the contributions of each person and respect the profound ways their identity, culture, background, experience, status, abilities, and opinion enrich the university community. We commit ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, outreach, and diversity as inextricably linked goals.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison fulfills its public mission by creating a welcoming and inclusive community for people from every background - people who as students, faculty, and staff serve Wisconsin and the world.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to, including but not limited to, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, pregnancy, disability, or status as a protected veteran and other bases as defined by federal regulations and UW System policies. We promote excellence by acknowledging skills and expertise from all backgrounds and encourage all qualified individuals to apply. For more information regarding applicant and employee rights and to view federal and state required postings, visit the Human Resources Workplace Poster website.

To request a disability or pregnancy-related accommodation for any step in the hiring process (e.g., application, interview, pre-employment testing, etc.), please contact the Divisional Disability Representative (DDR) in the division you are applying to. Please make your request as soon as possible to help the university respond most effectively to you.

Employment may require a criminal background check. It may also require your references to answer questions regarding misconduct, including sexual violence and sexual harassment.

The University of Wisconsin System will not reveal the identities of applicants who request confidentiality in writing, except that the identity of the successful candidate will be released. See Wis. Stat. sec. 19.36(7).

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report contains current campus safety and disciplinary policies, crime statistics for the previous 3 calendar years, and on-campus student housing fire safety policies and fire statistics for the previous 3 calendar years. UW-Madison will provide a paper copy upon request; please contact the University of Wisconsin Police Department.