Native Plant Horticulturalist I, Shaw Nature Reserve

Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan St. Louis - Jobboard; Gray Summit (MO); On-site; USD 21,000 - 28,000; Full time

Job summary

Shaw Nature Reserve seeks a dedicated horticulture assistant to design, maintain, and care for outdoor displays and collections. You will support planning, installation, and ongoing care of gardens, seed collection, and label accuracy, with emphasis on field notebooks and accession records.

Responsibilities include soil prep, planting, mulching, irrigation, pruning, and supervising volunteers. Safety and record-keeping are essential, with occasional weekend duties during plant sales and prairie

Qualifications

• 1-3 years hands-on horticulture work experience.
• Strong knowledge of native plant materials and landscape maintenance techniques.
• Ability to interact with the public in a safe, friendly manner.
• Demonstrated communication skills at all levels.

Responsibilities

• Maintain outdoor displays and plant collections, including soil prep, planting, mulching, weeding, watering and fertilization.
• Assist horticulture staff with landscape installation and maintenance as needed.
• Supervise volunteers and manage day-to-day landscape tasks and records.
• Water greenhouse and garden areas; collect and store native seeds with detailed records.
• Keep accurate records of plants in the permanent collection and labeling.
• Adhere to safety guidelines; report accidents and hazards; enforce safety practices.
• Perform other duties as assigned; occasional weekend work for plant sales or prairie day.

Skills

Horticulture experience

Native plants knowledge

Public interaction

Record keeping

Tools

Landscaping tools

Lawn equipment operation

Job description

Summary

Performs all duties associated with design, maintenance and care of the outdoor displays and collections for the Shaw Nature Reserve.Duties aredirectly relatedto planning, design, installation and maintenance of outdoor displays,SNR (Shaw Nature Reserve)horticulture studies, seed collection, processing and inventories and careful attention to accession record keeping and plant labeling are critical components of this position.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Performs a wide range of landscape maintenance tasks important to the preservation, protection and transplanting of existing plants; including but not limited to soil preparation, planting, mulching, weeding, watering, fertilization,irrigationand herbicide application.
• Mayassistthe horticulture staff to perform landscape installation and maintenance responsibilities as needed.
• Overseesthe day-to-day responsibilities ofmaintainingthe landscape and volunteer assignments. Performs “off-season” tasks including invasive plant removal, tree pruning, leaf pick-up, storm damage cleanup, treeremovaland snow/iceremoval.
• Responsible for watering dutiesingreenhouseandgarden.
• Collects,cleansandstores native seeds from wild and garden origin. Maintains detailed records in field notebooks.
• Maintainsaccuraterecords of plants in the permanent collection (i.e.,Wildflower Garden).
• Maintains horticultural tools and equipment.Problemsolves most issues independently and refers more serious problems tosupervisor.
• Ensures that all applicable safety standards are followed; informs employees/students/volunteers of safety guidelines and safe working practices and routinelymonitorsto enforce them.Adapts ormodifieswork methods to reduce hazards. Reports all accidents,injuriesand near-miss accidents.
• Responsible for supervising andmaintainingaccuraterecords for volunteers in the garden and in seed collecting operations.
• Meets expected attendance guidelines.
• Followsand adheres toestablishedpolicies and procedures, including but not limited to Employee Handbook, Garden Safety Guidelines and Department Policies.
• Behaves and communicates in a manner that promotes and fosters a culture of teamwork and cooperation, within our division and throughout the Garden, with co-workers, supervisors/managers, volunteers,visitorsandemployees.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Supervises volunteers who install andmaintainoutdoor displays and collect and clean seeds.

Core Competencies

• Communication - Listens to others and asks questions for clarification; Writes clearly and presents information accurately; Speaks professionally and responds well to questions; Supports positive visitor relations.
• Collaboration - Demonstrates teamwork and promotes respect in the workplace; Engages in problem solving and group initiatives; Cooperates in implementing procedures and process improvements; Strives for positive visitor experiences.
• Accountability - Demonstrates commitment to responsibilities and adaptable to changes; Effectively prioritizes,troubleshootsand takesappropriate actions; Follows policies and procedures, meets deadlines, quality, and safety standards; Strives to proactively, address visitor and internal colleagues’ concerns.
• Problem Solving - Identifies and resolves problems; Includes supervisor beforetaking actionas necessary; Recommends solutions,demonstratescreativity and resourcefulness;Exhibitssound andaccuratejudgment in decision making process; Includesappropriate peoplein making decisions.
• Stewardship - Promotes and adheres to sustainability,safetyand security protocols; Fosters a culture of respect,diversityand inclusion;Demonstrateseffective and prudent use of Garden resources; Maximizes contributions during work hours.

Qualifications/Experience

• Minimum ofone to three(1-3) years of hands-on, relevant horticulture work experiencerequired.
• Strong knowledge of native plant materials and landscape maintenance techniques; proficient in operating various landscaping tools and equipment including but not limited to hand tools, string trimmers, lawn mowers, backpack sprayers, blowers, etc.
• Must enjoy and feel comfortable interacting and workingin close proximity togeneralpublic, in a safe and friendly manner, answering questionsregardinghorticulture collection.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively at all levels.
• Proven ability to perform simple tasks independently after being given assignments.
• Ability to work outside, often in variable environments, weather conditions.
• Demonstrates accuracy and thoroughness; Looks for ways to improve and promote quality; Applies feedback to improve performance;Monitorsown work to ensure quality.
• Ability to perform some climbing and heavy lifting up to50lbs.
• Adherence to all health and safety guidelines.
• Demonstrateshighestlevel of professional and ethical conduct.
• Scheduling flexibility that allows working occasional weekends at annual spring and fall plant sale and prairie day (every other year).
• The Garden is committed to the safety and wellbeing of our employees,volunteersand guests.All staff are strongly encouraged to receive all vaccinations as recommended by your healthcare provider prior tohiredate.The Garden reserves the right to require future proof of current vaccination status, based on local health department guidelines.When international travel is